MWORKE R. =) Neha JiGs, Fixtures, AND TRICKS TO UNLEASH Your RouTer’s POTENTIAL BILL HYLTON Coauthor of WOODWORKING WITH THE ROUTER More than’ 140,000 Sold!Jics, Fixtures, AND TRICKS TO UNLEASH Your RouTERr’s FULL PortenTiAL Bill Hylton Photographs by Mitch Mandel Iustrations by Bill Hylton and Frank Rohrbach yg reader? SEW Digest ‘THE READER'S DIGEST ASSOCIATION, INC. Pleasantville, New York/MontrealUntil now, it’s gone without saying To Judi. Always to Judi. Copyright © 1996 by The Reader’ Digest Association Ine Copyright © 1996 by The Reader's Digest Assocation (Canada) Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced r transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any olher information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission ofthe publisher. ‘The author and editors who compiled this book have tried to make all of the contents as accurate and as correct as possible. Plans, illustrations, photographs, and text have all been carefully checkwe and cross-checked. However, de to the variability of focal conditions, construction materials, personal skill, and so on, neither the author nor Reader's Digest assumes any responsibility for any injuries sulfered or for damages or other losses incurred that result from the material presented herein. All instructions and plans should be carefully studied and clearly understood before beginning construction, Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Hylton, Bi Router magic : jigs, Fixtures, and tricks to unleash your router's full potenti! / Bll Hyon ; photographs by Mitch Mandel ; illustrations by Bill Hylton and Frank Robrbach, em. ISBN 0-7621-0185-7 (paperback) 1, Routers (Tools) 2, Woodwork. 3. Jigs and fixtures LTitle, T1202.3.1194 1999 684 .083-de21 9.24915 Reaven’s Dicer ILLUSTRATED REFERENCE BOOKS Editor-in-Chief Christopher Cavanaugh Art Director Joan Mazzeo Operations Manager William J. Cassidy Address any comments about Router Magic to: Reader's Digest Editor-in-Chief, IMustrated Reference Books Reader’s Digest Road Pleasantville, NY 10570 Reader's Digest and the Pegasus logo are registered trademarks of the Reader's Digest Association, Inc. American Woodworker isa registeted tradentark of RD Publications, ne. Visit our website at: wwwreadersdigest.com Printed in the United States of America 37910864Contents Crosshair Baseplate Slotted Pilot Template Boring Templates Shelf Support Template Router Duplicator ‘Trammel Baseplate Trick-Bag Basic Vacuum Trammel Vacuum Clamping ‘The Generic Baseplate ‘TSquare Trick-Bag Basic Routing Straightedge Fractionating Baseplate Trick-Bag Basic CenterFinding Baseplate Doweling Jig Dowel-Making Fixture Dowel-Turning Jig Slot-Cutter Drawer Joinery 19 39 44 50 63 69 75 81 85 89 97 102 12 Offset Baseplate Trick-Bag Basic Flush-Trimming Baseplate Trick-Bag Basic Mortising Jig Trick-Bag Basic Shop-Built Slot Mortiser ‘Template-Mortising Custom Router Table Top Universal Router Mounting Plate Bit Opening Inserts Router Crank Table Saw Extension Router Table Horizontal Router Table Bench-Top Router Table Floor-Standing Router Table Split Fence Sleds Featherboards Surfacing Baseplate Trick-Sag Basic Router Lathe Jig-Making Materials and Hardware Vs 119 124 131 145 156 163 173 177 183 191 203 212 237 246 256 264 269 298 308Introduction Abracadsbra! It’s magic! Kind of a hackneyed device, ism it? 1€ seemed good as I started this book project. But as collected and refined the ‘ideas and plans for the jigs and fixtures and gizmos in this ook, I heart every putdown and jibe and smug joke the theme could evoke. “Wooo! It's magic” But as the book nears completion, the theme still works for me. When I get into the shop and try out a new router gizmo I've made—and it WORKS!—well, there is a magical feeling 10 it But the “magic” theme goes beyond a self-satisfied feeling when 1 accomplish something in the shop. It acknowledges that a lot of the successes we all experience in woodworking stem just from knowing the trick. ‘There are three kinds of magic. in my mind, illusion 2.sleightofhand B.trickery Iltusion is simply that. Jtusfon. It's hocuspocus. What ‘you are seeing is not what's really happening. At the family picnic, Uncle Bud absolutely wows the little kids by pulling ‘of his thumb tip momentarily, then putting it back. I's just in the way he holds his hands, we older kids realize. ‘There's none of this hocus;pocus here, because I've Kept the illusions out of Kouter Magic. s just Rood, hard- core, down-to-earth, practical as dirt woodworking wsing a router Sleightof-hand is common in woodworking, To me, sleightofhand is handling a taxing, intricate operation so quickly and fluidly that it seems easy. I's handling the task in a way that provokes the “How he do that!?” response, ‘The way some woodworkers chop out dovetails qualifies as sleighi-ofhand. ‘The catch with sleightothand, and the reason I've left it out of Router Magic, i that it grows out of dedicated, almost obsessive practice. If you'd hand cut dovetails for a half-dozen drawers every working day for 25 or 30 years, you'd become adit at it,t00. Trickery is what this book is all about. Trickery simply executing a welldlevised strategem, putting a gim- mick to work, making use of a special device or apparatus ‘This is the foundaason Of both great magle and grear Wood ‘working. Here's a trick, the sort you've seen performed on tele- vision by one flamboyant showman or another. He trasses up his young assistant, puts her in a wooden crite, then pushes it off the bridge into the river below As the water closes over the crate, limo pulls up.The showman turns, iv Router Magic ‘opens the back door, and helps his young assistant alight. And you say,"How'd he do that!?” Let me assure you, itis trick Ifyou know the trick, you don’t need any special skills to replicate the performance. In this particular case, you need special equipment: twins. ‘What I've put in Rowler Magic ts strictly trickery. And of course, the point is to tell you exactly what the gimmick ‘While I do want you to be dazzled, | also want to you say, Hey! I can do that Rouier Magic is a whole bag of neat tricks for doing, woodworking using a router. It’s for the busy person who ‘wants to know the tricks so he can cut to the chase, so she can get more done in less time. It> for the woodworker who already has a router and bits and uses them regularly in his or her woodworking. But Rowler Magic is also for the ‘woodworker who has the router sitting on a shelf while he waits forit to show off its muchtouted versatility. If you fit this latter description, this is the book that'l tun you into a router wizard. If you are just surting out, for example, you may want to stop at the jigs and fixtures marked with the “Trick.Bag Basic’ symbol. The symbol icentifies the router accessories that my woodworking colleagues and I selected 28 the most useful for the average woodworker to have in his bag 0 router tricks, Trick-Bag Basic Leaf through the book and take a look at these projeas. You'll find them relatively quick and easy to build, often of scraps you already have in your shop. Let me emphasize here that this is not The Magie Routor It is NOT “neat stuff you can do with this incredible router from another galaxy!” Your standard router will do just fine for most of these figs. If you work through the book and stock your bag 0° router tricks with just these basics, youll begin to appre-ciate the versatility of your router. Using the “Trick Bag Basic” accessories, you'll be able to perform a significant range of operations. With jigs like the TSqures and the Fractionating Baseplte, you'l rout precisely positioned and sized dadoes, grooves, and rabbets. The multipurpose Surfacing Baseplate equips your router for planing lumber, forming tapers,even cutting circles and shaping edges without the snipes caused by bobbles and tips of the router. The Flush-Trimming Buscplate will help you to pare plugs and through tenons and to trim edge-banding. especially like the Tramme! Baseplate because it is just such a great trammel. With it, you can cut disks Cor holes) ranging in diameter from 1 inch up to about 24 inches. Believe me, this is a very handy range, especially on ‘one of the things that isis a relatively small project—modest only a few steps—but it will have a big impact on your woodworking. Another of my wick-bag favorites és the Mortising Jig. Mortising is sonteching that plunge routers do especially well. This jig is great because itis quite simple to make, it is solid and durable as the Rock of Gibraltar, and it is easy t0 we, Take five oF ten minutes to sett up, then you can knock ‘out a mortise-aminute. And every mortise will be the same. Beyond the “Trick-Bag Basics” you'll find a dozen or more solid accessories that enable you to use that router in different andl certainly unexpected ways. The tricks you perform—boring holes, for example, or making dowels and ciowel joints—will make it clear to you Just how versatile the router can be. And as you tackle these operations, your router know-how will become more advanced. But maybe you feel you've already mastered the router Pechaps you already use your router for the kinds of opers- tions I've cited, Don't put the book down yet, for I'd like to think that even a seasoned woodworker will discover new tricks and techniques in Router Magic. You see, | picture this book as a magic workshop, a show for insiders, an opportunity for the performers to ‘exchange information and ideas with an audience of their peers You know, there's no better audience for a magic show than other magicians. Sure, the audience will know a lot ofthe tricks and will be able to pick apart a performance to figure out the other tricks. But magicians—like wood- wworkers—are always on the lookout for new twists, subtle improvements, and especially innovations. In this light, 2 woodworker will ook at jig oF fstase be orshe sees and evaluate it. Has it been seen before? Does it WORK? Is it really better? Or just different? Does it have some flexibility, of are its applications very specific? Is it something to keep in mind? Or something to be built siraightaway? ‘You experienced woodworkers should study each jig and fixture ia this book with a critical eye. I certainly have, and so have my woodworking colleagues. ‘The ideas for these jigs, fixtures, and tricks come from a variety of sources. My job for the past year has been to find, develop, test, and fine-tune these devices. I not only Jooked in books and magazines for ideas, | contacted wood- workers far and wide, looking for creative glimmers and bursts. The best of these projects, I think, were generated bya small circle of woodworking colleagues here at Rodale Press. 1 say (0 a friend, “What if you wanted to use the router fo... “And we'd turn the idea around and roll it over, and tickle its chin and kick its butt, stroke it a little and chase it around the block. 1d sketch a plan and build and try it, Often, 1 ask a respected colleague (0 come up with a prototype. There were collaborations, where one person would build a basic jig and others would offer suggestions for improvements and enhancements. I borrowed unabash- ‘edly. There are,after all, few ideas that the sun hasn't already shone upon, In the end, I got a swell collection of magic apparatus nd router tricks. Like a good magic show, Router Magic is a mixture of basic tricks and some unusual stunts. | openly admit, some of the jigs Herein reprise old standards. You'll sce jigs and tricks here that you've seen elsewhere. But I think you'll embrace the approaches taken here; they are solid and no-nonsense. I've avoided screwing up @ good jig just for the sake of making it a little different. This is part of the book's emphasis on fundamentals:To ull off the advanced tricks, you have to have a mastery of the basics. So here and there in the book are cttapters that ‘examine fundamenta} zouter jig making.“The Generic Base- plate” is a good example. About a dozen of the router fixtures in this book involve making a replacement base- plate for your router. The job is easy, but seldom as easy as most woodworking books make it scem. “The Generic Baseplate” details how to go about this essential work,And when I say it details how to do it, I mean it gives you all the particulars. Router Magic also focuses on contemporary materials and tectnologies. Knowing about modem materials and hardware (and where to get them) is important to a magi- ‘cian. Phenolic plastic. MDF Toggle clamps. Easy-onthe. hands plastic knobs. And knowing about unusual technolo- ‘gies that are within the reach of the smallshop professional and the hobby woodworker is important, too, Using vacuum for clamping. Using forced-air flow to lift stuff and help you move it, With all che stress on fundamentals and materials and technology, don't think this is stodgy stuff. In every good show, there's at least one extravaganza that positively rolls your socks down. And I've got three or four of “em in here. Look at the fifth chapter, “Router Duplicators” Maybe you've scen similar devices in woodworking catalogs. The idea is to create an object in wood—a carving,a sign, a hob lowed seat, a shallow plate or bow1—through the parallel movements of the duplicator’s two beams. As you “trace” 4 three-dimensional pattern with a stylus mounted on one beam, the second beam duplicates the movements of the first, causing the router mounted on it to reproduce the object being traced. It's a whiz-bang trick. {And to make it better, the Router Magic duplicator isn’t trapped on rails or mounted on a stand. It literally floats on air. That 1S magic! Introduction svNow you can buy a duplicator if you have enough money, oF you can make the Router Magic duplicator for a remarkably modest amounit of money and shop time. As with all the projects in Rower Magic, the plans for building and using the duplicator are detailed and tested. (et me note parenthetically that all of the project chapters include a list of the parts and the hardware you need for building the item in question. The construction directions are methodical and thorough. Lots of drawings and photos of pertinent procedures are inciuded. The direc tions for using each jig ot fixture are likewise thorough and sequential. }don't think you can go wrong. Practical detait 1s & special characteristic of Router Magic. 1 get needled by my colleagues for being long ‘winded, and Lam. But I'm tryingto make sure I've explained the full intricacies of each project. Often, when I read through woodworking books, get frustrated by the mis ing pieces of information—those vital details and subtle nuances of technique that make the difference between success and frustration. 've tried to focus Router Magic on the gritty details that make the real difference.) A major portion of Router Magic is given over to router tables and router table accessories. This is an extravaganza of shop-made tables and accessories, ranging from two dif- ferent ways—one horizontal and one vertical—to mount the router to the table saw, through a variety of sleds and featherboards, to a nifty bench-top router table. Let me talk some about the Bench-top Router Table. While it may not stop the show for you, it may turn out later to have stolen it for you. In a small shop, this router table is great because it i$ compact and doesn’t occupy its own piece of the floor. Set on a workbench, i is elevated above the standard working height, putting the action closer to you. It's very portable, so you can carry it to a remodeling site or a backyard job. I even incorporated three hand-grip ‘openings in the base to make it easy to carry (or to hang on stout mal for storage), But three design features make this router table gen- uinely special, First, i's designed around a small, fixed:base router, which a lot of hobby woodworkers have. Second, you can install and retrieve the router from the lable in ten seconds. In other words, the router isn't “tied vi Router Magic up" when it's in this router table, which is invariably the case with other router table designs. (As you know, you usu- ally have t0 unscrew three or four screws, remove the router from the mounting plate, then reinstall the stock baseplate by redriving those three or four screws. Takes thece to five minutes and a screwdriver.) A couple of toggle clamps hold the router undemeath this router table's top. ‘You don’t even remove the siock baseplate (o mount the router under the tabletop. ‘Third, a ift-top feature makes it supercasy to make bit changes and bititeight adjustments. This is a feature UNIQUE to shop-built router tables, ‘The real showstopper Router Magic table is the fabu- lous Floor Standing RouterTable. It has the lifttop feature,a shop-made router adjustment crank, souter bit storage, dust ‘and chip collection, anvl more, Alin all, these are unique router tables. You can't buy anything like them ANYWHERE! Router Magic’s bravura act has to be the Router Lathe. With this shop built mechanism, you can “router-turn” posts and legs and spindles and finials with rings and coves and tapers. But its real specialty is spirals, which are beyond the ‘capabiliries of even the most expensive lathes and the most ‘killed turners.You either cut these kinds of turnings on a device like this, or you carve them by hand, If you want to buy one of these devices, you have two. choices—an incredibly expensive industrial machine or 3 cheap-oshoddy one. Our router lathe is quite easy to build using some bicycle sprockets and chain, some offtheshelf bearings and gears,and some plywood. It's durable, flexible, and unique. No one has published plans for such a device. ‘You may never build one, but it will be sure to grab your attention, If ever there was a magical, geewhiz router gizmo, this is it Before turning you loose in the shop, let me say that the first step to becoming a certified router wizard isto get that router off the shelf. Then you've got to fill that bag o’ router tricks. You can buy a lot of gizmos out of catalogs, but the sweetest, most fulfilling tricks are those you create yourself So take this book into the shop and get busy.Crosshair Baseplate Catch layout marks in your router's crosshairs to plunge-bore on-target holes. the plunge router is an excellent boring tool. Su its range and flexibility are somewhat limited, but there are some applications in which it outperforms dei And if you don't have a drill press, it can sometimes be a Workable substitute. ‘The advantage of the plunge router over the portable electric drill, of course, is that it bores a hole tha’ perfe square to the work surface. And although it can’t bore deep hole, it can bore to a preestablished depth, This special baseplate can make it easier to accurately place the holes you bore with a plunge router. When using 4 plunge router, it’s difficult to eyeball the exact location of the hole. The bit doesn't have a centerpoint (o line up ona ‘mark, and the bulk of the motor makes it impossible to sight down on the bit. The crosshair baseplate helps overcom this problem. I call it the crosshair baseplate because it is simply a piece of clear plastic with crosshairs delineating the centerpoint of the bit. ‘To use the baseplate, you must lay out hole locations on the workpiece using two lines crossing at right angles. Set the router on the work, and tine up the baseplate’s Tx: it will never replace the drill and drill press, crosshairs over the layout. Flick on the router and plunge. ‘The hole will be just where you want it This baseplate works especially well with tigger switch routers, like the Bosch plungers, which allow you to switch the router on and off the way you would a drill Making the Baseplate It should be obvious that you must use a clear plastic for the baseplate. You can use either acrylic or polycarbonate. used acrylic. Tips on working thermosetting plastics can be found in the appendix. 1. Cut the blank. Cut a square slightly langer than your plunger router's baseplate, Make sure the blank is really square. Leave the paper facing on the blank. 2. Mount it on the router. Remove the router's baseplate and, using doubledsided tape, bond it 10 the blank, Guided by the mountingscrew holes in the stock baseplate, select the appropriate-size drill and bore holes inCROSSHAIR BASEPLATE LAYOUT Baseplate blank is sized to fit router's base. Dimple center of baseplate = with V-grooving bit when baseplate is attached to the router. Scribe crosshairs through the centermark using fa scratch awl, Plunge-bore the bit opening _ after scribing crosshairs Drilling thermosetting plastic requires a high chuck speed and a rapid in-and-out feed action. Feed the bit sharply for only a moment, then retract it clear of the plastic. Feed sharply again. but only briefly. Retract the bit. This in-and-out action keeps the ool enough that it won't melt the plastic, 2 —— Router Magic —— 647 ———, Drill holes for ‘mounting screws, “You can use acrilic or polycarbonate for this baseplate. the blank. Switch to a countersink, and countersink the holes so the flathead screws you use will sct below the baseplate surface. Separate the blank from the stock baseplate. The protective paper will probably peel off the blank with the carpet tape; that's okay. Mount che biank on the router. 3. Mark the bit opening centerpoint. Fit a V- ‘grooving bit in the router. Plunge the bit against the blank Don’t even plug the router in; just turn the bit a few times by hand, scoring a centermark into the blank. Remove the blank from the routes. On. the drill press, drill the smallest diameter hole you can through the blank at the centermark. 4, Scribe the crosshairs. Peel the protective paper from the blank (f it isn’t already removed). Using a square anda scratch awl, score the crosshairs on the bottom of the blank. Apply dark-colored paint to the scored lines with 2 fine brush, then wipe the baseplate clean. The paint will cling to the scratches, highlighting the lines. (As an alterna tive, you can try using a finetipped marker to color and higitight the scratched crosshair lines.) 5. Bore the bit opening. You can bore this hole on the drill press with a large-diameter bit. Or remount theTo create the crosshairs, work in good light with a square and scratch awl (op). Line up the square so it bisects the tiny centermark hole. Then draw the awl firmly along the square’s blade, scoring the plastic as deeply as possible. After both lines are scratched into the baseplate, highlight them with dark-colored paint (bottom). Use a tiny artist's brush to apply a bead of paint along the scratched lines. Wipe the excess from the plastic, leaving just a thread of it in the scratches. new baseplate on the router, and plumge-bore the bit opening with a large-diameter straight bit. Usi Is this an easy operation? You bet it is. Set up the router with the crosshair baseplate and the correct bit; then sec the correct phinge depth. The site of every hole must be laid out with crossed layout lines. Set the router over the marks, and get the base- plate’s crossed hairs directly over the layout marks. Switch the router on and plunge the bit. g the Baseplate buliog It’s going to be a bull’s-eye! You can't look directly down on the crosshairs and see without distortion how they line up with the layout lines. But the crosshairs of this baseplate make it dramatically easier to line up the router for plunge-boring, Crosshair Baseplate 31 building furniture, there are times when you need to [confine a panel that changes width seasonally or fasten a panel that changes width to a structure that doesn't. If you don't make any allowance for this movement, surfaces buckle and joints break, doors won't open and drawers jam, If the member that moves is fastened to the fixed member with screws, the screw shank and head should slide in an elongated channel or slot. ‘The trick is: how to make the very narrow slots that are required. Try drilling several holes in @ line, especially using a Sinch-diameter bit. It doesn't work, because the bit wants to skitter off the mark into the previously drilled hole. Here's the magical solution: the plunge router, It is the ideal tool to cut these slots. All you need is a simple tem- plate to guide the machine. Making the Template ‘The template is easy to make, Before beginning the work, study the template layout showa in the drawing, 1. Cut the template blank. Make the template out Slotted Pilot Template Now pilot slots are as easy to make as pilot holes. of 3% or Yeinchthick plywood, hardboard, or acrylic. Plywood is probably the most practical. I like to jot motes and layout marks on templates, and I find it difficul: to see any marks made on hardboard. Positioning an acrylic tem plate is easy because itis clear, but be careful with clamps: Acrylic can be broken, “The template should be at least twice as long as the diameter of your router base and 1! times wider. The template shown in the drawings is larger than that, But it provides plenty of clamping surface, so you can clamp it to the work without interfering. wich router movement. 2, Scribe the crosshairs. You can incorporate these helpful alignment fines only if you are making your tem plate out of clear plastic. Incise the lines with a utility knife ‘ora seratch awl anda square, Cut right through the masking paper that protects the plastie's surface. 3. Rout the slots. Guiding your router against a straightedge, rout a slot in the center of the template with Séinch-iameter straight bit to match a ‘inch-diameter guide bushing,the template over the layout mark for the slot. Position the lamps where they won't interfere with the router. SLOTTED PILOT TEMPLATE LAYOUT Seribe crosshairs before routing template slots. 3. Rout the counterbore. Chuck the larger bit in the router. Set the cutting depth stop to M4 inch beyond the thickness of the template. Set the router on the template, with the guide in the template’s slot, Switch on the router, plunge the cutter, and rout. no 4, Rout the slot. Switch to the smaller bit. Reset the s ‘cating depth stop t0 the thickness of the workpiece plus that of the template. Rout the slot. a ‘As you cut, remember that you are using a really frail bit. Ics very easy to shear off the cutting tip of a Ysinch oF Mor inch bit. So make a series of very shallow cuts to rout the slot. Cutting List i Qty. Material CBee ae as) Dimensions x 10/8" x 17% Using the Template ‘The typical Ssinch guide bushing has a collar that’s %is inch Jong. Before you can use a template chinner than that—and_ that's what I've directed you to make—you need to grind down the cotlar. 1. Set up the router. To rout a slot, you'll need a plunge router, one template guide (the YinchO.D, size), and two straight bits—one for the counterbore for the screw head and a different one for the screw shank slot. For #10 roundhead screw, use a %inch-diameter bit to cut the counterbore and a icinch-diameter bit for the shank slot. Fora #8 or #6 screw, use the Si«inch bit for the counterbore and a Minch bit for the shank stot. 2. Clamp the template to the workpiece. Line up ‘TEMPLATE CUTAWAY Rout slotted pilots in the cleats that you use in attaching a tabletop to the leg-and-apron assembly. The screws driven through the cleat into the tabletop thus will be able to move a little as the top expands and contracts. Template -Workpiece Rout a %" slot. Rout a Vic" slot. %e" router bit Slotted Pilot Template 5argediameter holes are bored with Forstner bits, hole saws, and flycutters. You can use a router and crammel (and frankly, we have a couple of good tram- rmels in this book), Of course, any boring operation has a limitation or two. For example: If you use a drill press, you have to be able to perch the ‘work on the machine's litte table. If the workpiece i too big or unwieldy, ifthe hole isn't relatively close (0 the workpiece edge, the drill press can't do the job. elf you use a handhekt drill, making sure the hole is square to the surface is the problem. You can’t use a flycutter in a hane-hekel dri ‘Large diameter Forstner bits are costly, nonadjustable, and single-purpose. So it costs a lot to bore a hole of a one specific diameter, eNeither a hole siw nor a flycutter can create a stopped hole. “The list could go on (Gf I'd really think about if). Bue rather than belabor it, let me say that a router and template can produce a large-diameter hole for you when other approaches are stymied by their limitations. Boring es Templates Routing holes may be boring, but with each of these templates, you can get some pretty exciting 2 different sizes, through result or blind holes, flat or stepped bottoms, even circular grooves. ‘Shown here are a batch of templates with holes cut in them-To rout a matching hole, you simply clamp the tem plate to the work, ft a pattern bit in your router, and let the template guide the router through the cut. If you need a through hole, just keep cutting deeper until the disk of waste is cut free of the workpiece. If stopped hole is what ‘you need, rour around the perimeter of the tempiate hole ‘nti you've cut to the final depth, then work back and forth, to excavate all the waste Now don't think you are limited to reproducing the hole in the template. If you use a guide bushing, which off- sets the bit fromthe template edge, the hole size is reduced. ‘You can use almost any grooveforming bit with « guide bushing. By using different guide bushing/straight bit com binations, you can use each template hole to rout at least, seven different sizes of hole. If you ase a Yeinch bit with a guide bushing with an gutside diameter of % inch, it reduces the diameter of the template hole by 2 inch. ‘The table “Template Size Ranges” on page 11 lays out the specifies for you. It lists the sizes of holes that can be routed using the templates, and it is long. But to cut all 77 of these hole sizes, you need only three guide bushings and four bits, all common sizes. One last thing, Several of the templates have rounded‘comers. Those corners aren't rounded just for looks; they have a purpose. Clamp a template at a comer of something like a tabletop, and you can round the corner using your router and pattem bit, No stw marks to sand away, no rip- piles or flat spots. Use the same template at exch comer on the tabletop, for example, and you can round the corners smoothly and consistently. ‘The templates give you cornerround guides starting ata ‘inch radius and jumping in “inch increments to 3 inches. ‘To make it a little easier to position the comer. rounding templates, I made little plastic stops that you attach to the edges of the templates. The idea is that you ‘make two, then attach them on each side of whichever ‘comer pattern you are using. When you use a different: radius corner, just move the stops. The mounting “screws” have plastic knobs that make it easy. Part Qty. Dimensions Material | Template | 1 Wxerx is" MOF | Template2-5 4)" 12"x 14" MOF I Stops 2 Wx 2" 3" Plastic | Hardware 2 hangée bolts, 4" x 2° 2 hex nuts, 4" | 2 knurled plastic knobs, 1" dia. with 14" threaded insert: +#K-32 from Reid Too! Supply Co. (800-253-0421) "A flathead wood screws, #5 x 34° | CIRCLE TEMPLATE LAYOUTS Hanging-up 3 Hanging-up hole 1 rad. Making the Templates ‘This is a simple matter. Template layouts are shown in the drawing. You can make individual templates—one for each size of hole—but ganging the smaller holes gives you space- efficient clamping area without wasting template stock and. without making the templates unwieldy. 1. Cut the blanks. Templates are usually made of ply- ‘wood, medium- te Byer % we a ae ys Bet a K 3 Boring Templates 11Shelf Support Template A shop-made template, a guide bushing, and a plunge router are all you need to bore clean, accurate, precisely placed support-pin eres jig 10 make boring ranks of holes for adjustable shelving a whole lot easier and more accunite, 1's a template that clamps to the work You use « plunge router with a inch template ‘guide and a inch straight bit to actually bore the holes With this shelf adjustment approach, of course, you have sets of four holes, two in each of two sides, and al ace in the same levet plane. pin in cach hole will support a shelf. Wanna move that shelf up or down a little? Need to make headroom for a new book that's an inch taller than the others? Move the four pins to adifferent set of holes and move the shelf. “The hitch is that stipulation that each set of four hotes ‘must ll be in the same level plane. Ithe ranks of holes i ote Side are 2 fraction out of fine with those in the other side.the shelves won't be level. Worse, if one side’s two ranks of holes are slightly out of alignment with each other, each shelf will be supported by only three pins. 22 be unsteady and ratty, Nevertheless, this approach for providing adjustability in shelving and cabinetry is flexible and popula. If you use wooden pegs rither than manufactured pins, the materiais bill is low: On the other hand, it’s fairly laborintensive. So 4 pro may choose plastic or metal shelf standards, which require less labor) 12 holes for adjustable shelving. If you are like me, you've seen different gizmos and tricks for boring these holes. Most depend upon 4 portable deitt co bore the holes. Such approaches have ever proved satisfactory to me. The tool waversas I drill hole after hole, so the holes aren’t consistently square to the surface. The botioms aren't fac, Whatever ji | use gets worn and distorted by the drill bit, and eventually, the holes that are drilled get out of alignment. I's a messy business. This fig stves these problems, A router bit bores a clean, fat-bottomied hole. No teat ut around the surface edge. The plunge router's structure guarantees that the holes will be perpendicular to the sur face, Is depth stop ensures that all the holes will be the same depth. Because the bit never touches the template (the template guide does), the template doesn't get worn Because the eemptate doesn’t get worn, the holes are in consistent alignment. Making the jig ‘You can make this jig either of two ways, and error ean creep in no matter how you do it “The easy way is 10 fay out the template holes, then dil‘SHELF SUPPORT TEMPLATE EXPLODED VIEW (7 Threaded insert “Paastic knob with steel studs ‘Toggle clamp them on the drill press. This is fast, You can get the holes in a straight line, and you can get the first and last hoies ‘exactly 24 inches apart. But the spacing of holes between the first andl last can vary. That spacing inconsistency can lead to tippy, rattling shelves, I think. So I'm recommending that you make and use a special baseplate, which I call the incremental boring beseplate. INCREMENTAL BORING BASEPLATE Reference edge —. Reference edge Ye" plywood ‘You use it to guide the router when boring the template holes. If error creeps into the making of the baseplate, it doesn’t matter (in my opinion), because the hole spacing, ‘on the template will be consistent-The hitch is tha the first and last template holes may be more or less than 24 inches apart: You have cumulative ertor. Here's an example. If, to be extreme, your baseplate Shelf Support Template 13Ee SE TST ends up spacing the template holes consistently % inch apan instead of | inch apart, your template with measure 21 inches from first hole to last, not 24 inches. I don't view this as a problem, because the holes are spaced consistently, and the template can be repositioned to extend the ranks of holes. The incremental spacing will be consistent, though the cumulative spacing may not be dead-on. So don't be surprised Making the Baseplate ‘The parts for this baseplate are included on the Cutting List, even though, once the template is built, you don't need the | baseplate anymore. 1. Cut the baseplate parts. The baseplate is & ply ‘wood square, larger than your plunge router's base. On the Cutting List, spec'd it asa Linch square, while the drawing Shows it as a 74nch square. Start with the 104ncl square; after the necessity holes are bored and the indexing pin is, installed, cut it down to the 7nchsquare size, (OF course, if your plunge rover has a larger footprint, by all means scase the Gnished size of this baseplate.) The indexing pin is a Linchtong piece of Yeinchdiameter hardwood dowel 2. Mount the baseplate blank on the router. Remove the factory baseplate from your plunge router, and roughly center it in the baseplate blink. Transfer the mounting-screw locations. Position the mounting holes so the router will be comfortably oriented when you are plunge-routing the holes in the template.) Drill the holes, countersink them, and attach the blank to the router in of the stock baseplate. Boring the indexing pin hole is easy if you plan ahead, Before removing the baseplate from the router, Set the edge guide against the baseplate edge. That will ensure that both holes will be the same distance from the edge. Next, pencit an alignment mark for the router so the second hole will be | inch from the first. as shown, Then unscrew the baseplate and praceed t6 bore the hole. 14 Router Magic 3. Plunge-bore the bit opening and pin hole. The baseplate has two Yxinchtiameter holes in it, 1 inch apa: ne for the bit, the other for the indexing pin. The holes must be the same distance from one edge of the baseplate. ‘To bore the bit opening, simply fit a Yinch seraight bit into the souter collet and plunge-bore the hole, Boring the indexing pin hole is a bit more involved Do this first: Fit she edge guide to the router and snug. it up against the plywood baseplate. Using the edge guide will ensure that the pin hole wil be the same distance from hat edge as the bit opening. Now put a reference mark on the baseplate, so. you know how far to move the router so the pin hole will be 1 inch from the bit opening. Butt a rule against the router base, and mark 1 inch from the base on the baseplate Next,remove the baseplate from the router and bond it toa large scrap clamped to the workbench. Use carpet tape to secure the baseplate. Finally, bore the pin hole. Set {sie router on the base plate, Snug its edge guide tight against the baseplate’s edge, Slide the router to the mark penciled on the baseplate. Now switch on the router and plunge-bore the hole 4. Complete the baseplate, Glue the pin in the pin hole If you want, cut down the baseplate to a manageable size. As you do this, make very sure that the reference edges (See the baseplate drawing) remain parallel to the line between the bit opening and the pin. You can save yourseit alittle finagling later, when you bore the last hole in the template, if you wake these edges equidistant from the bit opening now. Hold off on remounting the baseplate on the router after the first template hole is bored. Making the Template With the special haseplate completed, you can now ten to the template itsel 1. Cut the template blank. As with the special baseplate, the template blank should be a bit oversized. In this case, the reason has to do with getting the edges square to the centerline of the template holes. So,despite what the Template Plan Views drawing suggests, cut the template to the size specified by the Cutting List. 2. Bore the first hole. Check the teawing, then lay ‘out the location of the first “~inch-tiameter hole in the column. Scribe the centeriine of the column of holes as you do this. Remember that you'll cut down the template after all the holes are bored, so lay out the first hole and the cen terline accordingly. Set the router over the hole location and plunge-ore it. (The Crosshair Baseplate can help you locate this hole precisely; see page 1.) 3. Clamp the fence in place. Now mount that incremental boring baseplate on the router. Set the router ‘on the blank, and catch the pin in the firs! hole. Swing the