Router patterns and templates

We still get to make and shape the template by hand. Photo 1. Photo 3. Sketch you design, and enlarge it to the size you need. Carbon paper works well to transfer the design to other paper. Step 2. Select the template material. MDF has the advantage that it works easily and sands quickly. The plywood is really durable for things like table legs or any time you will be routing a simple design on the outside of the template.

Photo 5. Fine tune your template using files, wood rasps, rat tail files and sand paper. I take into account alignment and securing when designing a template. Plan the surface area large enough to hold the router and secure the template to the project.

Again, notice the center line and reference marks to position the template on the work. Double sided tape or hot glue work well to hold the template in place.

Cabinet Door Templates. Joinery Guides. Signs, Inlay, and Accents. Base Plates and Bushings. Router Bit Setup Jigs. Router Jigs and Guides - Wood Working Router Templates A woodworking router is one of the most useful and versatile tools in the workshop. Router Project Templates and Aids With your woodworking router, you can make all sorts of creative projects. Tray Making Templates Our bowl and tray templates make it easy to create party trays for those that like to entertain friends and family.

Cabinet Door Templates One of the most popular projects woodworkers tackle is cabinets, whether kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, or furniture projects. Signs, Inlay, and Accents Infinity Cutting Tools makes it easy for you to create your own signs, inlays, and accents. Router Jigs, Router Joinery Guides, and Routing Accessories As woodworkers, we appreciate how having the right tool for the job can take your project to the next level.

Circle and Corner Cutting One of the easiest ways to create a perfect circle is with a router. Router Joinery Guides Another primary task for your router is to create the joinery for your woodworking projects.

Router Base Plates and Bushings An auxiliary baseplate and guide bushing on your woodworking router extends its capabilities for a wide range of tasks from template routing to joinery. Router Bit Setup Jigs When setting up many joinery bits in your router table, setting the bit height precisely can be a frustrating process. Shop By. With a design and the right bit in mind, all that remains is to make a template.

There are commercially made templates for all kinds of tasks and patterns. But it's worth taking the time to learn how to make your own, not only to save money but to accommodate the designs of your own projects. And it's not a difficult skill to master.

Templates can be made from many kinds of material. MDF is a readily available option, and it's usually my first choice. The reason I prefer MDF is that it's perfectly flat and very easy to shape with files and sandpaper. The template I use for making curved rails for cabinet doors shown in the photo above is a good example. To make it, I simply laid out the curve with a compass, cut out the shape at the band saw , and smoothed the curve, first with a file and then with a simple, shop-made sanding strip, seen below.

Hardboard is another commonly used material. And occasionally I use acrylic, especially for those applications where I need to see more of the workpiece to orient the template to the grain of the wood.

On the other hand, a template can be as simple as small pieces of hardwood joined with pocket screws. This is an easy technique for making a template that conforms to a rectangular shape. All you need to do is fit the pieces together to form a template with the inside dimensions equal to the desired size and fasten them together. With a little imagination, you can make a template for just about any shape you need for your projects.

Whatever the application, you'll find that learning to make and use templates with your router will guarantee top-notch results. Templates should be made of sturdy inexpensive material such as MDF. Some woodworkers prefer to use quality plywood with a reliable edge surface. A flush trim bit , like one shown in the photo above, is the perfect choice for templates designed to fit beneath the workpiece. With a bearing at the tip riding against the template, a flush trim bit levels the edge of the workpiece to match.

This same combination works in a router table as well. To cut out the inlay you remove the sleeve from the bushing and follow the template. We recommend using double-sided tape to secure the inlay blank to a backer board.

Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Contents 1 How can I make my own router template?

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