What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

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phavriluk
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Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by phavriluk »

I mentioned 'rattle-can' shellac because the widely available Zinsser product is wax-free, a quality that may not be present in brushing shellac.
peter havriluk
Stray Feathers
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Location: Ladysmith, BC

Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by Stray Feathers »

Ah, thanks - more to this than I thought. I have the Zinsser rattle-can shellac, and it does not say it is wax-free, but it does say it can be "topcoated with any clear finish". I see on the web site also Universal Sanding Sealer which says wax-free on the label but does not say it is shellac (other sites say it is shellac). A little web searching turned up some comments saying other topcoats don't adhere as well to shellac with wax, and others that say lacquer is fine over shellac with wax. And the shelf life of the prepared shellac is apparently a factor too. On my most recent projects I wiped vinyl sealer with a rag on spots to be routed and it was fine, but the spray shellac is more convenient. Still confused; will read some more. Bruce W.
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by phavriluk »

Bruce, buried in the fine print on the back of the Zinsser rattle can I bought a couple of weeks ago, it says 'because spray shellac is 100% wax free....'. I feel comfortable using it as a protective seal coat on my soundboards when I'm abusing them before mounting.

I agree with the idea that parsing what we want to use can create headaches.
peter havriluk
Stray Feathers
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Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by Stray Feathers »

Interesting - there is no such claim on the back of my can (distributed in Canada by Rust-oleum). I can't see it being a different product - maybe a packaging oversight. They have to make room for the French version too. My can is also two or three years older than yours, so maybe the labelling has changed.
Stray Feathers
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Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 11:39 pm
Location: Ladysmith, BC

Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by Stray Feathers »

Things get curiouser - I checked with Rust-oleum that distributes Zinsser in Canada. They say the Universal Sanding Sealer is wax-free, but the rattle can Zinsser Bullseye Shellac is not. Why this is different than in the US I don't know, but for the Canucks among us, be aware that if you are using Zinsser shellac as a sealer or fuzz-reducer that it may be less compatible with certain topcoats.
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by phavriluk »

Mercy! Proof positive of the need to read the current product label.

Thanks for following up.
peter havriluk
MaineGeezer
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Re: What is your favorite method for cutting rosette slots?

Post by MaineGeezer »

I cut the rosette groove similar to Cbstark46143's method. I have a DeWalt laminate trimmer (i.e. their small router that I made a new base for. It has a 1/8" diameter pin. adjustable for radius distance, that the base and router pivot on. i clamp the top to a sacrificial piece of plywood and drill a 1/8" hole in the center of the to-be sound hole that the pin drops into. The hole also goes down into the plywood to give some reinforcement to the hole.

One nice thing about the DeWalt is that you can get 3rd-party collets for it in a range of sizes. ( https://elairecorp.com/dewaltroutercollets.html) I got a 1/8" and a 3/16" collet. which greatly expands the selection of available cutters. One can get 1/8"shank cutters in just about any diameter you want, which is handy or inlaying thin lines.

If I can, I first cut the channels about 0.01" narrow using a regular up-cutting router bit to clear out most of the material. Then I go back and cut to final width with a downcut router bit (SrtewMac sells them). which gets rid of the edge fuzzies. I strongly advise doing it in two passes. as described. A downcut bit will pack the shavings down into the bottom of a blind slot, possibly causing the cuter to beak. or at least pushing the cutter out of line and causing a ragged edge.
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