Making Router Templates.

[BrendaEM]

I thought I would share how I make templates for routing pickup cavities and other hardware. The templates are made for collar-type router bushings. They are used differently in that cavities and shapes can be routed a little at a time, which in my option is safer than trying to rout a deep cavity all at once.

Please read the dislaimer at the beginning of my guitar thread before beginning.
http://www.tappistry.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=685

Thank You : )

[BrendaEM]

For more information, and the basic use of router templates, there is an excellent router template guide bushing information here.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/guidebush.html

For a template material, you can use MDF (medium density fiberboard), the darker fiberboard we often see as pegboard, or if the template is going to see heavy use plastic would work very well. Oriented strand board (OSB) and particle board are not held together tight enough for good templates, and their chips are too large. Ordinary plywood is too soft. I am using MDF for this template.

I start by measuring what I want to rout for. With collar-type bushings, you have make the hole size larger to compensate for the thickness of the collar, and the gap between it, and the bit. I am making a template for a Gohto battery box.

I usually start of with a piece of board no narrower than the router base, and at lease twice as long so I have something to clamp to.

If you need to make a small template, or have no room otherwise, there are strong double sided tapes that often hold the templates down, but I still like clamps, and at least two.

For this bit and collar, I needed to add 1/16" to the rout size all the way around.

[BrendaEM]

I try to find the center of the board, and draw out some square center lines. One is offset becasue I need something to clamp to.

I've layed out the lines. I am using the back of the pickup template for length, and to conserve on material.

To center it, I divide the size into two, and measure one end, but then I measure the full length in one swath. It's like measure up halfway, and then down all the way. I beleive I can be more accurate that way.

If you template is not symmetrical like a cavity rout. I would mark which side is top and bottom.

[BrendaEM]

I mark an "X" in the waste area because I can get so into being on the line, that I can find myself on the other side.

I drill at least one starter hole. With this square, it seems to work out best with one in each corner.

[BrendaEM]

I use a power sabre/jig saw to rough out the hole. I try not to cut into the lines.

[BrendaEM]

The hole is cut.

[BrendaEM]

I like using a moto-tool with a small drum sander to rough the template lines. I make no attempt to get into the corners with this tool. I try to hold the tool square to the board.

The top surface of the MDF can curl a little bit hiding the line, but that can be taken off with a fingernail.

[BrendaEM]

I use a file to make the corners. A safety file, one with no teeth on the edge would work best for this, but failing that I am using the flat of a half-round file becasue the square norners of a normal file would nick the adjacent edges more easily.

I usually sand or drawfile the edges of the template a little going the direction the collar will slide.

[BrendaEM]

The collar is mounted in the router base.

You can't see it in this picture, but I have drawn a line on the bit with a marker, a line I do not want the bit to extend any further than.

I tighten the bit quite tight, and am propping the little wrench using a scrap of wood against the router itself. I don't want to strip the collar, or break the shaft off the end of the motor, but I do want this tight. 20,000 RPMs makes a lot of vibration that can loosen the collet nut. If the bit falls out it will rout right through whatever you are working on; I have seen it happen.

This router is marked for tighten and loosen becasue it's soometimes used upside down in a table.

Red is an appropriate color for the bit. It's probably best to make sure the router is unplugged.

[BrendaEM]

To test the template, I clamped the board down on a scrap of plywood, with at least two clamps.

[BrendaEM]

Using both hearing and eye protection, I routed a 1/4" pass around the edge, and cleaned out the center.

I let the router spin down before taking it off. If nothing else, think of the poor bearings, much less carbide cutting edges, spinning out of control on your workbench.

[BrendaEM]

The corners of the battery box have a radius that is smaller than the radius of the bit. So in this case, the battery box needed to be made excessively large to fit. I still feel better testing templates out on scrap than an instrument.

I use a vacuume (dust colleter would be nice) to remove the dust and chips from the rout. I usually only route 1/4" inch at a time, and clean out the chips bewteen. Becasue of this, I like the control that template routing gives.

The alternative is to drill out the areas to be removed, and rout the full depth, which I don't think is as safe.

[BigDaddyPoo]

Very cool Brenda. Thanks for the detailed info. I havn't seen step by step the best way to make these templates. All the books say something to the effect of "make a template to do all of your routing," but pretty much leave it at that.

New Woodworker is a great link. I would suggest it to anyone planning on taking the dive into any wood working. Another good one that is more hand tool oriented is http://www.amgron.clara.net/ .