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six more must-have

Accessories

The alternate bases and accessories featured on the previous pages will no doubt make a big difference in how you work with your router. But on these two pages, I want to highlight a few other well-used upgrades from my shop you may want to consider.

EDGE GUIDE

The self-clamping straightedge I mentioned earlier works great for routing dadoes across a panel. But for making grooves on long or narrow pieces, you'll need a different solution — an edge guide.

An edge guide is just a fence and a pair of rods that attach to your router like you see in the photo above. You set the position of the bit using the adjustable fence that rides along the edge.

Auxiliary Fence. For my edge guide, I attached a hardwood face to the fence. This gives the edge guide a wider bearing surface, which gives me more control at the start and end of a cut,

OFFSET BASEPLATE

Speaking of greater control, this next add-on is all about giving you more stability when using a bearing-guided bit. The problem with an ordinary baseplate is that less than half the router is supported as you rout. This can make a large router feel tippy — especially as you near a corner.

Control. In the lower left photo, you can see how I've added a teardrop-shaped baseplate. The extra length and additional knob improve the stability and control

as I work. Plus, you're less likely to tip the router and spoil the cut.

ROUTING MAT

There's another problem you can run into when routing along the edge of a piece. And that's holding the workpiece in place. If you use clamps, you'll have to reposition them during the process.

A better solution is a routing mat (left photo below). It looks like a heavy-duty shelf liner with a textured rubber surface that gives it a surprisingly secure grip.

Edge Guide. Routing perfectly parallel flutes is no problem

with a simple edge guide attached to your router.

Dust

Collector.

This spring- & loaded dust collector has a roller bearing to keep it close and rolling smoothly.

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ShopNotes No. 93