Sizing featherstrips and groove

D

Dead Crab

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Building new rails. I can cut the featherstrip groove with either a 5/16" or 1/4" straight router bit. I've got some 1/4" hardwood stock that I was planning to use as featherstrips. These strips are pretty true to stated measurements.

Did some testing with both groove dimensions, and some scraps of Championship Titan cloth. When the rails are done, I plan to use a worsted cloth, but the Championship is the only pool cloth I have to test with.

With the 1/4" groove and the cloth in place, I can't get the strips to hammer in. OK, not unexpected.

With the 5/16" groove, I added a piece of blue painter's tape the length of the featherstrip, and could still seat the cloth and strip just by pushing in with my thumbs.

I assume the worsted cloth is thinner (?), and with a 5/16" groove, I will probably need at least 2 layers of tape for a snug fit.

Which is the lesser of the potential evils: Planing all six featherstrips to fit a 1/4" groove, adding tape to fit a 5/16th groove, or something different?
 
feather strip

I over cut mine and then hand plane to fit. It may take a little longer, but it works pretty good.
 
your doing it ass-backwards if your matching the rail groove to the featherstrip. make your groove and plane your featherstrip to the right size. perhaps you should buy featherstrips made of bass or poplar wood. if you can push it in with your thumbs its too loose for worsted cloth.
 
Thanks for the replies. I found that I could get the strips down to size pretty quickly and evenly using a belt sander with a course abrasive.
 
I agree with Donny. I have a small delta planer. I usually cut my strips oversized and run them through my planer to a perfect fit. I use poplar just because its easy to find but basswood is great too. The key here is consistent thickness the whole length of the strip. If not you will have loose places in your cloth and look bad. Good luck with it
 
tableman said:
I agree with Donny. I have a small delta planer. I usually cut my strips oversized and run them through my planer to a perfect fit. I use poplar just because its easy to find but basswood is great too. The key here is consistent thickness the whole length of the strip. If not you will have loose places in your cloth and look bad. Good luck with it
Click to expand...

Bass wood is OK, but breaks to easy, Poplar is the best I've ever used, Pine would be my second choice, and using a hand plane block is the easiest and best way to fit feather strips to the dado.

Glen
 
It has a certain appeal, as it could expand to fill any gaps with wood shrinkage.

I assume it is designed for 1/4" dado. Do you seat it with one of those screen tools?
 
Dead Crab said:
It has a certain appeal, as it could expand to fill any gaps with wood shrinkage.

I assume it is designed for 1/4" dado. Do you seat it with one of those screen tools?
Click to expand...

Flex is 1/4 by 1/4 and has ribs on the sides. I've not known it to expand but it will compress some if the dado is tight.
A 1" wood seam roller (think wallpaper) works fine. Takes a little practice so you wind up flush with the rail top and no dips in the rubber.
 
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