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John McCoy

wrote in news:1152216201.915141.148530
@s53g2000cws.googlegroups.com:

My current project involves putting a 12"x16" acrylic windows on a
piece of particle board. The acrylic window is .220" thick and I need
it to sit flush in the particle board (the board is 3/4" thick). I
want to cut a hole in the particle board which is smaller then the
window allowing for a 1" lip on all sides. I then want to lower the
lips by at least .220".

As you can see I need some new tools. I am having a hard time figuring
out what tools to buy.

Here are my possible options I thought of:
1. Use a hand saw to make the hole and use my dremel router to make
the lip (would take 8 passes per side)
2. Buy some "single use tools" (cheap tools from somewhere like harbor
freight) to do this job. Maybe an edge router and a jigsaw. I would
also have to buy a 1" straight bit from somewhere else.
3. Buy a RotoZip and attachments.
4. Buy some low-mid level tools (like Ryobi). Maybe I don't need a
plunge router.

I would not suggest any of these. My recommendation would be to get
a plunge router and a straight bit, and a straight bit of wood and
a couple of clamps to use as a guide. Clamp the straight board down
to guide the router along the inner edge of your hole, plunge the
bit all the way thru the particle board, and you can cut out the
hole. Then move the guide board back an inch, plunge your .220,
and cut the lip.

If you can rough-cut the opening first, so much the better, the
router will then make a clean edge very quickly. If you're
cutting the full thickness with the router it will be slow, you'll
likely want to make 2 or 3 passes at successively increasing depths
to get all the way thru.

I would recommend against the Ryobi router, too; other brands have
a better reputation for quality & long life. I beleive I have
seen brands like Hitachi offered at ~$150 on-line (e.g. Amazon).

I'll also specifically warn against the RotoZip idea. That tool
is intended for cutting drywall, and works well for that. It's
pretty much useless for anything else.

John