Woodworker's Journal winter-2010, страница 74

Tricks Of The Trade

Outrigger Router Base

When you need to rout small or narrow stock, try the subbase shown below for added stability. The base is a piece of hardboard with two wooden clamp-blocks fastened to one edge. Make a hardwood rail with a pair of 5/16"-diameter bolts epoxied into holes in the rail. These bolts slide up and down in the jig's wooden clamps to compensate for different workpiece thicknesses. A bolt passes through each clamp, and a wingnut locks it in place. Once you've fastened the jig to the router, it's easy to use. Set the edge of the jig on your workpiece and move the rail down to rest on the bench surface. Check to make sure the jig base is flat on the workpiece, and tighten the wingnuts. With the jig set and locked, the rail prevents the router from tipping, just like the outrigger on a boat. Fix those really small workpieces to the bench temporarily with double-sided tape to hold them while you rout their edges. Using this outrigger jig, routing small workpieces will be smooth sailing.

Secure small stock to your work surface with double-sided tape.

Router Jig Turns Spindles

Turning chair spindles exactly the same size and with a consistent diameter can be frustrating, but one of our readers lets this router jig do the job (see above). It's simply a welded framework of steel tubing and angle iron that bolts to a lathe bed. He attached a couple of strips of lauan plywood to the top of the jig for the router to slide on. To use the jig, chuck a blank in the lathe and an upspiral bit in your plunge router. An edge guide attached to the router base keeps the tool centered over the workpiece. To turn each spindle, plunge the bit down until it makes light contact with the wood, then move the router from left to right with the wood spinning at a low speed. A series of deeper passes will bring the spindle down to size, and the router's depth stop makes the final setting repeatable for as many spindles as you need. Try it!

The rail slides up and down on 5/16"-diameter bolts.

74 Tricks Of The Trade

Tighter Guide Collars with Plumber's Tape

Template guide bushings can be difficult to tighten securely in a router base. And, a router bit will ruin them instantly if they come loose. To prevent that mishap, wrap the guide bushing threads with a few loops of plumber's Teflon pipe tape. Then thread on and tighten the locking ring as usual. The tape will make sure the ring stays tight.

Edge Guide Converts to Circle-cutting Attachment

One reader needed a circle-cutting attachment for his Porter-Cable plunge router, so he modified his edge guide to suit. He removed the three flathead screws holding the edge guide shoe and set it aside. Then he replaced the two outer screws for safekeeping and threaded a short length of 10-24 threaded rod into the center hole to act as pivot. In a few minutes (and at practically no cost), he had a convenient and sturdy circle-cutting attachment.

A plunge router can add consistency to spindle turning.