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THEARTOFWOODWORKING
HOMEWORI$HOP
GP UIDE WORKSHO R ( ) U T I NAGN DS H A P I NSGA F E TTYI P S . W h e nr o u t i n gf r e e h a n dc,l a m p s t o c kt o a w o r ks u r f a c e .
. W e a rs a f e t yg l a s s e sa, d u s tm a s k , a n d h e a r i n gp r o t e c t i ofno r a l l s h a p e r a n dr o u t eor p e r a t i o n s .
. A v o i da w k w a r dh a n d p o s i t i o n s w h e nf e e d i n gs t o c k ;a l w a y sk e e p y o u rh a n d sc l e a ro f t h e c u t t e r s
r K e e pr o u t e br i t sa n ds h a p ecr u t ; i s c a r da n y t e r sc l e a na n ds h a r p d t h a t a r ec h i p p e do r d a m a g e d .
. Before i n s t a l l i ncgu t t e r os r m a k i n g a d j u s t m e n tas l,w a y su n p l u gt h e s h a p eor r r o u t e r .
. D o n o t s h a p eo r r o u tw o r kt h a t i s w a r p e do r t h a t c o n t a i n sl o o s e k n o t so r f o r e i g no b l e c t ss u c h a s s c r e w s0 r n a l l s .
. K e e pa p u s hs t r c ko r p u s hb l o c k cuts. n e a r b vt o c o m p l e t e
. A l w a y fse e dw o r ka g a t n stth e r o t a t i o no f t h e c u t t e r s .
. P e r i o d i c a lcl yh e c kf o r r u n o u ti n s h a p ear n d r o u t e cr o l l e t s .
FEATHERBOARDS SH()P-MADE
PUSHSTICKS SHOP-MADE
Pueh otick '/' " x 14" Notch
Pueh stick " / . i 'x 5 ' / . t " x 1 2 " Ftnqereand slot e
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Featherboardo are ueetl Lo keep eLock preeeed aqainet I,he fence or Lable of a t.ool ltke a ehaper or a router Lable. They aleo serve as anLi-kickbackdeviceg,aince Lhey allow Lhe workptece to move in only one direction. A baetc feaLherboard deeiqn te ehown above: t,he lenqLh can be varted t.o euiL the taek af hand. Lonq featherboarde are clamped Lo Lhe Lable Lo hold narrow workpteceeaqatneL Lhe fence; small' er models, Lyptcally 3 / by 7 tnchea, can be clamped Lo the fence above the biL Lo hold wtder eLock aqatnet the Lable.To ehape wtde workpiecee on the ehaper, a epectal featherboard/cutter 4uard ie worLh coneLrucLinq(eee paqe 138). To make a eLan' dard featherboard, cut a 30" to 45" mtl;er '/,-inch-Lhtck board. Mark at one end of a a p a r a l l e l l i n e a b o u t 5 t n c h e ef r o m L h e miLered end. Then cut / -tnch-wideelot'e Lo Lhe marked ltne,creaLtnqa row of eLurdy but pliable ftn7ere. Finally,cul; a noLch for a aupporL board Lhat can be clamped at a 90" anqle Lo Lhe featherboard.
t t I I t t I I T I I I I I I I I I I I I
t t Thereare a number of commercial pueh eticke and pueh blocke or ehaper on the markeL for feedinq atock tnto rouLer Lable brte '/,'tnch eLock. cuttere, buL you can eaetly make your own ueinq l'lo one ehape ie tdeal;a qood pueh ettck deetgn ehould be comfortable Lo uee and auiLablefor Lhe machtne and l;aek aL hand. A 45o an4le between the handle and baee (tog) te beeL for feedtnq narrow eLock between a feaLherboard and the fence of a router Lable or ehaper, while a recLan4ular pueh oftck wtLh a lonqer nol;ch (middle) permiLeyou La apply downward pree' aure on wider aLock. For ehaptnq wtde workpteceauetn4 a larEe btt, a pueh block (.boLtom) enableeyou Lo apply preeeure a1aineL the fence and l;he table. Whatever Lhe ehape, make Lhe noLch in Lhe baee lar4e enouEh Lo hold l;he eLock,and yeL ehallow enou4hto avotd Louchtn4the Lable.Kound f'he handlee Lo prevenL epltnLereehould kickback occur.
I I I I I I I I I
THEARTOFWOODWORKING
ROUTING AND SHAPTNG
THE ART OF WOODVV'ORKING
ROUTING AI.{DSHAPING
TIME-LIFE BOOKS ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA ST.REMYPRESS MONTREAL. NEWYORK
THEART OF WOODWORKINGwasproducedby
ST.REMYPRESS PUBLISHER PRESIDENT
KennethWinchester PierreL6veill6
SeriesEditor SeriesArt Director SeniorEditors
PierreHome-Douglas FrancineLemieux Marc Cassini(Text) HeatherMills (Research) Art Directors Normand Boudreault,Luc Germain, SolangeLaberge Designers Jean-GuyDoiron, Michel Gigudre ResearchEilitor Iim McRae PictureEditor Christopherfackson Writers Andrew Iones,Rob Lutes Contributinglllustrators GillesBeauchemin,RollandBergera, |ean-PierreBourgeois,Michel Blais, Nicole Chartier, Ronald Durepos, Philippe Gauweau,G€rardMariscalchi, facquesPerrault, Robert Paquet, JamesThdrien Administrator Natalie Watanabe ProductionManager Michelle Turbide SystemCoordinator Jean-LucRoy Photographer RobertChartier Proofteader JudithYelon Indexer ChristineM. Jacobs Time-Life Booksis a division of Time-Life Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY
TIME-LIFEBOOKS President Vice-President Editor-in-Chief Directorof Editorial Resources MarketingDirector EditorialDirector ConsuhingEditor ProductionManager
lohn D. Hall NancyK, fones ThomasH. Flaherty EliseD. Ritter-Clough ReginaHall LeeHassig John R. Sullivan MarleneZack
THECONSUUTAN'TS Bob fardinico manageswoodworking salesfor Colonial SawCo., a machinerysalesand service companybasedin Kingston, Massachusetts. He alsorestoresantiouefurniture in his home workshopin Plymouth,Mass. Giles Miller-Mead taught advancedcabinetmaking at Montreal technicalschoolsfor more than ten years.A nativeofNew Zealand,he has worked asa restorerof antiquefurniture. JosephTruini is Senior Editor of Horne Mechanixmagazine.A former Shop and Tools Editor of PopularMechanics,he has worked as a cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor and carpenter.
Routing and Shaping p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking) Includesindex. ISBN0-8094-9937-l(trade) (lib) rsBN 0-8094-9938-X l. Routers(Tools) 2. Woodwork 3. Shapers I. Time-Life Books. II. Series TT203.s.R691993 684'.083-dc20 93-18854 CIP For information about any Time-Life book, pleasecall l-800-621-7026,or write: ReaderInformation Time-Life CustomerService P.O.Box C-32068 Richmond,Virginia 2326r-2068 @ 1993Time-LifeBooksInc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by any electronicor mechanical means,including information storageand retrieval devicesor systems,without prior written permissionfrom the publisher,except that briefpassages may be quoted for reviews. First printing. Printed in U.S.A. Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada. TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time Warner Inc. U.S.A.
CONTENTS
6 INTRODUCTION
t2 I4 T6 20 22 25 29 34
ROUTERBASICS Anatomy of a router Bits Accessories Settingup Basiccuts Routertables The router assurfacer
36 38 47 52 58
EDGEFORMING Basicedgeshaping Raisingpanels Making moldings Pin routing
64 GROOVING 66 A galleryof grooves and accessories 68 Dado cuts 75 Groovingon a router table 77 Rabbets 79 Circulargrooves 8 1 Patterngrooving 84 Groovingwith a pin router 86 Inlaying
88 90 9L 92 98 100 L07 108 110 ILz LI4 115
ROTITERIOTNERY Router-madejoints Routerjoinery jigs Mortise-and-tenon ioints Cope-and-stickjoints Dovetailioints Gluejoints Boxjoints joints Miter-and-spline Butterfly keyjoints joints Tongue-and-groove Rulejoints
116 118 L20 L23 128 I34
SHAPER Anatomyof a shaper Cuttersand accessories Setupand safety Basiccuts Frame-and-panel doors
I4O GLOSSARY I42 INDEX I44 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
PatrickSpielmanon
MAKING ROUTERIIGS andinventing routerjigsandfixturesissomewhat esigning of apassion of mine. OvertheyearsI'vemadenumerousdevices-manyverycrude-to simplify, impossible speedup,or facilitateseemingly routingtasks.Thesejigshavemademy reliefcarving,signwork,andjustabouteveryotherareaof woodcutcabinetnaking, ting mucheasierandmoreeconomical. If youtookawaymyrouterandmy special jigsandfixtures,I wouldbealmosthelpless in theworlshop. can be easy or complex, simple or refined.Theneeddictates whatyou fig-making buildandhowyoubuildit. A fewyearsagoI madeasimplebutveryeffective router ableandfencewith acoupleof dollars'worthof material.Justrecently, I invested $33 constructing a newroutertablecapable of duplicatingthecuttingactionandoperationsofferedonlyby a $1500productionroutingmachine. Manyfeatures ofnewrouters, suchasspeed choices andeasydepth-of-cut controls, canbeexploited for betterandsaferjig-making.Plungingcapability isgreatfor some jigs,but for manyI stillpreferto usethemotorunit withoutthebase.Bothtypescan bebuilt into routertables.I'vealsomountedroutermotorshorizontallyon movable sleds withatemplate followerto makeduplicate turnings.Youcanalsomountarouter atvariousangles to theworktable.Thisqrstemallowsyouto create avarietyof profiles fromjustonebit. Forexample, a roundnosecanbeusedto raisepanelsandcut European-style fingerpull stockfor doorsanddrawers. jigs Desrgning getseasier themoreoftenyoudoit. An ideathatinspires onejig will invariablyresurface in someformto helpsolvea differentproblem.Beforebuilding ajig, I visualizethebit makingthedesiredcut.ThenI figureout howto attachthe routerto thejig andmoveoneor theotherto makethecut.With morecomplexjigs, I needto put togetheroneor moremock-upsbeforeconstructing thefirstworking model.I makegooduseof largehoseclamps andbandsawn cradles, or V clamping blocks,to holdrouters. jobslikespacing I'vemadescores ofjigsto simplifytairlyroutinewoodworking jointq I've dadoes, cuttingmortisesandtenons,makingvariousmiters,andscarfing evenusedtheplungerouterto cutdowelholes.Still,therearealot of ideasI haven't yettested, andalot of jobsthatcanbemadebetterandeasier withjusttherightjig.
PatrickSpielman,a consultantand authorof morethan 40 woodwo*ingbool
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INTRODUCTION
JoeTruini talksabout
ROUTERS toolsat averyearly I learnedto respect andappreciate I sthesonof acarpenter, A age.I alsolearnedthatmosttoolswill lastalifetime,if caredfor properly.Many werehandeddownto meby my father.There'salowof thetoolsin mywoodshop angleblockplanethatI useonvirtuallyeveryproject,anda dassicDeWaltradialarm istheStanley byfar,however, sawthatwill surelyoutliveme.My favoriteacquisition routershownin thephoto.My fatherboughtit backin 1959,about l-horsepower 20yearsbeforeStanleysoldits power-toollineto Bosch. Thisrouterwasalreadymorethan10yearsoldwhenI fustusedit, andalthough therearenewer,morepowerfrrlroutersin the shop,I instinctivelyreachfor Lord I haveto shapeanedgeor mill ajoint. It doesrt'tfeaturesophisticated Stanleywhen and electronics, thecolletcanberatherstubbornat times,but I'vegrownaccustomedto thewayit feelsin myhandsandto thethroatyhumof itsthirty-something doesdtperformanybetterthanthenewerrouters,but oldStanley arbor.Admittedly, of crafumen andisasurvivor past It represents twogenerations link to the it serves asa tool line. of a once-proud that I truly hobbybecame a vocation,however, It wasn'tuntil mywoodworking power tool. As a cabinetis: most versatile router for what it the shop's a appreciated from router for everything Miami, I relied on the shop in makerfor acustom-desigrr joints. precise For the building dovetail to milling cuttingsimplerabbetsanddadoes routerswereusedto nim andseamthelamcabinets andcounters, of plastic-laminate period moldings andfabricatecustompanelingrrghtat inate.I wasableto replicate job porable routertable.Toenhance therouter shop-built the sitewith thehelpof a jigs perform These specific tasls. simple fixtures to andbuilt and further,I designed make they also the the router's capabilities; not onlyexpand accessories shop-made tool saferandmoreaccurate. NowthatI earnalivingwritingabouttools,I oftenreportonthelatesttrendsand I m gladto seethatroutersaremorePopin theworldofwoodworking. not I'm abit surprised. ularnowthaneverbefore.Somehow,
loeTruinL SeniorEditoro/Home Medranix magazine,writesaboutwoodworkingand homeremodelingfor do-it-yourselfers.He livesin historicWashington,Connecticut.
INTRODUCTION
Bill Bivonaexplainswhy he owns
A SHAPER y firstexperience withwoodworking wasservingasaboatbuilder'sapprentice asa teenager. I enjoyed workingwith woodsomuchthatI laterenrolled in a furniturebuildingprogramatBostonuniversity. At bothplaces I foundthateach of myinstructors or mentorshadhisownfavoritetoolthatcouldbemadeto perform manytaslsbesides theobviousones.Oneteacher mightuseatablesawwithanangled fenceto cutcovemoldings; someone elsewouldfit aradialarmsawwith adisksander or attachcuttersto mill profiles. At theschoolandin theboatshop,thespindleshaper wasmoreoftenusedasa sawhorse or aworkbench thanasatool.I wasleftwithihe impression thattheshapercutsprofilesin theedges of boardsandthatwasaboutall. It wasnot until I openedmy ownshopthatI realized howmuchmoreversatile thetoolreallyis.I'vehadmy 3-horsepower tiltingarborshaper for almost10years nowandI wouldbelostwithoutit. Woodworkers havepersonal sryles, andI tendto beverymachine-oriented. Moreandmore,I findthatthehandtoolsthatI onceused dailynowsitidlein mytoolcabinet. Forme,endresults andspeed mattermostand I findthattheshaper outperforms myoldhandtoolshandsdown. Combined wittradecent powerfeed unit,ashaper cancutdadoes betterthanatable sawandcleanup anedgeaswellasa smalljointer.If youhavea colletthataccepts routerbits,you'llquicklyfindthattheshaper outclasses eventhelargest ofrouters, with a rangeof cuttersthatisunmatched. I recently boughta crownmoldingcutter for myshaper. Itt astacking system soI caneitherusethecomplete assembly tb make a cutor installtheindividualpartsto carveseparate profiles. That'sonlythebeginning. Addrubcollars andlarge-diameter bearings andI expand therangeof theshaper evenmore.with theseinexpensive accessoriis I canmakea template out of scrapstockandaffixit to mygoodstock.Theshaper thenactslike a bigflushtrimmerandI cangetperfectly uniformfinishedpieces everytime.
Bill Bivonaisco-ownerof Hardwood DesignInc.Bqsedin Slocum,Rhode Island,thecompanyspecializes in buildingcustom-designed stairways.
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ROUTERBASICS Shaping theedgeof aworkpiece Q in.. its inventionduringthe profileis probwith a decorative \,1 FirstWorldWat theportable presablythetasktherouterismostcomelectricrouterhasmadeits monly calledupon to perform. encefelt in everyaspectof woodTherearetwo waysof makingthe working.It is easyto seewhy:The routercancut rabbets, trim lamicut,depending on thetypeof bit used.A pilotedbit features a pilot nate,beveledges, shapemolding, joints. It canwen bearingthat ridesalongthe edge andmakedovetail of thework,keepingpenetration of surface smallpieces of stockandfolthe cutterconstant.With a nonlow a pre-cuttemplateto cutintripilotedbit, cuttingwidthis concatepatterns. Thesheernumberof trolledby guidingtherouteralong , tasksit performseasilyranksthe routerwith anyotherportableor anedgeguideclamped to thework. Themannerin whichyou cut stationarywoodworking tool.It is a dadoor groovedepends on the ascloseto a universal toolaswoodKeepinga routerfrom wobblingasit isfed along type of router.A standardtool workinghas.Thechapterthat folmustbeheldabovethesurface of lowscovers thebasicprinciplesyou theedgeof a wo*pieceto cut a profileinto the needto knowto usethetool. theworkpiece beforethemotoris facecanbea triclcyoperation.A supportboard Routermotorsarecommonly dampedto thestockcanhelpfuepthetoolsteady. switched on.Theentiretoolisthen plungingthebit into the in the11-to 3-horsepower lowered, available range.Thetool is a directdescendant ofthe hand-powered wood.Wth a plungerouter,thebaseplatecanremainflat on moldingplane,whichfeaturedinterchangeable cuttersused thesurface astherouteris turnedon andthebit is lowered for grooving,edgeforming,andjoinery.Therouterfeatures a into thework. motorthatspinsabit atveryhighspeed-typically 20,000 to Anyroutercanbemountedin a specially designed table perminute(rpm).Justasttremoldingplane (page 29)thattransforms it into astationary 26,000 revolutions tool,freeingyour drewon a rangeofstandardandexoticcutters,theroutercan handsto feedstockinto thebit. Youcanalsoinstallbitsin a bitsto createdozens table-mounted routerthatcannotbeusedif thetoolishandusea myriadnumberof interchangeable cutters held.Ifyou havethetimeyoucanbuildyourowncustomized of distinctiveprofiles,everythingfrom chamfering areasworthwhile. to beading bits (page16). table(page 32);fewotheraccessories
A non-pilotedbit carvesa rabbetin theedgeof a board.Ridingtherouterbaseplatealongan edgeguideproducesa uniform width of cut.
13
ANTATOMY OFA ROUTER STANDARD ROUTER Onloff awitah
Base plate alamp sorew Loogenedto set cuttina depth or to removebaab plate from motor body; tiqhtened to look plate into oosition Depth adjuatment ring )eto cuttin4 depth tsaaeplate 9u pporta moton adjuatable for aettin4 cuttinq defih. Can be removedfor chanqinq bita or mountin7 the tool in a router table, or replaced with plunqe baoe on 6ome modela
Collet Accepta ahank of router bit: nut directly abovecollet ia turned to tiqhten or looaencollet
9ub-baee earewed to baae plato; can be removed to attach routerto table
Wrenched eupplied with router for chanqinq bita. One wrench turns collet nut; other holda ahaft otationary
T4
ROUTERBASICS
Attached to a standard router, a removableplunge baseenables this model to servedouble-duty as a plunge-tyPe tool.
PTUNGE ROUTER
Depth acale lndicatea cuttinq depth
Sr,:"i,r,i1:';l$.:,!R,llK#fi#t:.
Plunge lock lever Unlockedto plunqe bit; lockedin place whencuttinq depth io reached
Depth at'op bar )ete cuttin7 depth; 1ap betweenbar and atop 6crew equala depth of cut
Handle
Depth atop bar clamp Looaenedto releaae depth etop bar; ti4htened to aet cutting depth
Stop ecrew Hei7ht ia adjuatable to vary cuttinq depth of aucceagivepaegeo Onloff ewitch
Turrfr atop Kotateato poeition appropriate etop ecrew under depth otop bar
Eaae plate 9ub-baae
Collet
Edge guide Keepebit oquare to ed4e of workpiece for 1rooving.Koda attach to router baae plate; fence ridee alon6 board edge
BITS hereis a bit for everyroutingtask, I from simplegroovesto intricate moldings.In fact,therearehundredsof in a varietyofprofiles cuttersavailable andwidths.Thepagesthai follbwfeaturea selection of routerbitsalongwith thecutstheymake. A tvoicalrouterbit consists ofa steel body with one or more cutting edges and a shankthat fits into the router's collet.Most bits aremadefrom either high-speed steel(HSS)or high-speed Although steelwithcarbidecuttingedges. for cuttingsoftHSSbits areadequate wood,theywill not standup to repeated usein densehardwood.Carbide-tipped andproneto bits,whilemoreexpensive chipping,staysharplongerandcut more easilythroughharderwood. Routerbitscanbe dividedinto three groupsaccordingto their sizeandfunction. Edge-forming bits (page17)rour decorativeprofilesin the edgesof a workoieceor cut one or both halves of anlnterlockngjoint. Edge-forming bits generallyhavea ball-bearingpilot locatedbelowthecutterthat ridesalong Many decorativemoldingbits are too big to be usedsafelyin a hand-heldrouter.But with the tool mountedin a router table, the edgeof the workpieceto guidethe theselargebits can transformal/z-inch router into a mini-shaper. bit and preciselycontrolthe width of the cut. As their nameimplies,grooving bits (page18)aredesignedto cut groovesand dadoes,and work bestin a plungerouter.Thebitsshownon page 19 are largerthan standardbits and shouldbe usedwith the routermounted in a routertable. Freeingstuak router bite Many router bits are expensive, so ?ryin7a etuckbit out ot storethemcarefi.rlly andusea cleancloth Lhecolletwilh a melal t ool to wipe off pitch,dust,and dirt after is a surewaylo dama7e i eachuse.Keepthe cuttingedgessharp LhecuiLin7ed7eo.AbeI- |, Ler methodio lo lap the andavoidusingbitsthataredirty,rustI body of the bit,with a wood i' ed,or damaged. ocraV.A eharVNapor Nwo I willfreemoeNeNuckshanks. i AvoidsLrikingcarbide cu|tinq edgeeae f,hiemay
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ROUTERBASICS
EDGE.FORMING BITS
T7
ROUTERBASICS
GR00V[{G B|TS Three-wing alotti ng c utter Core box bit
Dovetail bit
ffi Illllllflt-llll'lflf"lll"fif lll-fit. Ill.ffillllI}tlllllttllltlltlll 1HO?TI? Chip-limitation bits Forwidacute, chiplimilation bitrsara a safer alhernaiivetoNheeNandard deoiqn.Thecutlere on theee bite proNrudefrom the bit body by only1/rcinoh -compared to thel/s-inch typical of etandard biie. Dy takinq a shallower bihe,Lhe bits plaoeless strain on lhe router molor.'ln addiNion, Lhebodiesof chip-limilalionbits are virLuallyoolid, with onlya1/s-inch1apbeWeenlhecuttinq edqeand the bit bodyto allowfor eharpeninq(near ri6ht); Nhisreducee lhe riek of kickbaok,ofLencausedby Nhe larqer6ap of slandard bile (far right).
t8
ROUTERBASICS
ROUTER TABTE BITS
Tradit'ional molding bit
Vertical panel-raieing bit
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ACCESSORIES illustratedat right are 1t h. accessories I a sampleof somecommercialjigs and devicesthat makethe routeroneof themostversatile toolsin theworkshoo. Someof theseproducts,like the foot switch,makethe tool moreconvenient, especiallyfor modelswith an On/off switch that cannot be reachedwhile holdingthe handles.If you usesucha device,however, be sureto disconnect it from the tool whenyou arechanginga bit or performinganyothermaintenance. Otheraccessories, suchasthevacuum attachment. makethe routera cleaner and safertool. This attachment whisks awaythe sawdustand chipsexpelledby the routerbit and directsthemto your dustcollectionsystem. Otheraccessories refinetherouter's cuttingcapabilities. The circleguide simplifiescuttingcircles,whiletemplate guidesallowyou to duplicatethe profile of a temolate.A few of the devices on the marlietare designedto transform the routerinto anothertool altogether.The platejoiner conversion kit givesyou the easeandprecisionofbiscuit joinerywithout theexpense of buying a newtool, whiletheturningjig sets uD a routerfor lathework. But unlike an actuallathe,which spinsthe work for handcrafting,this accessory featuresa manualcrankfor rotatingthe workpiecewhile the spinningrouter bit shapes thewood,
A RANGE OFROUTER ACCESSORIES Vaauumattachment' Drawaaway aawduatand woodchips.)ne end attachee to tool Daaeplate; other end can be hookedup to duet colIection aystem, Compatible with only certain models
@ry@ Plate joiner aonveraion kit Allowsrouter to cut.elota for plate or biocuitjointa. tsodyofji6 attachea to router baae plate; kit includeacompreaaed woodbiacuitaand threewinqolottinT cutter
Moldin7jig For cuttin7 moldinqa; router ia fastened upri7ht inji7 that ie movedalonq aurfaceof workpiece
Universal baae For attachin4 acceeeoriee to router or mountinqtool in router table; alote make baae compatible with any router model
20
ROUTERBASICS
-----'\ 5paaer fence )ecured Lo router table to cut finaer or box jointa: bit extendathrouqh hole;ridge eerveo ae a key,enaurinqall notcheaare equal diatanoe aparL
Offset router baae Helpe keeprouter flat on workpiecewhilerout' in7 edqea
Routerpad mat A clampsubstitute; rubberized holdastock in placeon workaurface
Depth gauge Ueedto set cuttina depth of bit; features a serieoof otepo in1/+-inch incrementafrom 7ainch to 1 inch
Ciralejig For routing circles, Kouter ia attached to wideend whilenarrow end ia acrewedto workpiece; jiq pivote around aenter of circle
geee Template guidea Uaed for pattern routing: ride alon4 templaLe,allowin4bit to replicate pattern, Sized for differ' ent-diamher bita, threaded part ta eecuredto router base plate with ring
Foot Ewitah For turnin7 router on and off without uainqtool'a awitch; allowaoperator to koepboth hands on router handlea
Allowa variablecontrol of router motor apeed;uadul whenueinqlar7er bita that call for reducedrpm
Turnlnglg Transformarouter into lathe-liketool for turnin7, Router ia faatened to plate that alideaalonq raila; bit.contacte workpiecewhichia held in plaoe betweenheadatock and tailatock and rotated by hand
2l
SETTINGUP I routercannotcut with precision A unlessit is properlysetup and maintained. Changing a bit, for example,shouldbedonewith care-bothto avoiddamaging thecuttingedges and to ensurethatthebit is not sentflying whenthetoolisturnedon.fu shownin thephotoat right,usethewrenches supplied with thetoolto removeand installbits. If a bit becomes stuckin thecollet, gentlystrikethebodyof thebit with a woodscrap(page16)or tapthecollet withawrench.Do nottryto extractthe bit fromthecolletwith pliers;thiswill damage thecuttingedge. Before installing a newbit, cleananysawdust fromthe collet.Insertthereplacement alltheway
intothecollet,raiseit aboutXuinch,and tightenit in place. Thecolletis oneroutercomponent thatmayeventually needto bereplaced. Periodically checkyourcolletfor bit slippage(page23)andrunout (page24), andchange it ifnecessary.
Installinga bit on mostroutersis a two-wrenchoperation.With the base plate removed,onewrenchholdsthe shaftsteadywhiletheotherloosensthe collet.Positionthe wrenchesso they can besqueezed togetherto provide extra leverage.
SETTING THECUTTING DEPTH Adjusting a standard router Setthe routeron theworkpiece. For t h e m o d esl h o w nl,o o s etnh ec l a m p screwandturnthedepthadjustment knobto raiseor lowerthe motorand t h e b i t .A l i g nt h et i p o f t h e b i t w i t h thedepthline,thentighten theclamp screw(right).Alternatively, set the routerupsidedownon a worksurface, loosen theclampscrewandrotatethe depthadjustment knobuntilthebit protrudes bythe properamount.
22
ROUTERBASICS
llllilltfiI]llllfillllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllll llittllllmlll1 9HO7 Tl? Cheakinga colletfor elippage TodeLermine whetheryour rouNerbiLeare olippinqin Nhecollel,installa biNand marka line with a felLpenalonqLhebit ehankand colleL Thenmakeafew cuts on a ecraz lhe line.The boardand examine m a r k so n N h eb i La n d c o l l e t shouldbe perfectlyaliqned. It NheyhaveshifLedaparX, Lhebil has eliooedin the bit and colleL.Remove'the cleanany pitchor sawdust ouNof the aolleNwiLha f ine- bristledbraesbruoh. ReinstallNhebiN,makinq oureiNie welltiqhtened, bhecol' and rebeel.Reolace le| if the mark]sehilNaaatn.
23
router Adjusting a plunge and Setthe routeron theworkpiece rotate theturretstooontherouterbase stopscrewdirectto position theshortest the ly underthedepthstopbar.Loosen d e p t hs t o pb a rc l a m pt o r e l e a st eh e Then barandseatit onthestopscrew. loosen theplunge lockleverandpush themotordownuntilthe bit contacts Tighten the Ieverand theworkpiece. raisethestopbaruntilthegapbetween thedepth it andthestopscrewequals (above, /eff). Tighten the depth of cul plunge loosen the stopbarclampand motor locklever, allowing the andbit y o u tospring b a c ku p .W h e n p l u n g e thebit intothestock,it willpenetrate the untilthedepthstopbarcontacts stopscrew.Fordeepcuts,it is bestto reachyourfinaldepthin stages. Set theheightof theothertwostopscrews at intermediate depths to makepasses and byloosening thenutwitha wrench w i t ha r a i s i nogr l o w e r i nt g h es c r e w (above, right). screwdriver
ROUTERBASICS
CHECKING THEC(ILLET Using a dialindicator andmagnetic base pinin therouter Install a centering as youwoulda bitandsetthetoolupside downon a metalsurface, suchasa tablesaw.Connect a dialindicator to a magnetic baseandplacethebase nextto therouter. Turnonthemagnet andposition therouter sothecentering p i nc o n t a c ttsh e p l u n g eorf t h ed i a l i n d i c a t oCr .a l i b r attheed i a li n d i c a t o r t o z e r of o l l o w i nt h g em a n u f a c t u r e r ' s i n s t r u c t i o nTsh. e nt u r nt h es h a f o tf the routerbyhandto rotate thecenteri n gp i n( l e f ) . f h ed i a li n d i c a t w o ri l l register colletrunout-the amount of wobble thatthecolletisgiving thebit. lf therunout exceeds 0.005inch.reolace thecollet.
Using a feelergauge lf youdonothavea dialindicator, youcan gauge testforcolletrunout witha feeler and a straight woodblock. Withthecentering pininthecollet andtherouter upside down ona worksurface, clamptheblocklightly to thetool'ssub-base sotheoieceof wood touches thepin.Turntherouter shaftby hand;anyrunout willcause thecentering pinto movetheblock.Thenusea feeler gauge to measure anygapbetween thepin andtheblock(right).lf thegapexceeds 0.005inch,replace thecollet.
24
BASICCUTS andtearoutaretlvopotenl/ ickback but N tialhazards ofrouteroperation, theriskof bothcanbenearlyeliminatWith ed by usingcorrecttechnique. youwill develop theconfiexperience, consistentdence andskillthatproduce ly superiorresults. Alwavs secure vourstockto thework woodpadsto protectit surface,'using both fromtheclampjaws.Thiswill leave handsfreeto guidetherouter. Grip the routerfirmly,pullingit throughtheworkratherthanpushing ismostlikelyto occurwhen it. Kickback youfirstcontactthestock,sobecertain of yourcontrolat thattime.Beespeciallyalertto the dangerof kickback whenyou areusingpilotedbitswith largecutterblades. Whenusingpilotedbits,becertain thatyouholdthepilotbearingfirmly theworkpiece edgeat alltimes. against thatyouuse Non-piloted bitsdemand edgeanedgeguide.Fora commercial guideaccessory, hold theguidefirmly against theworkasyoufeedit forward; edge if you areusinga clamped-on guide,keeptherouterpressed against theguidefor thelengthof thecut. Thedirectionof feedisimportantin maintaining controlof thetool.Asan:le, the theroutershouldbemovedagainst directionof thebit'srotation,or from leftto rightwhenfacingtheworksedge (seeillustrationat right).Applysteady pressure to thetool sothebit is always If youmovetooslowiuttingnewwood. burnmarksonthe ly,frictionwill cause work;too fast,andyouwill experience damaging tearout. Bepatientasyouwork,makingseveralsmallcutsratherthanoneor two healypasses. Thisway,tearoutcaused by thenext. by onecutwill berepaired are Hereandon thefollowingpages sometipsonsafe,sureuseof therouter.
DIRECTI()N ROUTER FEED
+-
Feeding therouter guidethebit intoa workpiece of bit rotation; against thedirection Formostoperations, in a counteredge, move therouter Onanoutside thiswillpullthebit intothewood. (above), Startwithcuts direction; onan insideedge,feedthetoolclockwise clockwise withthecutsalongthegrain anytearout thegrainsoyoucaneliminate thatareagainst you,rather yourself thetool. toward thanpushing Position to pulltherouter thatfollow.
"fl}" lltl fil$r' fll"flI"Illlfil'll|I ltf1tt-1ll$Pilf1tr1tf-"ffilr 1HO?TI? fruing a roul,eraub-baee A rouler oub-basethat is with lhe nol concenl,ric collet can result in imprecioe cuto, Tocorrec,lthe problem,uoea ji6 plywoodiruinq as shown.lnstall a cenlerinqpin in ::.
Nherouter,pooi- .ffi '" tionthesub-base -...' . f r u e h w i t h o n e e d q e , - -)i{.--n' 4$, I of the ji4, and drilla.-
holeuiioldlhepin.lner,ald'VatoanderirlAlommervialeNand, then clampthis deviceandthe jiq to a workou*ace, ueinq shimoto ooeilionNherouter sub'baeelevelwith the sandin6 belL.Turnon the sanderand olowlyroLalethe sub-baoe a1ainotNhebelL,untilthe plaoNiceutraceie true,
25
ROUTERBASICS
STRAIGHT ROUTING
Using a piloted bit Clampthestockto a worksurface with theedgeyouwishto shape extending offthetablebya fewinches. Gripping therouterwithbothhands, restits base plateontheworkpiece at oneendwith thebitclearof thewood. Turnonthe toolandeasethe bit intotheworkoiece untilthepilotcontacts theedge,keepingthebaseplateflatonthestockand thepilotflushagainst thestock(above). Fordeepcuts,maketwoor morepasses yourfinaldepth. to reach
Routing witha non-piloted bit Install a commercial edgeguideontherouter, inserting theguiderodsintothepredrilled holesin thetool'sbaseplate. Adjust theguidesothegapbetween thebitandtheguide fenceequals thewidthof cut.Tomakethecut,clampthestockto yourworksurface. Then,keeping theguidefenceflushagainst theedgeto beshaped, startthecutat one endof theworkpiece anddrawtherouteralongthe edge(above).
lll llllfillillltlllllllfilltlllilltlltllllillillltllllllltllllllltlllr gHo? Tt?
-+i
T-equarerouter guide Tomodifya draftinqTequareinto an edqequide for groovinq cuto,clampit, lo a scrao boardwilh iLs crosspiecebuNted the boardedqe. aqain6t, Then,wilh lhe rout,er b a e ep l a L er i d i n qa l o n q lhe arm of the eoLuare, rout a dado acroeelhe boardand lrim the croboueethe jiq, clampiINo Viece.To Ihe workViece with the cut edge of Ihe croeepiece aliqnedwiLh Nhecuttinq markon Nhestock.
26
i,
e9
ROUTERBASICS
SUB-BASE A SHOP-MADE edgeandlarge Withitsstraight sub-base surface, theshop-made thatyour shownat rightensures to anedge routerwillremainsquare guideclamped to theworkpiece of equally whileyourouta series soaced dadoes. cutthe Using%-inchplywood, wideand sub-base about10 inches 13 incheslong.Taperthesidesso theendthatridesalongtheedge guideis wider.Drawa linedown Starting thecenterof thesub-base. nearthewideendof thejig,marka holes; rowof pointsfor bit clearance apart.Bore thepoints2 inches space a holeat eachmark;makesureit is foryourlargest straight largeenough thestandard sub-base bit. Unscrew fromyourrouterandalignitscenter holes witheachof thebit clearance to markthescrewholesin thesubbase.Thenboretheseholes.
Dtt clearance hole
To usethejrg,screwit to the routerbaseplatesothe bit passes through thefirstholenearthewide end.Alignthebit withthecutting markforthefirstdadoontheworkpiece,thenbuttanedgeguideagainst andclampit in place. thesub-base
27
thesubRoutthedado,keeping baseflatonthestockandflush the theedgeguide.Unscrew against fromtherouterandreatsub-base fromthe tachit sothe bit orotrudes holeandrepeat to cut appropriate the nextdadobelow).
ROUTERBASICS
A HINGED EDGE GUIDE theguide 1 Making I Although thedistance fromthecenterof therouterbitto thebase-plate edge is constant, remember thatthedistance fromthe bit'scuttingedgeto the baseplateedgewillchange withthediameter yourcutting of eachbit,andposition linesaccordingly. 0r, youmaywantto guides, makeseveral hinged eachto be usedwitha specific bit. BuiltfromVzinch{hick stock, theguidecanbealigned witha cuttingmarkona workpiece and simply clamped in place. Cutthefixed partasyouwoulda standard guide,but bevelthetop of oneedgeto allowthe hingedpieceto pivot,Cutthe hinged section so itswidthequals thedistance between the bit'scuttingedgeandthe edgeof therouterbaseplate.Withtheir endsaligned andedgesbuttedtogether, fastenthetwopieces of theguideusing (/eft), butt hinges
r) Usingtheguide 1 fo makea dadocut,setthe edge guideonyourworkpiece andlineupthe edgeof thehinged withthecutting section mark.Clampthef ixedsection in place. Thenflip upthehinged section androut thechannel, keeping therouterbaseplate flushagainst thefixedpiece(right).
28
ROUTERTABLES I lthoughyourrouterisa remarkably A versatile tool.its usefulness canbe extendedevenfurther by mountingit in a table.Stationary routingfreesyour handsto feedstockinto thebit, allowing you to exertgreatercontroloverthecuttingoperation. Sincea tlpical routerbit spinsat 20,000rpm or faster,thisextra marginof safetyis a welcomebenefit.In addition,somebitsshouldonlybeused router.Thesebits on a table-mounted havelargecuttingheadsthat exerthigh forcesagainsttheworkpiece, requiring an extrameasure of control. A routertableallowsthe routerto emulateits largercousin,theshaper, by makingmoldingsandraisingpanelstasks that few woodworkerswould attemptwith a hand-heldtool.In fact,a routertableis an excellentsubstitutefor a light-dutyshaper,and commercial modelsareavailable in manysizesand configurations. Mosttableshavea guard Mounted upsidedown in a speciallydesignedtable, a router to coverthebit andan adjustable fence cutsa dado.Anaching a backup board to the miter gauge for guidingstockinto the cut. If you helpskeepthe work squareto the bit and reducestearout. wouldlike a customized table,you can easilybuild your own followingthe l l l l l l l l l i l i t l l l l l l l i l i l r r i li i l r r i l rr r i i l l i l r l l t l l r i r i l l t l l l l i i i l i r | t i designs beginningon page31. lli itl lll l$ Ul itl itl tll Ul l$ {L ru ur ru lr r..r,r tir rii Cutting depth on a router table dependson how far the bit protrudes abovethework surface, whilethewidth of cut is determined by how muchof A router table on the table eaw the bit extendsbeyondthe fence.On Tomakethe most of the eVacein a emallehop,builda rouLerLable commercialtables, the fenceis usually table.KouLa1/+-inch-dee? into yourtable saw'eexNeneion receo; split.The two halvesarenormallyleft inNothe LoVof lhe extrension tableand cut,a Vieceof 1/+-inch-Lhick in alignmentfor partialcuts.Whenyou acrylicVlaolicto fit into Lhedepreeeion. Drilla holein the cenNer areroutingthefull edgeof a workpiece, of the VlaoliclarqerLhanyour biqgeeN rouf,erbit,WiLha sabersaw, however,startwith the fencesaligned, cuLa holein the receseIo accommodaLe but thenstoDthe cut a fewinchesinto your roufer'obaoeplate.Then removethe baseVlalelrom Nhe it. Advancetheoutfeedfencesoit touchNooland 6crewilto lhe plaeesthe cut portion,then completethe tic Viece,NexNscrewthe operation.This will preventmakinga Vlaeuicinto Lhe,r""uu, 1l concave cut-or((5nips)'-21theendof counlereink all the fasLenthepiece. ere.Reallachthe router Lo Nhebaeeplate.Afence for the roulerlable can beculfrom plywood and atNachedNoNheeawfence whenneceeeary.
1HO?Tt?
29
ROUTERBASICS
SETTING UPA COMMERCIAL ROUTER TABLE thefence 1 Adjusting I Mounttherouterin thetable.0n the youneedto remove modelshown, thebase platefromthetoolandfasten theplateunderneaththetable.Thebit is theninstalled in therouterandthetoolis reattached to thebaseplate.Tosetupthefencefora cut, loosenthe fouradjustment screws(/eft) andmovethetwohalves of thefenceas closeaspossible to thebitwithout touchingthecuttingedges. Tighten thescrews, thensetthewidthof cut.Movethefence backfromthebit fora widepass;fora shallowercut,shiftthefencecloser to thebit. lf youareusinga pilotedbit andwantto makea cutequalto thefull diameter of the bit,usea straightedge to lineupthefence withtheoutside edgeof thepilotbearing, thentightentheadjustment screws.
/) Making a cut propeny L to support a workpiece you andavoidkickback as feedstockinto the bit,clamponefeatherboard to the fenceabovethe cutter,anda second featherboard to thetablein linewith the bit.Always feedstockintothecutter against thedirection of bit rotation. With theworkpiece clearof thebit,turnonthe routerandslowly feedthestockintothe cuttingedgewhileholding it flushagainst the fence(right).To keepyourfingers safelyawayfromthe bit,finishthepass witha pushstick.Position theguardover thebit whenever oossible.
30
ROUTERBASICS
ROUTER TABLES SHOP.MADE Anextension routertable Attached to a workbench, thecompact routertableshownat leftcanbeeasily removed whenit is notneeded. Sizethe partsaccording to yourneeds. Startby cuttingthe topfrom7a-inchplywood, andthe railsandbraces from2-by-4 stock.Sawthe railsa fewincheslonger thanthewidthof thetopsotheycanbe fastened to the underside of theworkbenchusingwingnutsandhanger bolts (left,above). Thehingedbracesshould be longenough to reachfromthe undersideof the railsto a legstretcher on the bench.Cuta bevelat thetop end of the braces anda right-angled notchat the bottomend.Therouteris attached to thetopwitha square sub-base of 12inchclearacrylic.Several stepsarenecessary to fit thesub-base to thetopand thento therouter.First,clampthesubbaseto thecenterof thetopandoutline itsedgeswitha pencil.Markthecenter o f t h es u b - b a saen dd r i l la p i l o th o l e through theacrylicandthetop.Remove thesub-base androutouta 7a-inch-deeo recess withinthe outline.Then,using the pilotholeasa center,cut a round holethrough thetopto accommodate yourrouter'sbaseplate.To prepare the sub-base, drilla holethrough its center that is slightlylargerthanyourlargest routerbit,thenfastenthesub-base to the routerusingmachine screws. Setthe sub-base in thetablerecess andattach it withwoodscrews; countersink all the fasteners. Fora fence,cut twopieces of 3/c-inch plywood andscrewthemtogether in an L shape; addtriangular supports as shownon page33. Sawa notchout of the fence'sbottomedgelargeenough for yourlargest bit.Attacha clearsemiplastic guardwitha hingeto allow circular it to beflippedoutof theway.To usethe routertable,clampthefencein position andfeedtheworkpiece intothebit,holdingit flushagainst thefence(left,below).
3I
ROUTERBASICS
ROUTER A SHOP.MADE TABLVCABINET plywood, from3/a-inch Builtentirely youto thetableshownbelowallows molduseyourrouterasa stationary andgrooving tool.lt feaing,shaprng, witha slot turesa spacious tableiop fence, fora mitergauge, anadjustable
shelf,andcupboards. Start a storage wiihthe basicstructure of thetable, sides,back,shelf, sizingthebottom, anddoorsto suityourneeds.Fix usingthe jointhesepartstogether, erymethod of yourchoice.Thetable joints. is assembled withbiscuit shown thebackpanelto Borea holethrough
32
accommodate therouter's oowercord. F o rt h et o p ,c u t t w op i e c e os f p l y woodanduseglueandscrews to fasthepieces should tenthemtogether; thesides be largeenough to overhang by2 or 3 inches. Cutthedividers to f i t b e t w e etnh et o pa n dt h es h e l f , thenf ix themin place.
ROUTERBASICS
33
THE ROUTERASSURFACER A PLUG.TRIMMING JIG
plugsflush Cufting Equipped withthejig shown above, a router witha straight or mortising bit procanmakequickworkof trimming trudingwoodplugsor dowels f lush withthe surface of a workoiece. To fashion thejig,unscrew thesub-base fromyourrouteranduseit asa templateto cut a slightlylarger replacementfromr/q-inch hardboard. Bore holesthrough the newsub-base for thebitandmounting screws. Cuttwo runners from7a-inchhardwood and fastenthemto thesub-base using glueandnails,thenscrew thejig to plate. the routerbase Tousethejig, holdit overtheworkoiece andlower the bit untilthetip contacts thesurface.Thenswitchtherouteron and slidetherunners overtheworkpiece to trimtheplugsflushwiththesurface.
1HO?TI? 5 urf aaing em all wo rkpieaes A routrercan be usedto surf ace emallworkpieces when iNie equippedwiih the jiq shownhere.Thedeviceconeiste of hardwoodblocke fixedto meLalrodelhat fit onuqlyinthe ed6e-4uide mountsnq holeeof the rouler baoeplate.)etyour etockon a worksurfaceand nailor 6crewcleats to the Nableaqainotlhe workpiece to keepil in place.lneNalla 3/+-inchdiameteretrai,qhtbit in the routnr and, holdinqlhe t ool over NheeIock,lowerthe bit until iNcontacbsNhelowesNpoinl on the eurface.)Narlinqal oneendof the workpiece,Nurn on lhe routerand moveil overlhe surfaae,elidin6bheblockealon6the f,able.Makeae manyoverlaVping paeeeeae neceaoaryuntil you reachlhe other end.
34
ROUTERBASICS
m
JIG A SURFACING your Usedwiththejig shownabove, toolfor a surfacing routerbecomes largepiecesof roughstock.Built thejig confrom7+-inchplywood, sistsof a trackfor the routerthat fixedto a slidesalongtworunners 3 inches worktable.Cuttherunners
^
to spanthe wideandlongenough to thetable table.Fasten therunners makethespace usinganglebrackets; forthe sufficient therunners between The wideststockyouwill surface. of sixpieces. slidingtrackconsists the Thefourpiecesthatsupport wideand routershouldbe3 inches
35
to overhang therunners longenough oneachside.Screw bya fewinches in an L shape, thesepieces together about4 inches Cuttheshoulders wideand12 incheslongandscrew sothe themto the routersupports slideagainst theoutside shoulders makethesliding of therunners; inchwiderthantherouter track3/q baseolate. To usethejig, settheworkpiece onthetablebetween to besurfaced it in placewith andsecure therunners taoeor cleatsnailedto double-sided a %-inch-diameter thetable.Install straight bit in therouterandseatthe thebit toolin theslidingtrack.Lower pointon the lowest untilit contacts Starting at oneendof thesurface. holdtherouterfirmly theworkpiece, andturnit on.Slidethetoolalong and oneof the verticalsupports backalongtheotheroneto makea pass,thenadvance 1%-inch-wide trackalongtherunners the sliding (left).Make asnecesasmanypasses depthsalongthe saryat successive untilit is lengthof theworkpiece evenlysurfaced.
EDGEFORMNG roundingjig (page41)canround heshaped edgeofaworkpiece to yourspecior shelves tabletops oftenprovidesthefinal,finguide A flush-trimming fications. ishingtouch:a crownmolding wood you trim solid a3)helps adorningan armoiretop,a crisp Qage core stock. applied to edgebanding bevelona raisedpanel,anogeecut 44)proves A veneer trimmer(page These aroundtheedgeofa tabletop. preparing veneer for handyfor wereoncecreflourishes decorative book-matching. by hand,using atedpainstakingly Mountingtherouterin a table todaythey planes andspokeshaves; enables or pin routingattachment areinvariablymadewith an array more complex edge youto create tools,chief of electricwoodworking It profilesandelaborate curves. also solidityof aPlaner Combiningthe amongthemtheportablerouter. provides the stabilityneededfor with theversatilityof a shaperthemolding Thischapteroutlinesboth basic raisingpanels(page47),an edgetype planeris capableof assembly-line techedge-forming andadvanced thatcanalsobe formingtechnique productionof manytypesof molding niques,from patternrouting to onthetablesaw,radiaccomplished makingmolding. from straightto curved. al armsaw,anddrill press. powertoolssuchas Stationary theultimateshoptoolfor comThepin routeris perhaps andthetablesaw thejointerandtablesawcancut rabbets, (page router aninverted 58).Essentially gtu;ls edges, but therouteristhemostver- plexedge-formin canalsoshapedecorative fromthetabletopdirectapin projecting satile,efficienttool for thejob.Utilizingawiderangeof inter- table,thetoolfeatures makingthetool cutters,it canalsomakecutsthatareimpossible ly underthebit alongwhichthestockisguided, changeable pin routingattachment work A shop-made to performwith anyotherpowertool; imagineforminga idealfor template routertables to mostcommercial andadaptable beadaroundtheinsideof a circularpictureframe iseasilybuilt deCorative (page63).Remember, too,thatnot all edgeformingmustbe withouta router. jigsexpandthe donewittrarouter.Byinstalling amoldingheadonthetablesaw andshop-made accessories Commercial moldings(page53). still further.A simplecorner- or radialarmsawyoucanroutdetailed routert abilityto shapeedges
pilotsthat Edge-formingbi*oftenhaveball-bearing ride alongthestockto maintainuniformcutterdepth. carvesa decorative Here,a double-flutedbeadingbit of a tabletop. profilearoundthecircumference
37
BASICEDGESHAPING akingmultiplecopiesof thesame contouredshapewith therouter requires theuseof a straightedge, ajig, guide or atemplateto thetoolalongthe edgeofa workpiece. With a template,your routercan makequickworkof repeating a curved cutin a series Theexact of workpieces. procedure you followdepends on the typeof bityou areusing.Withthepilotedbit shownbelow,thecuttingedgeis belowthe pilot and the templateis clamped atoptheworkpiece. Thepilot will followthecurvededgeof thetemplatewhilethe cuttersreproducethe samecurveon theworkpiece. Whenyou usea non-pilotedbit, attacha templateguideto the router baseplate.Theguideis a metalcollar thatsurrounds thebit shankandprotrudesslightlyfromthebottomof the
A supportboardsecured alongsidea workpieceduring an edge-forming operationkeepstheroutersteady.For contourcuts,usethewastepiecethat remainsafter sawingthe curve.
PATTERN ROUTING WITHA PITOTED BIT Making thecut Makea template thatis precisely thesame pieces youwishto sizeasthef inished cut, Usethetemplate to outlinethe patternonyourworkpiece, thencut outmost of thewastewitha bandsawor sabersaw, leaving about%oinchof stockbeyond the cuttingline.Usedouble-sided tapeto fastentheworkpiece to thetemplate, ensuringthatthestraightedgesof the boards arealigned, Clampthetwopiecesto a worksurface. Holding therouterwithboth hands,restits baseplateonthetemplate at oneendwiththebit clearof thewood andturnonthetool.Ease thebit intothe stockuntilthe pilotcontacts the edge, thenpullthe routertowardtheotherend of thecut,keeping thebaseplateflaton thetemplate andthe pilotflushagainst its edge(right).
38
router'ssub-base. With thetemplate secured atopthestock,theguiderides alongtheedgeof thepattern,enabling thebit to shape theworkpiece. Whichever typeof bit youuse,make thetemplatefrom durablewood,such asplywoodor particleboard. Cut the patternusinga bandsawor a saber sawthencarefullysandthe edgesthat will be guidingthe router,sinceany imperfections in thetemplatewill be duplicated ontheworkpiece. Fora non-piloted bit,makethetemplateslightlythickerthantheheightof thetemplate guide.With a pilotedbit, thetemplateshouldbethickenoughto provideanadequate bearingsurface for thepilot. Toroundthecornersofa tabletopor jig like shelf,youcanusea shop-made theoneshownon page41.
EDGEFORMING
GUIDE A TEMPLATE USING guide a template 1 Installing I Loosen theclamoscrewontherouter the plate.Insert baseplateandremove guide part thethreaded of thetemplate t h r o u gthh eh o l ei n t h em i d d l eo f t h e (right),thenscrewon the locksub-base Thediamingringto holdthetwotogether. guideshouldbe as eterof thetemplate withcloseto thatof thebit aspossible Reassemble thecuttingedges. outtouching therouter.
r) Making thecut that is slightly a template L Prepare s m a l l et rh a nt h ef i n i s h epdi e c et o c o m the pensate between forthedifference temof the and the diameter diameter bit plateguide.Fasten atopthe thetemplate tape,then withdcuble-sided workpiece to a worksurface. clampthetwopieces pattern you as wouldwitha pilotCutthe cutter intothestock feeding the ed bit, guide thetemcontacts template untilthe plate.Complete surethat thecut,making theedgeof against theguideis pressed (/eft). pattern the operation throughout the
39
EDGEFORMING
ROUNDING CORNERS theexcess waste 1 Sawing I Youcanusea commercial cornerjig to curvethe corners rounding of a workpiece. Setyourstockona worksurfaceandplacethejig atopthecorner to berounded. Settheflip-upstopsonthe jig in thevertical position to alignthe edges of thejig withthoseof theworkpiece,Clampthetwopieces to thework surface. To makethe routercut easier, sawawaythe bulkof thewaste(/eff).
r') Rounding thecotner L t-lsinga top-piloted flush-cutting bit, startclearof thecorner, making thecut asyouwouldwhenpattern routing witha pilotedbit (page38). Keepthe bit pilot pressed against theedgeof thejigthroughoutthe operation(right).
40
EDGEFORMING
A C0R]{ER-R0UtrlDll{G JIG to build,the Easyandinexpensive jig at leftworksas corner-rounding version shown wellasthecommercial page.Thejig consists ontheprevious baseandtwolipsthat of a plywood keeptheedgesof thejig andtheworkpiecealigned. Cutthe basefrom a pieceof 3/+inchplywood. Formostjobs,a base wideand16 inches about10 inches Drawthecurve longwillbeadequate. youwishto routonthe basenearone thenmakethecutwitha band corner, sawor a sabersaw;sandthe edge Youcanalsocutthecorner smooth. to a circleusinga routerattached cuttingguide(page79). Cutthe lipsfromstock% inch thickand1% inches wide,thennail or screwthe piecesto the base,leavingabout3 to 4 inchesbetween each lip andtherounded corner. Thetop edgeof thelipsshouldbeflushwith thetopsurface of the base. Tousethejig,setyourstockona worksurfacewiththe cornerto be rounded extending off thetableby inches. Placethejig on top several of theworkpiece sothelipsarebutted against the edgesof thestock.Use thetwopieces to clampsto secure Makethecut as theworksurface. jig,pres+ youwouldwitha commercial ingthebit'spilotagainst theedgeof the jig throughoul(\eft,bottom).
VIEW UNDERSIDE
41
EDGEFORMING
CUTTING ANDTRIMMING PLASTIC LAMINATES 'l
Cutting stripsof edging I Usea laminate trimmer witha commercial edgeguideto cutstripsof edgingfroma sheet of laminate. Theguide ensures thatthewidthof eachstriois uniform. Attach theguide to thetrimmer (onthemodel shown, thetrimmer's subbaseis removed andtheedgeguideis fastened to thetool'sbaseplate); then adlust thewidthof cutfollowing themanufacturer's instructions. Install a straight b i ti n t h et r i m m earn dc l a m p t h es h e e t to a worksurface, usinga boardto keep thesheetf lat.Withthebitclearof the sheet. startthecutat oneend.Holding thetrimmer withonehand, feedthetool toward theopposite end;useyourother handto press theguide flushagainst the odsp nf ihp shcpt
andtrimming thelaminate O Installing L Cluethebanding ontotheedges of theworkpiece andclampthepanel edgeu p .R e m o vt eh ee d g eg u i d ef r o mt h e trimmer andinstall thesub-base anda flush-cutting bit.Usethetoolto trimany banding thatprolects beyond theedges oftheworkpiece. Repeat to glueandtrim edging ontheendsof thepanel. Gluethe toplaminate in olacenext.Totrimit flush wrththeedges, holdthetrimmer f irmly w i t ho n eh a n da n dg u i d e t h et o o a l long (right).To theworkpiece makean interior cutto match a cutoutin thepanel, clamp t h e p a n etlo t h ew o r ks u r f a c el n. s t a l l a pilotpanel bitinthetrimmer andplunge thebit'ssharpened tip intothesheetto pierce it,thenfeedthetrimmer untilthe p i l o tc o n t a c ttsh ee d g eo f t h ec u t o u t . Making surethatthepilotremains flush a g a i n st ht ee d g eo f t h ec u t o u t( i n s e t ) , cnmnlpip fhp errt
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//pff)
EDGEFORMING
JIG A FLUSH-TRIMMINC youto Thejig shownat rightallows straight bitto trim usea non-piloted f lushwiththetop solidedgebanding of a panel. andbottomsurfaces to thetool's to bescrewed Designed twoguide thejig features sub-base, pinsthatridealongtheoutside face whiletheendof the of thebanding bittrimsthebanding. Tomakethejig,cutthebasefrom \/z-inchplywood andthe bodyfrom 3/q-inch plywood. Makethewidthof of equalto thediameter bothpieces yourrouterbaseplate;cutthebody about12 incheslongandthebase . s et h et o o l ' s u b 8 i n c h e lso n g U to cut thecurve baseasa template at oneendof thejig body.Alsocut holethrough the a 3-inch-diameter bodyto clearthe bit, but leavea the section withinthecircleto house guidepins.Cutoneendof thejig
@
Jig baee O
baseto a point,thenscrewthebase thefasto thejig body;countersink teners.Boretwo7a-inch-diameter thewedgein thebody holesthrough
+J
andgluetwoshortlen$hsof dowels position theholes sothe in theholes; bitwill lineupdirectly overtheedge withtheguidepins of thebanding flushagainst thestock.Tocomplete thejig,cuta lenghof dowelfora handle andscrewit to thebody. To usethejig,attachtherouter's sub-base to the bodywithscrews. Install a straight bit in thetooland adjustthecuttingdepthsothetip of the bit is levelwiththe bottomof thejig base.Clampyourstockto protecting it witha a worksurface, woodoad,Withthebitclearof the workpiece, turnon the routerand setthejig baseon thetop of the stock.Butting theguidepinsagainst surface of thebanding, theoutside guidetherouteralongthetopedge, trimmingthe banding(left).Apply on the handle downward Dressure to keepthe throughout theoperation routerfromtipping.
EDGEFORMING
A VENEER.TRIMMIl{G GUIDE Trimsheets of veneer to widthquickly andaccurately on a routertable withthejig shown at right.Theveneer ls sandwiched between thebaseand topof thejig; the baseridesalong thepilotof a flush-cutting bit,which cutstheveneer flushwiththeedge of the jig (right,middle). Cutthebasefrom1%-inch-thick stockandthetoofrom%-inch-thick stock.Makethepieces about6 incheswide;the baseshouldbe a few incheslonger thanyourroutertable, andthetop longenough to coverthe veneer. Choose a boardwitha slight bowforthetop,if possible; withthe bowfacingdown,applying clamping pressure nearthe endsof the board w i l lf l a t t e ni t , p r o d u c i nugn i f o r m pressure againstthe base.Screw toggleclampsto the basesothetop willfit between them. yourroutertableforthe To prepare operation, installthebit ontherouter andmountthetoolin thetable.Cut a guardfroma pieceof stock,sawinga notchfromoneedgeto forma lip thatwillcoverthecutter.Clamp theguardto thetable, To usethejig, placetheveneer to betrimmedbetween the baseand thetopsothegrainof theveneer is parallel to thatof the boards. The edgesof thesheetsshouldprotrude fromthejig byabout% inch,Press thetoggleclampsdownon thetop to securetheveneer sheetsto the jig.Turnontherouterandslidethe jig across thetableto cut theveneer (left),keepingthe jig pressed against thepilotthroughout theoperation.
44
EDGEFORMING
EDGES CURVED UNDERCUTTING
llltllltlllliltlllllllllllllllllllliljlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 1HO?Tt? A ff ueh-trimming devioe NrimYoudo nol havelo buya laminat'e m e r I o t r i m l a m i n a l ee d a eb a n d i n a coreetock.TheoimVlecom- / z applied,lo mercialdeviceehownheredoeeNhe / 'u ., iobwtlh a coupleof emallbladee conlainedin a oprinq-mounLed 1 Nhetwo halvee ; houoinq. Squeeze of LheNoolloqelher untilNhey i Nheworkpiece I fiL enuqlya1ainot, and lhen drawthe devicefrom i-one end of trheboardto the ,/ tl o r h e r .T h e b l a d e ew i l lL r i m / / f awayany exceeebandina. ,/ / leavinqyouwiih perfectly / / fluehedqee,
45
guide template a shop-made Using youto undercut enables Thistechnique t h ep e r i m e toefra c i r c u l awr o r k p i e c e bit.Tomaketheguide, usinga straight thefaceof a wood cut a bevelacross equal Make thewidthoftheguide block. thebit andthe between to thedistance Sawtwotrisub-base. edgeof therouter points1 inchapartin angular contact also outside edge(inset): theguide's c u ta n o t c ho u to f t h ei n s i d e d g et o a straight thebit.Install accommodate andscrew thejtgto the bit in therouter atopthe router's base. Clampa template between sothatthedistance workpiece edge andtheworkpiece's thetemplate thebitand isthesameasthatbetween points of theguide.Makethe thecontact points keeping thecontact cut (above), thetemplate throughout f lushagainst Reposition thetemplate theoperation. to finishthecut. asnecessary
EDGEFORMING
(lNA ROUTER JOINTING TABTE Fencethumbacrew
Jointing anedge Installa straight bit in therouter witha cuttingedgelonger thanthethickness of yourworkpiece, andmountthetool in a routertable.Toremove %oinchof woodfromyourstock-a typicalamount whenjointing-adjust theposition of the fencefora cutof thatamount. Makea testcut in a scrapboard, thenunplug therouter andholdtheboardin place against thefence.Loosen theoutfeed fencethumbscrews andadvance the outfeed halfuntilit buttsagainst the cut partof theboard(above, left).Tightenthethumbscrews. Butttheworkoiece against thefencea fewinchesbackfrom thebit andthenslowlyfeedtheboard yourhandclear intothecutter,keeping of thebit andpressing theworkpiece f irmlyagainstthe fence(above, right). justto theoutfeed Applysidepressure sideof thebit.Fornarrow stock,finish thecutwitha oushstick.
llllllllll|ll"illl lltltIJllltl{lllll|l|lltllllltl|ll]ltlllllllltlll 1HO?TI? Joinling wide boarde lf you haveboardetha| are Loocumbergome lo moveacross lhe jointer,youcan undertake lhe Iask with a router and a pefiecLlv 6quareedLeLutae. lnslall a 1/z-inch loopiloledflueh-trimminq bit in a router wiLha 1/z-inch c olleN,7ositi on the edqeguideaIoV lhe boardLo be jointed and clamp the pieceeIo a workbenahwiththe eAgeof the board)rotrudinq trom the quide'e edqeby abouLlloinch.Feedthe router from oneendof trhe boardloihe oLhecthepilo|willridealonqthequideaethe cutter Lrimelhe boardflush.
46
RAISINGPANELS is a I rame-and-panelconstruction I cleverwayof gettingaroundthefact that wood shrinks and swellswith changesin humidity.The principleis "floats" simple:The panel within the frame,sittingin groovescut aroundits insideedges. Cuttinga bevelaroundthe edgeof the panelallowsthe pieceto fit into the groovesin the frameand gives "raised" a decorative effectto the main part ofthe panel. Traditionally, panelswereraisedwith specialplanesthat featuredangledand profiledcuttersandsoles.Thatjobcould
Panelscanberaisedon a numberof stationarywoodworking tools;a tablesawwith a tilting arborworkswell.An auxiliary woodfencemakesthejob safer and moreaccurate.
POPUTAR RAISED PANET DESIGNS
Eeveledpanel raiaed from frame
Ogee beveledpanel
Beveledpanel fluah with frame
Reaesaedpanel with rabbete
Bead
47
requirehoursof arduouswork, especiallyif thewoodwasdense,suchasoak, maple,or cherry.Todayyou canraise panelson the tablesaw,radialarm saw drill press,andshaper. Panelraisingis oftendoneon the routertablewith oneof severalspecially designedrouterbits (page4\).These cutterscanhandlestockup to % inch thick,but thebits'largediameter-ti?ically3t/zinches-can makethe workpiecedifficultto control.If you planto do a lot of panelraising,considerbuilding a jig for the task(page50). Sinceraisingpanelsinvolvesremoval ofa gooddealofstock,it is bestnot to attemptto makethe cut in onepass. Instead,makea seriesof partialpasses, increasingthe depth of cut gradually eachtime,until thepanelis %inchthick at theedgesor fits snuglyin the grooves cut in the frame.
EDGEFORMING
TABLE RAISING PANELS ONTHEROUTER panel-raising bit Using a piloted panel-raising bit in your Install a piloted table. router andmountthetoolin a router Withtherouter turnedoff,loosen thefour thetwo fenceadjustment screws andmove halves of thefenceascloseas possible t o t h eb i tw i t h o ut to u c h i ntgh ec u t t i n g Toensure that edges. Tighten thescrews. position the thewidthof cut is uniform, fencein linewiththeedgeof thebitpilot: Loosen thethumbscrews behind thefence, against thefence thenholda straightedge together untilthe andmovebothhalves contacts thepilot.Thepilot straightedge iI (right, shouldturnastheedgetouches position, if necabove); adjustthefence's Set essary, thentighten thethumbscrews. fora %-inchdepthof cut,Iowtherouter ertheguardoverthebitandturnonthe youcanclamp Foradded stability, router. a featherboard to eachhalfof thefenceto press thetable.(lnthe thepanelagainst illustrations onthispage, thefeatherboards Tominihavebeenremoved forclarrty.) mizetearout, cut intotheendgrainof the panelfirst,beveling the theendsbefore Withtheoutside faceof thepanel sides. downonthetable,feedthestockintothe it forward withyourrighthand bit,pushing with andkeeping it flushagainst thefence yourleft (right,below). Test-fitthe panel in theframegrooves andmakesubsequent passes, increasing thecuttingdepthbya maximum of % incheachtime.
48
EDGEFORMING
U s i n ga n o n - p i l o t e d v e r t i c apl a n e l - r a i s ibnigt l i l l b ef e d I n t h i s o p e r a t i o nt h, e p a n e w a c r o s tsh e b i t i n a n u p r i g h pt o s i t i o ns,o y o u m u s ta t t a c ha h i g ha u x i l i a rw y ood f e n c e( r i g h t ) .M a k et h e f e n c ea b o u t8 i n c h e sh i g ha n dc u t a n o t c hi n t h e m i d d l e t o a c c o m m o d at hee b i t . F o rt h i s c u t ,t h e c u t t i n gd e p t hd e p e n d os n t h e a m o u n b ty w h i c ht h e b i t p r o t r u d efsr o mt h e f e n c e . Tn hosin
s.pfihp fpn.p
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erboardto ihe tahle'restthe featherboard o n a s h r mt o k e e pt h e p a n efl r o mt i l t i n g a s y o ur u n i t p a s t h e b i t . F e e dt h e p a n e l w i t hy o u rr i g h th a n dw h i l ep r e s s i nigt f l a t againstthe fencewith your lefl (below). C u tt h e t o p a n d b o t t o mo f t h e p a n e fl i r s t , t h e nt h e s i d e s B . a c kt h e f e n c ef r o mt h e bit no morethanr/ainchat a time for furs n t i lt h e p a n e fl i t s t h e r .d e e p e pr a s s e u groove. intothe
49
EDGEFORMING
JIG A PAI{EI.RAISII{G jig at rightallows Theshop-made youto raisepanels withoutmounting yourrouterin a table.Featuring a tiltingtableanda fenceto whichthe thejig is secured routeris attached, tail vise.Thisproto a workbench wayto milla videsa safe,accurate widerangeof profiles. of thejig from Cutall the pieces 3h-inchplywood; the dimensions willwork in theillustration suggested wellwiththe typicalworkbench. thejig byscrewing Startassembling of to the underside the brackets the tableat oneend.Cutadjustthearms,then mentslotsthrough boltthetopendsof the armsto the andthe bottomendsto brackets bolts,washthe fenceusinghanger ers,andwingnuts.Attachthetable to thefencewitha pianohingepositionedabout6 inchesbelowthetop the fence of thefence.To prepare for yourroLrter, borea holejust abovethetablelevelthatwillaccom-
3/+"x22"x24'l
yourlargestverticalpanelmodate raisingbit. Screwthe guardto the cut the hole.Finally, fenceabove a notchintothe bottomendof the fenceto clearthe visescrew.
50
To usethejig,secureit in thevise worksothetableis at a comfortable vertical ingheight.Installa Vz-inch panel-raising then bit in therouter, screwthe baseolateto the fence fromthe hole. sothebit protrudes thebit fora shallow cut, Adjusting turnonthe routerandmakea test cut in a scrappiece.To adjustthe bevelangle,turnoff the tool, loosen thearmsto the wingnutssecuring the fenceandtilt thetableup or down.As on the routertable,cut the bevelson the endsof the panel beforethoseon thesides.Feedthe panelacrossthe tabletace-up(left), yourfingersclearof the keeping bit. Test-fitthe panelandincrease the cuttingdepthby % inchfor a secondpass.
EDGEFORMING
()NTHEDRILTPRESS RAISING PANELS TITTING TABTE JIG
'l
Setting uptheiig I F i t t e dw i t ha p l a n ehr e a da n da t i l t i n gt a b l ej i g ,a d r i l l er bolt.Screw thearmsto thetopandthensecure themto the p r e s cs a nr a i s ep a n e lqsu i c k lay n ds a f e l yI .n s t a tl lh ep l a n e r base withhanger washers, bolts, andwingnuts.Clamp thebaseto h e a di n t h ec h u c ka, d j u s t i nt hg em a c h i n ed' sr i l l i nsgp e e d thedrillpress table,loosen thewingnutsandsetthetopto the youwishto cut.Tighten t o t h e s e t t i n gs p e c i f i ebdy i h e a c c e s s o r ym' sa n u f a c t u r e r . bevel angle thewingnuts,thenadjustthe Forthejig,cutthebaseandtopfrom%-inchplywood, andjoin tableheight to position thetopabout1 inchbelowtheplaner thepieces withbutt hinges(above, left).CUIthe armsf rom head.Cuta fencefromsolidstock,sawa notchoutof oneedgeto 1 - b y - 2s i o c kt,h e nr o u ta s l o tt h r o u geha c ho n ef o ra h a n g - cleartheplaner head, andclampit to thetop(above, right). t') Raising thepanel L tttaXe a testcut on a scrapboard. T o c h a n gteh e b e v eal n g l ea, d j u stth e armsto tilt thetopof the1ig.Thedepth of cutonyourfirstpassshouldnotexceed % i n c h .L o w etrh ed r i l lo r e s tsa b l et o d e c r e a st he ec u t t i n gd e p t hr; a i s et h e tableto increase it. Runtheoanelface u p p a s t h ep l a n ehr e a dk, e e p i ntgh e workpiece f lushagainst thefencewith y o u rl e f th a n da n dp u s h i n igt f o r w a r d withyourrighl(left).Tominimize tearout, s t a r tb y b e v e l i nt gh ee n d sb e f o r teh e s i d e sF. o ra d d i t i o npaal s s e isn, c r e a s e t h ec u t t i n g d e p t h% i n c ha t a t i m e .
51
MAKINGMOLDINGS aremostoften T) outersandshapers 11 chosen to cutmbldings, andtheuse routerforthispurof thetable-mounted poseisshownonpage57. yourtablesawor radialarm However, choicefor cutsawis alsoan excellent the saw ting moldings.By replacing bladewith a moldingheadandinterchangeable cutters,youcanreproduce an impressive arruyof designs. Some for these ofthe cutterprofilesavailable with below,together saws areillustrated Thetechniques thecutstheyproduce. on pages for usingthemareexplained 53and54. Page55presents a jig youcanmake for cuttingcovemoldingin a remarkablysimplefashion-ona tablesaw. Molding operationscan be hazardous.Thecuttersstrikewith great force,andarecapable ofcausing severe
wounds. kickback andinflictingserious Twoprincipalsafetyrulesapplyto Nosinglecutshouldbe saws androuters. passdeeper than%inch;manyshallow eswill producesuperiorresultsand reducetheriskofkickback.Toensure controloveryourwork,never adequate moldstockthatisshorterthan12inchIfnarrow than4 inches. esor narrower
moldingis required, it canbe ripped from wider stockwhenthe shaping operation is complete. A finalsafetytip pertains to routers: Because moldingbitsaregenerally largthanordinarybits, molderandheavier ingoperations areoftenbestconducted with thetool mountedin a table.This freesbothhandsto controlyourwork.
Installed in a table-mounted router, this traditional molding bit can transform a plain board into an elaboratemolding.
M(ITDING CUTTER PROFITES FOR THETABTE SAWAND RADIAT ARMSAW
FIutea
LS G , 7
Oluejoint
r e G ffi Eead and cove
VG
G ffi G t_3 L--}F
52
Eeads
mk
re{k
rek
EDGEFORMING
()NTHETABLE SAW MOLDING CUTTING headonthesaw themolding 1 Mounting I Fitthecutters intotheirslotsin the head,thenusea hexwrench to molding (inset). Mountthe tightenthesetscrews headonthesawwiththef lat molding facingthedirection of sideof thecutters bladerotation. Griptheheadwitha ragto protect yourhandasyoutighten thearbor (/eff,). nutcounterclockwise Theninstall onthesaw a molding-head tableinsert headbyhand table.Rotate themolding to makesurethatthecuttersareproperl y a l i g n eadn dt h a tt h eu n i td o e sn o t contact the insert.
53
EDGEFORMING
r)
M a k i n gt h ef i r s tp a s s L l n s t a l la n a u x i l i a r yw o o df e n c ea n d p o s i t i o int o v e rt h e m o l d i n gh e a d .K e e p i n gt h e m e t a lf e n c ec l e a ro f t h e c u t t e r s , c u t a c l e a r a n cn e o t c hb y g r a d u a l l rya i s i n gt h e c u t t e r h e aidn t ot h e f e n c e .T u r n off the sawand positionthe fencefor the p r o if l e y o uw a n t .S e c u r et h e w o r k p i e c e w i t ht w of e a t h e r b o a r dosn,ec l a m p e dt o t h e f e n c ea b o v et h e b l a d e a, n da s e c o n d f i x e dt o t h e s a wt a b l e .C l a m pa s u p p o r t boardat a 90" angleto the secondfeatherboard. Placea shimbehindthe featherto prevent boardon the fence,if necessary, t h ew o r k p i e cfer o mt i l t i n gd u r i n gt h e c u t . R a i s et h e c u t t e r so n l y1 / zi n c h a b o v et h e t a b l e ;d o n o t m a k ea f u l l - d e p t h cut in o n e p a s s .T o m a k et h e c u t , s l o w l yf e e d the workpieceintothe cutterswith your r i g h th a n d ,p r e s s i n igt a g a i n stth e f e n c e w i t hy o u rl e f th a n d( / e f f ) .F i n i s ht h e c u t w i t h a p u s hs t i c k .R e v e r st e h e b o a r da n d r e p e atth e c u t o n t h e o t h e re d g e .
Making thefinalpass Makeasmanypasses as necessary, r a i s i n tgh e m o l d i n g h e a dX i n c ha t a t i m e , u n t i ly o uh a v er e a c h e tdh e d e s i r e d e p t h o f c u t . F o rt h e f i n a l p a s s .r a i s et h e m o l d i n gh e a dv e r ys l r g h t l ya n d p a s s the workpieca e c r o s st h e c u t t e r sv e r y s l o w l y f, e e d i n gr t w i t h a p u s hs t i c ka s t h e b o a r d ' tsr a i l i n ge n d a p p r o a c h et hs e cutters(right).Thiswill producea smooth f i n i s ht h a tw i l lr e q u i r e l i t t l es a n d i n g . 0 n c et h e p r o p e rp r o f i l eh a s b e e nc u t , r e m o v et h e m o l d i n gc u t t e rh e a df r o m t h es a wa n di n s t a lal r i p o r c o m b i n a t i o n b l a d et o c u t t h e m o l d i n gf r o m b o t h s i d e so f t h e w o r k p i e c e .
54
EDGEFORMING
A COVE CUTTING GUIDE Cuttingcovesona tablesawis essenTheconcave shapeis tiallysimple: easilyformedby movingthe work a partially raisedbladeat an across
angle.However, accurately settingup theproper angle, thesawto achieve width,anddepthof cutcanbetricky. Thetaskis simplif iedby using guideshownbelow, thecovecutting
strips consisting of four2-inch-wide of 3/q-inch hardwood or plywood, assembled to forma parallelogram roughly 18 inches longby9 inches wide.Thepiecesarefastened with machine screws and countersunk wingnutsfor easyadjustment. Hereis howto useit: Setthe distance between thejig'slongsides to thewidthof thecoveandtighten the wingnuts.Raisethe saw depthof cut, bladeto thedesired jig lay the over the blade. then jig Position that itsedges the so lightlycontact blade. This will the your which work betheangleat mustcrossthe bladeto oroduce the cove.Usea pencilor china desired marker to traceguidelines onthe the jig, sawtable(/eff).Remove placeit onyourworkpiece, andmark guidelines ontheleading end. similar
55
Lower thebladeandsettheworkpieceonthesawtable,aligning both lt willrequire some setsof guidelines. careto makesurethatthe board to theguidelines. edges areparallel Whentheyare,buttguideboards against thestockandclampthem in place. Check thealignment of the boards andbeginyourcut. Eachpassshouldbe no more thanVeinchdeeo.Feedthe board throughslowly,usingpushblocks (below). Fora outthe operation s m o o t fhi n i s h m , a k ea f i n a lp a s s at halfthedepthandspeedasthe previous passes.
EDGEFORMING
ANAUXITIARY TABLE FOR THERADIAT ARMSAW lf youwantto cutmolding ontheradial armsawwiththe molding head position, in thehorizontal tryanauxiliarytableliketheoneshownbelow, Withthesawarborin thevertical oosition,themolding headcannot beloweredto thelevelof thestandard table.
protrudeat leastYqinchabovethe tablewhenthejig is installed. The lip willsupport theworkpiece as it ridesalongthefenceduringa cut. Toinstall theauxiliary table,screw thefenceto thebase, slipthefence between thefrontandrearsawtables, t h e nt i g h t e nt h et a b l ec l a m p tso secure thejig in place.
Theauxiliary baseraisesthe workpieceto thecutters, andthefence supports theworkwhileproviding a clearance cutoutforthecutters and molding headguard. forthejig base Cutthetwopieces plywood; from3Z-inch makethem thesamesizeasthefrontsawtable. Screwthe pieces together, offsetting thetopslightly to create a gapalong thefencethatwill prevent sawdust f r o ma c c u m u l a t i nbge t w e etnh e baseof theauxiliary tableandthe f e n c ew h e nt h ej i g i s i n p o s i t i o n . plywood, Cutthefencefrom3h-inch making it about5 inches wide.When sawing thecutoutfor the molding h e a dg u a r d l,e a v ea l i p t h a tw i l l
56
Fita molding headto thesawarbor asyouwouldwitha tablesaw(page 53/; installa plasticguardon the yourhands molding headto protect duringthecuts.Tosecure theworkpiece,clamptwofeatherboards to thefenceon eithersideof themoldingheadanda thirdfeatherboard to thetable,bracing it witha support board. Seta 7a-inch cuttingdepth andturnonthesaw.Feedthestock slowlyintothe molding headwith yourrighthand(below); useyour lefthandto pressthe workpiece against thefence.Finishthepass witha pushstick.Makeasmany passes asnecessary, advancing the moldingheadonlyr/einchfarther intotheworkoiece at a time.0nce youhavecut the desiredprofile, pass, makea f inal,veryshallow feedingmoreslowlyto helpproducea smooth finish.
EDGEFORMING
TABLE M()LDING ONTHEROUTER
rll]fillrxltlltlltllllllltlllllllllllrrlllll|lllllllllIIlllllilllllll jHO? TI? A mitergaugefor 1--rff the routertable --ffi '
lf your rouNer .* table does not -- ; havea miler qauqeelot,,you c a n b u i l da o i m p l e devicetoquideetock acroaolhe table it equare whilekeeVinq to Ihe fence.Thejig coneisNsof an L-ohaped ouppoftpieceand a quide NhaNrideealonathe front, edqeof the table.To usethe jiq, buNLIhe end of the workpiece aqainot,Ihefencewhileholdinqito edqe aqainotlhe oupVorlpiece.Thenpuehlhe workpiece and Ihe qauqeIoqebherinNolhe bit.
57
Routing a molding I n s t aal l m o l d i nbgi t i n y o u r o u t ear n d m o u ntth et o o li n a t a b l e l. f y o ua r e usinga largebit,adjustthefencefor ; on o t a s h a l l o cwu t - a b o u % t i n c hd attempt to routthef ull profile in one pass.To holdtheworkpiece in place, c l a m oa f e a t h e r b o at or dt h et a b l ei n linewiththebit;raise thefeatherboard witha woodshimsothat it supports Withyour themiddleof theworkpiece. stockclearof thebit,turnontherouter feedtheworkpiece intothe andslowly it flushagainst cutting edgewhileholding /eff).(Caution: thefence(above, Guard removed for clarity.) in thisillustration To keepyourhandssafelyawayfrom thebit,finishthepasswitha pushstick (above, right).l,Aake asmanypasses as necessary to routthe desiredprofile, increasing depthby 7einch thecutting ata time.
PINROUTING p in routingtakesits namefrom the I steelpin or pins that guidethe workpieceacrossa cuttingtool that is mountedabovethe work table.Nonpilotedbits canbe usedfor somecuts, andthetechniqueis particularlyuseful for following a template(page61). Pilotedbits canalsobe used,ascanan auxiliary fence(page59). The assembly shownat right combinesthe featuresof a shaper,a drill press,and a routertable.iike a drill press,thebusiness endof theassembly (in thiscase,a portableelectricrouter) is mountedin a carriageabovethetable. The cuttingedgeis abovethework-a The pin commonsetupon the shaper. routing attachmentfeaturesa depth adjustmentleverthat,muchlike a drill pressfeedlever,raisesand lowersthe bit to the desireddepthof cut. Theassembly enables you to produce Suspendedabovea sturdy work tablein this to commercialpin routing attachment,the edgeprofilesrangingfrom chamfers portablerouter becomesa stationaryshaping crownmoldings;it alsoworkswell cuttoolfor intricateedge-formingoperations. ting mortises,tenons,andrabbets.
ASSEMBTY SETTING UPA PINROUTING Mounting therouterin theattachment W i t ht h ea p p r o p r i abt iet i n t h er o u t e r , install thetoolin thepinrouting attachm e n tf o l l o w i ntgh e m a n u f a c t u r e r ' s instructions. Secure the routerin the c a r r i a gbey t i g h t e n i ntgh e l o c kn u t (right).Nextsetthedepthof cut.This between thebit deoends onthedistance 2 to 3 inches, andthetable-typically depending onthethickness of yourworkpiece.Pulldownon thedepthcontrol handle to lower thecarriage andthebit asfarastheywillgo;movement of the carriage willstopwhenthedepthstop rodcontacts theassembly housing. To the depth of the cut, loosen the adjust w i n gn u to nt h ed e p t hs t o pr o d ,t h e n to increase the turntherodclockwise c u t t i n gd e p t hc; o u n t e r c l o c k wtios e d e c r e a si te. T i g h t e tnh ew i n gn u t .
58
EDGEFORMING
R()UTING ANDCURVED STRAIGHT Shaping a straightedge cutson the pin routingattachMakestraight m e n tu s i n ga n o n - p i l o t ebdi t a n da f e n c e . C u ta n a u x i l i a rw y o o df e n c ea s l o n ga s t h e the bit, and table,notchit to accommodate s c r e wi t t o t h e t a b l e ' sf e n c e .I n s t a ltl w o f e a t h e r b o a r tdos h o l dt h e w o r ks e c u r e l y ; t h e t y p es h o w ns l i d e si n t h e m i t e rs l o t . f osr Follow t h e m a n u f a c t u r eirn' ss t r u c t i o n p o s i t i o n i nt hge w o r k p i e caen ds e t t i n g the w i d t ho f c u t .O nt h et a b l ei l l u s t r a t etdh,e entiretop is movedto adjustthe widthof cut. Lowerthe guardso that it is no more thenturn than%inchabovethe workpiece, on the router.Feedthe stockagainstthe pressing it against directionof bit rotation, the fence (right).Finishthe passwith a o u s hs t i c k .
Folming a curved edge it easyto followthe A piloted bit makes Aftermounting contour of a workpiece. t h et a b l ei n s e r tp, l a c et h es t a r t epri n i n its holeon the infeedsideof the bit.As youfeedtheworkpiece intothecutting edges, bracethestockagainst thestarter pin (left).Makesureyoukeeptheworkpiece flushagainst thebitpilotandyour hands clearof thecutter
59
EDGEFORMING
C()NT()URED CUTS WITHNON-PIT()TED BITS 'l
Installing theguidepin pin I andstarter Toshape a curved edgeusinga nonpiloted bit,screw a guidepinintothe c e n t ehr o l eo f t h et a b l ei n s e r tT, h e attachment shown comes withguide rZ, pinsof threedifferent diameters: 3/e,andr/zinch;a smaller pinwillprod u c ea w i d e cr u t ,T h e ni n s t a tl lh e pinin thetableontheinfeed starter sideof thebit (/eff,).
r) Shaping thecontour L Once thepinsareinstalled, adjust thetabletop asyouwouldfora straight cuI (page59) sotheguidepin is directly underthebit.Asyoustartthecut,brace pin.Once theworkpiece against thestarter thebitcutsintothestockandtheguidepin contacts thewood,movetheworkpiece off thestarterpinto continue thecuI (right). Keepthestockbuttedagainst theguide pinthroughout theoperation.
60
EDGEFORMING
WITHA TEMPLATE SHAPING CURVES Making andusinga template A template anda non-piloted straight bit allow youto accurately f inisha curved edgewitha pinrouting setup.Startby installing a bitand g u i d ep i no f t h es a m ed i a m e t eAr d . j u stth e tabletop to position theguidepindirectly under thebit.Check thatthepinis perfectly aligned w i t ht h eb i tu s i n g t h eh a n d loef a c o m b i n a t i o n (left).Installthestarter pinonthe infeed square you sideof thebit.After havemadea plywood template, rough-cut theworkpiece to sizeasyou (page38). pattern-routing wouldfora operation y o u U s ed o u b l e - s i dteadp et o f a s t e n rs t o c k atopthetemplate. In making thecut,brace the t e m p l a taeg a i n st ht es t a r t epr i n ,t h e np r e s si t toward theguidepin.0ncethetemplate touchg e st h e u i d ep i na n dt h eb i t s t a r t cs u t t i n g , pivotthestockoffthestarter pin.Continue the c u t ,k e e p i ntgh et e m p l a tfel u s ha g a i n st h te guidepin (below).
6l
EDGE FORMING
INSIDE EDGES ROUTING up 1 Setting I A template andguidepincanalso be usedto shapean insideedgewitha non-piloted straight bit.Theillustrations onthispageshowhowto cut a rabbet alongtheinsideedgeof anovalpicture frame.Mounta guidepinthatissmaller will thanthe bit;thewidthof therabbet between the eoualone-half thedifference for example, a 3/q-inch twodiameters; bit paired witha %-inchguidepinwill yielda 7+-inch-wide rabbet(/eff).Adjust to position theguidepin thetabletop d i r e c t luyn d e trh e b i t a n di n s t a ltlh e starteroin on the infeedsideof the forrouting edge, table-which, aninside isontheright-hand sideof theguidepin. to Makea template, cut yourworkpiece t h e s a m ed i m e n s i o nasst h e p a t t e r n , andfastenthestockatopthetemplate,
Routing therabbet Besureto adjustthecuttingdepth (page58)for the depthof the rabbet. and Turnontherouterwiththetemplate clearof the bit.Thenmake theworkpiece andworkthecut,guidingthetemplate drrection from oiecein a counterclockwise thestarterpinto theguidepin.Continue rotatingthe workpiece(right),keepingthe theguidepin. butted firmlyagainst template
62
EDGEFORMING
PINROUTING ONA ROUTER TABI.E abovethesurface of thetable.Drive Youcanperformmostof the pin a screwintoonesideof thearmto routingoperations featured on pages secure thedowelin position, 58 to 62 usinga conventional router To usethe jig, installthe approjig shown priatebit in the routerandmount tableandtheshop-built above. Thesetuostandsconvention- thetoolin thetable.Clampthe base a l p i nr o u t i n o g n i t s h e a dR . a t h e r of thejig to thetablesotheguide thansuspending therouter overa guide pin,thetoolis mounted upside down in a router tableandtheguidepinis positioned overthe bit. Thejig affords twoadvantages over commercial arrangements. First,a routeris saferwhenit is fixedunder a t a b l es; e c o n dt h, eg u i d ep i ni s morevisiblewhenit is heldabove theworksurface. Cutthebaseof thejig fromhardwood;makeit aslongasyourrouter table.TheL-shaped arm,alsoof hardwood, shouldbe longenough sothatit extends overthebit when its backedgeis flushwiththeback of theroutertableandthejig base, Screwthearmto thebase.Forthe guidepin,borea r,/z-inch-diameder h o l et h r o u gthh ea r ma n dg l u ea p r e c eo f d o w eiln p l a c ec; u tt h e dowel so it willsit at least1 inch
63
pin is directlyabove the bit. Shape anedgeasyouwouldin conventional pinrouting(page61),except the template shouldsit atoptheworkpiece(below).Makesureyoubutt thetemplate against theguidepin throughout theoperation,
GROOVING
I
r
i
Ithoughbasicroutertedr86),sinceitallowsyouto align niquesremainessentially thebit overthecutandplunge unchanged no matterwhatthe it into thestodc operation,cuttinggrooves inForsafetyandprecision,it vohesspecial skills,whether the is oftenbestto mount your cutsareintendedto be ornarouterin a table(page75).A mentalor functional. router table affordsa high This chapterdemonstrates degree of controlthatmakesit thetoolsandtechniques used a relativelysimpletaskto rout to rout a wideassortment of stoppedgrooves andrabbets. grooves, fitomthesimpledadoes On page8l weshowtechusedto assemble carcases and A coreboxbitcarva a circuhrgrooyenearthe niquesfor followinga predecabinetsto recesses for inlavs edgeof a walnut tabletop.Tbensurethat this terminedpattern,andonpage andthe gracefulpatternsthat decorativecutfollows the arc of the workpiece, 84youwill find a discussion of canform thedecorative focus a curvedetctension isfastenedto a commercial pin routingforcuttinggrooves. of a pieceof furniture. edgeguideto ride alongtheedgeofthe stock Whetheryour router has Many techniqueswill be plungingcapabilities or not, usedfrequently, asthecutsareessential to mostprojects;oth- andwhetheror not it ismountedin atable,youwill beusing ers,althoughperhapslesscommonlyused,will allowyouto a widevarietyof accessories-jigs, bits,cutters,guides,and extendthescopeof yourwork andimprovethelevelof your templateFthatease thecompletion of cerAintaslsandmake craftsmanship. otherspossible. A selection of commercial accessories isshown Thebestrouterto usedepends onthetaskathand"Altlrough on page66.Throughoutthischapteryouwill find illustrated a standardrouterwill performvirtuallyeveryjob adequateh instructionsfor buildingyourownaccessories. a plungerouteris preferredfor interiorcuts,suchasrouting Withthese-andalittleknowledge andimagination-you stoppedgrooves(page69)or cuttingrecesses for nlay (page canmakeyourrouteroneof yourmostvaluabletools.
Fittedwith a straightbit,arouter cutsa dadofor a shelfin a carcase sidepanelwith the helpof a commercialedgeguide.
65
A GALLERYOF GROOVESAND ACCESSORIES DADOES AI{DGROOVES
Dovetail groove A wed1e-ehapedchannel, typically interlocka with a matinq board, forminq part of a alidinq dovetailjoint
Dado A rectanqularchannel cut acroas the workpiece 1rain; typically forma parb of a ioinL but can aleo be uoedfor decoration
Groove A cut alon6 t"heqrain of a workpiece,formin7 a rectanqular channel; may be decorative but uoually functional
tslindgroove A cut alon7 the qrain that otopo shorL of both ends; rounded enda left by router can be oquared with a chiael. Uaed in both joinery and
ornamental applicationo Rabbet A cut in the edqe or end of a workpiece,with or acrooa the qrain. Ueuallyfunctionat
GROOVING ACCESSORIES Strai7htedge guide Model shown is aelf' clampin4;available
Edge guide Keeporouter bit aquare to board edqeafor qroovin4cuto. Rods attach to router baae plate and fence ridea alonq workpieceed4e.Fencecan be fitted with aontoured ehopmade extenaionto helpfolbw ed4eaof circular work
Edge and aircle guide Edqe6uide holds router a aet diatancefrom edqe of workpiecefor atraight cute; ecrew or pin inserL' ed throuqh baee of quide allowojiq to pivot around a centerpointfor cuttinq airclea,Adjuetable guide roda attach to router baee plate
GROOVING
ADJUSTABTE CIRCTE-GUTTING JIG jig shownbelow Theshop-made allowstherouterto cut circlesof any diameter. Sizethepieces of thejig job to suitthe at hand.Thecenter blockcanbecutfrom%-inchthick stock;makeit about3 inches wide and6 incheslong.Thediameter of thehardwood dowels depends onthe sizeof thepredrilled holesin thebase plateof yourrouter;cut the dowels longerthantheradiusof the largest circleyouexpectto rout. Toassemble thejig,slipthedowelsintotheholesin therouterbase
plate,thensetthetoolflat on a work surface. Buttoneedgeof thecenter blockagainst theendsof thedowels andmarkthetwopointswherethe rodscontactthe edge.Borea hole halfway throughthe blockat each point,thenspread a littlegluein the holesandinsertthedowels. Fixthem in placewithbrads.Next,markthe centerof the blockandborea hole throughit for a screw. Tosetupthecut,placeyourstock ontheworksurface. Buttwoodscraps against theedgesof theworkpiece to actascleats. thenscrewthemin
67
place,Markthe radiusof the circle andits centerpoint. Installa straightbit in therouterandsetthe cuttingdepth.Fora deepcut,make several shallowoasses. To usethejig, attachthe block to thecenterof thecircleandslide the dowelsalongthe routerbase plateuntiltheedgeof thebit closest to thecircle'scenteris aligned with theendof the markedradius. Tightenthescrewsin the baseplate to holdthedowels in place. Thenrout thecircle,feeding the routerin a clockwise direction(below).
DADOCUTS cleanly ,\ t onetime,cuttingdadoes wasa painstaking r.l. and accurately hand taskinvolvinga speciallydesigned planeor a sawanda woodchisel.Today, a routerfittedwith a straightbit can makequickwork of anydadocut. Whetheryou areroutinga dadoor a groove,the maximumdepthof a single passwill dependon thehardness of the stockandthesizeofyour router.In general,deepchannelsin hardwoodrequire For cutswhosewidth severalpasses. exceeds thediameterof thebitsyouhave Three on hand,makea seriesof passes. with a Z-inchbit, for adjacentpasses example,will carvea dadoor grooveup to l% incheswide. (Usually,however,it wouldbebetterto makefour slightlynarrowercuts.)
A straight bit carvesa groove in a board. Riding an edgeguide along the board producesa cut parallel to the edge.
A GR()()VE CUTTING Using anedgeguide proClampyourstockto a worksurface, withwoodpads, tectingtheworkprece of thegroove thenmarkthe beginning Clamp anedge onthefaceof thestock. g u i d et o t h ew o r k p i e cues, i n ga t a p e theguideisthe measure to makecertain fromthecuttingmarkas samedistance theedgeof therouter thegapbetween partof the baseplateandtheoutermost t ol t h e b i t .T h eg u r d em u s tb e p a r a l l e Witha f irmgripon the workpiece edge. router, feedthe bit intothestockat one thetool'sbase endof theboard, butting plateagainst theedgeguide?ight).
68
The followingpagesdisplayseveral usefuldadoingjigs.Forcutscloseto the theedgeguidesupedgeofa workpiece, pliedwith therouteris a helpfultool,as shownin thephotographat left.Forcuts fartherin from the edge,usea comguide. mercialor shop-builtstraightedge As shownon page69,stoppedgrooves and areeasyto cut usinga straightedge t\,vostoDblocks. Whiie any router will get the job done,a plungerouteris bestfor makA staning stoppeddadoesandgrooves. dard router requiresthat you begina stoppedcutby tiltingthebaseplateand pivotingthe bit into the work; with a plungerouter,you canhold the tool flat on the surfacewhileplungingthe bit straightinto thewood.
GROOVING
R()UTING A ST()PPED GR()()VE
lllllll lllltlllfiIjllllll|JllllrlllllrillJl.llilj lllllllliltIltlllll1 1HO? TI? ?reventing tearout, CuLIinga dado in Vlywoodcan result in Lorn woodfibers alonqNheedqeeof tne cut. To reducetearoul, scoref,heouLline of Nhedado wilh a utility knife.The incisionwilleever the woodfibere, keepin4lhe dgee of Ihe dado clean.
69
Using anedgeguideandstopblocks Setthestockon a worksurface, then c e n t etrh eb i t o v e trh ec u t t i n gl i n e s . Clamp anedgeguideto theworkpiece flushagainst therouter baseplate; check t h a t h eg u i d ei s p a r a l l et ol t h ee d g e o f t h ew o r k p i e cN e .e xat l i g nt h eb i t withoneendof themarked linesand c l a m pa s t o pb l o c kt o t h ew o r k p i e c e f lushwiththerouterbaseplate. Repeat theprocess at theotherendof thegroove. Tostartthecut,restthe baseplateontheworkpiece withthebit clearof thestockandtheolatebutted against theedgeguideandoneof the stopblocks. Thenplunge thebit into thestock.Guidetheroutertoward the otherstopblock,keeping thebaseplate flushagainst theedgeguide(abovd.
GROOVING
ROUTING DADOES IN CARCASE SIDES Making andusinganedgeguide Madefromtwopieces of plywood, the jig shown you shop-built at leftenables to makequickworkof a dadocut.Since thedistance between theguideandthe edgeof thebaseis thesameasthegap between the edgeof the routerbase p l a t ea n dt h eb i t ,t h ej i gc a nb eq u i c k l y l i n e du ow i t ht h ed a d oo u t l i n eC. u t h e plywood basefromr/a-inch andthe guide from%-inchplywood; ripthepieces to widthsto suityourrouter setup.Screw thetwopieces together, makingsure Toroutthe to couniersink thefasteners. dado,setthestockona worksurface and clamptheedgeguideatoptheworkpiece, aligning theedgeof thejig basewiththe Settherouter's cutting cuttingmarks. forthe depth,remembering to account thickness of thebase.Routthechannel (left),keeping thebaseflushagainst the guideandflatonthebase.
Gutting twodadoes in onepass Fora fixedshelfto sit levelin a bookcase or cabinet, it mustrestin dadoes at the sameheight in bothsidepanels. 0neway to makecertain thecutslineup isto rout the bothdadoes at thesametime.Clamo that stockto a worksurface, ensuring protect theendsof thepanels arealigned; theworkpieces withwoodpads.Then clampan edgeguideto thestock,posit i o n i n tgh ej i g s ot h er o u t ebr i tw i l ll i n e up directly overthedadooutline(page 68).Makecertain thattheedgeguide i s s q u a rteo t h ep a n eel d g e sR. o u t h e dado(right).
/tl
GROOVING
T-SOUARE JIGFOR GROOVING To routdadoesandgrooves that are square to the straight andperfectly edgeof yourstock,constructa Tjig liketheoneshown square at right, madefrom%-inchplywood. Sizethejig to accommodate the stockyouwillbeusingandthediameterof yourrouterbaseplate.Make wide theedgeguideabout4 inches andat leastas longasthewidthof theworkpiece; thefence,alsoabout 4 i n c h e sw i d e ,s h o u l de x t e n do n eithersideof the guideby about thewidthof the routerbaseplate. To assemble the jig, screwthe fenceto theedgeguidewithcountersunkscrews. Usea try square to makecertainthetwopiecesareperpendicular to eachother. Then clampthejig to a worksurface and routa shortdadoon eachsideof thefence,usingyourtwomost commonly usedbits--oftenVz-and 3/+-inch. Thesedadoes in thefence willminimize whenthejig tearout is used,aswellasserving to a l i g nt h ej i g . To usethejig,clampit to the workpiece, aligning theapproprratedadoin thefencewiththeoutlineon thestock.Whenmaking thecut, keepthe routerbaseplate firmlyagainst theedgeguide(left). Continue thecut a shortdistance intothefencebefore stopping the router.
7l
GROOVING
ffi{
..-
GROOVING JIG OUICK-SETUP Consisting of fourstripsof 3/q-inch plywood assembled to formtwoLs, thejig shownat rightmakesit easy to routdadoes andgrooves withminimaltearout. Makealltheoieces of thejig about4 inches wide.Cutthe edgeguidesa fewincheslonger than thecut youintendto make.The cleatsshouldbe longenough to overlap theadjacent edgeguideby several incheswhenthejig is set up. Attachthe cleatsto the edge guides, making surethatthepieces areperpendicular to eachother; usefourcountersunk screws for eachconnection. Setupthejig byclamping the stockto a worksurfaceandbutting thecleatsagainst theworkpiece at thebeginning andendof thecut. Thensetyourrouterbetween the edgeguides, aligning thebit over thedadooutline. Slidetheguides together untiltheybuttagainst each sideof therouterbaseplate.Secure thejig byclamping it at opposing corners andto theworkpiece. Then turnontherouterand,withthetool between theedgeguides, startthe cut in thecleat,creating an entry dado.Guidethe routeracross the workpiece below), extending hight, thecutcompletely through thestock andintothesecond cleat.Thiswill minimize tearout asthebit exitsthe workpiece. lf youneedto routseveraldadoes of thesamesize,leave thejig clamped together andalign theentrydadowiththecuttinglines marked onthestock.
72
GROOVING
IN THINSTOCK GROOVES CUTTING
illtiltllllrllllllJlll]lltIIJlllllllJllllllIIllltlllllllllll]filll]ll 1HO?TI? Eliminating tearout particularlyae Xhey Koulerehavea t endencyLo caueetrearoul,, al Ihe end of a dado cul. To minimizeeplinlerinq, exit a workpiece alwayeueean edqequidelor eNraiqhlcut'sand eecurea wood alonqt'heedqefrom blocklhesamethicknee;ae yourworkpiece preooureof Ihe blockaqainotthe whichNhebiI willemerqe.The willheloNoeliminaNe tearoul, workoiece
73
a narrow edge Grooving groove rout a along a surface thatis To narrow to accommodate an edge too guide, guide block to the attach a short . Install a straight bit and routeritself down on a work settherouteruoside if necessurface. Remove thesub-base guide the blockto the saryandscrew predrilled holes oneof the toolthrough in thebaseolate.Markthewidthof the groove and ononeendof theworkpiece withthebit.Thenpivot alignthemarks the theguideblockuntilit isflushagarnst theguideto the faceof thestock.Clamp endof the baseplate.Holdthemarked to check workpiece against thebitagain properly thattheguideis positioned (above, Iefil.fo cut thegroove, secure edgeup in a vise.Setthe theworkpiece with router flatontheedgeof theboard thebitclearof thestockat oneendand theguideblockflushagainst theface Asyoufeedthebit of theworkpiece. thecut,keepthe baseplate through edgeandtheguide f latontheboard's against theworkpiece blockpressed (above, nghf).Reposition the board, if necessary, to avoidhittingthevise w i t ht h ec l a m o .
GROOVING
AD'USTABTE DADO JIG Thejig shownat rightis idealif you domuchrouting of dadoes in carcase panels. Thejig features edgeguides to keepthecut perpendicular to the edgesof theworkpiece anda sliding clamping blockto holdthe panel securely. Sizethe piecessothedistancebetween the edgeguides equalsthediameter of yourrouter's baseplate.Theguidesshouldbe longenough to allowyouto clamp thewidestpanelyouplanto cut. Cutthe fourguidepieces, the twoends,andshimsfrom%-inch plyr"ood; makeallthepieces 4 inches wide.Assemble theendandguide piecessothe routerbaseplateis flushagainst theguidesalongtheir entirelength.Thenscrewthepieces together, sandwiching theendpieces between the guides.At oneendof the frame,attachshimsto thetop andbottomof the endpiece. Countersink all yourfasteners. Cut
theclamping blockfrom%-inch{hick stock;makeit about3 incheswide and longenoughto slidebetween theedgeguides. To installthe press screw,borea holefor the threads through theshimmed endpiece.
74
Remove the swivelheadfromthe pressscrewandfastenit to the middleof theclamping block.Attach the threaded sectionto the swivel headandscrewthecollarto theend piece.Usethe routerto cut short reference dadoesin the otherend pieceandtheclamping block. Tousethejig,slidetheworkpiece between theedgeguides, aligning thecuttinglineswiththe reference dadoes. Secure the panelin positionwiththe pressscrew.Clampthe jigto a worksurface. Withthebitclear of thework,turnonthe routerand startthe cut at the reference dado in theendpiece,making certain the routeris between the edgeguides. Feedthe bit intothe workpiece, keeping the baseplateflat on the stock(/eft),Tominimize tearout, only raisethe routerclearof the work oncethe bit exitstheworkpiece and reaches the reference dadoin the clamping block.
GROOVINGON A ROUTERTABLE ountedupsidedown in a table, the routerworksvery much like a shaper.In additionto carvingdecorativecontourson boardedgesand makjoinerycuts,a table-mounted ing precise routeroffersa safeand quick method to cut dadoesand grooves.The setup allowsyou to exertgreatercontrolover routingoperations. Virtually anydadoingoperationcan be performedwith a table-mounted is particrouter,but the arrangement ularly convenientfor cutting grooves in narrow stock (below). Stopped groovescanbe cut with eithera straight bit or a three-wingslottingcutter.As shownon page76,yow bestchoiceis the slotting cutter sinceit allowsthe workpieceto be pivotedinto the cutter with the faceof the board flat on the
table.With a straightbit, the stockis loweredonto the bit edgedown, with the board face resting against the fence-a trickieroperation. Rememberthat severallight cutsare saferandmoreaccuratethanoneheavy pass.Ifyou needto cut a groovewider thanyour largeststraightbit, maketwo advancingthe fenceafter or morepasses, alsomakea eachpass.Fordeepgrooves, increasing the cutting of cuts, series pass. for each depth
routerfitted with a A table-mounted pilotedthree-wingslottingcutterrouts a groovealongtheinsideof a drawer for a bonompanel.Keepingthepilot againstthe stockkeepsthegroove depthuniformand controlskickback.
EDGE INA BOARD CUTTING A GR(l(lVE Making thecut Witha straightbit in the router,set t h ec u t t i n gd e p t ha n da l i g nt h ec u t tingmarkswiththe bit. Fortheshopfence builtrouter tableandclamp-on position the shownin theillustration, fenceflushagainst the boardfaceand makecertain secureit to thetabletop; to theedgeof the the fenceis parallel theworkpiece, clampa table.Tosecure the featherboard to thetableopposite bit; clampa supportboardat a 90" for extrapresangleto thefeatherboard intothe bit, sure.Feedtheworkpiece pressing the the stockf irmlyagainst with narfence(left).lf youareworking rowstock,protectyourfingersfrom thebit usinga pushstick.
75
GROOVING
CUTTING A ST()PPED GR()()VE upandstarting thecut 1 Setting I M o u nvt o u r o u t eirn a t a b l ew i t ha three-wing itottingcutterin thetool.Mark twosetsof cuttinglinesontheworkpiece: oneon itsleading endforthewidthand position of thegroove andtheotheron i t sf a c ef o r t h e l e n g t ho f t h eg r o o v e . Buttthe marksontheendof the board against thecutterandadjustthecutter h e i g h tI .n s t a ltlh ef e n c eo n t h et a b l e , l i n i n gi t u pw i t ht h ep i l o to nt h ec u t t e r . Tohelpyoudetermine thelocation of the cutterwhenit is hiddenbytheworkpiece s nt h e d u r i n tgh i sc u t ,m a r kt h ep o i n t o fencewhere thebit startsandstooscutting (inset).Attachtheguardto thefence. Tostartthecut,turnontherouter with theworkpiece clearof thebit.Holdthe board facedownon thetableandalign thefrontcuttinglineontheworkpiece w i t ht h eb i tc u t t i n m g a r ko n t h e f e n c e f a r t h e sf tr o my o u .B r a c i n tgh e b o a r d a g a i n syto u rt h i g h ,s l o w l py i v o rt t i n t o the cutter//eff.).
r) Finishing thecut I Wnen theworkpiece is flushagainst thefence, feedit forward whilepressing it downandagainst thefence. Continue thecutuntilthebackcutting lineonthe workpiece aligns withthebitcuttingmark closest to you.Pivotthetrailing endofthe workpiece awayfromthecutterwithyour righthand(right),steadying the board against thetableandfenceby hooking yourlefthandaround theedgeof thetable. Avoidliftingtheboarduntilthestockis clearof thecutter.Usea chiselto souare theendsof thegroove, if necessary.
76
RABBETS A rabbetis oneof themostbasicof So that woodworkersdo not have f\ cuts.commonlvusedin a corner to own a differentbit for eachpossible joint or to accommodate rabbet,manyrouterbit manuficturers the backof a cabinet.Fewtoolsdo the job betteror now sellrabbetingsets,consisting ofa more cuicklvthan a router.As shown singlecutteranda selectionof differentsizedbearings. below,-arabbetcanbe routedwith a pilotedrabbetingbit, althougha straight A straightbit andan edgegdde (page bit in conjunctionwith an edgeguide 78) canbe usedto cut rabbetsofany will work equallywell. width: The cuttercanbe oositionedat from theedgiofthe stock. Wth a pilotedbit, the pilot bearing anydistance ridesalongthe edgeof the workpiece whilethe cuttingedgesabovethebearrabing rout thestock.Thewidth of therabA rabbeting bit carves a stopped betinto theunderside of a shelf.The bet is ecualto one-halfthe difference rabbetwill fit into a woodenshelf betweenthediameterof thebit andthe supportattachedto thesideof a cardiameterof the bearine.A lX-inchfor case.Thistechnique conceals both diamerer bit with a ,z-inihbearing, example, willcut a rabbet%inchwide. therabbetand theshelfsupport.
To rout extra-widerabbetsthat exceed thecapacityof yourlargestbit, maketwo or morepasses, adjustingthe location of theedgeguideeachtime.
A RABBET CUTTING Using a piloted bit for Clampyourstockto a worksurface; t h ed o o rf r a m es h o w na, b o uot n e - h a l f of theworkpiece shouldextendbeyond thetable's edge.Gripping therouter f irmly withbothhands, buttits baseplateon theworkpiece andguidethebit intothe stock;makesurethecuttingedgeisclear o f t h et a b l e K . e e p i ntgh ep i l o tb e a r i n g pressed against theedgeof theworkpiece, feedthebit around theperimeter of the f r a m ei n a c o u n t e r c l o c k wd i sr e c t i o n (lefD.Oncethebit nears thetableonthe othersideof theworkpiece, stopthecut Loosen andturnofftherouter. theclamps, rotate theworkpiece, andclampit again. procedures Follow thesamerouting tocomnlptp ihp nnprafinn
77
GROOVING
RABBETII{C JIG Makeit easyto cutwideor non-standard-width rabbets witha straight bit andthesimplejig shown at right. Madefromtwostripsof wood,thejig is simpleto assemble andsetup. Cutthe basefromplywood or solid stockthe samethickness asyour workpiece. Maketheedgeguidefrom 3/+-inch plywood. Bothpieces should piece beat leastaslongasthelargest youplanto cut. Tosetupthejig, secure thestock to a worksurfaceandoutlinethe rabbet on it. Buttthejig baseagainst theedgeof thestock.Alignthe bit overthecuttingmark,thenposition t h e e d g eg u i d ef l u s ha g a i n stth e routerbaseplate.Fastenthe edge guideto thebaseofthejigwithcountersunk screws, ensuring that both boards areparallel to theedgeof the
workpiece. Clampthejig in position. thetool'sbaseplatepressed firmly ln making thecut,feedthebitagainst against theedgeguidethroughout thedirection of bit rotation andkeeo theooeration.
llltl|llfillfiltllllllljlltllllllrlfit]fiflililflultittlltlll]illitirJ 5HO7Tt?
\
\r--
Cutting rabbets \) of different widths lnoteadof elockinq \ : { severalbils of di{terenLdiameNera,you canbuya rabbeLin7 kit.,consistinqof a oin"**tq-.4 qlecutNerand a oel of ! ,. Vilotbearinqeof various. eizee,A typical kii"-allowe /a\ \::l you lo cut rabbels ranqinqin widNhfrom 1/+to 7/tainch.Ueea hexwrenchto ineLalllhe appropriatebearinry for Lherabbelyouwiehlocut.lfyou alreadyowna pilohedrabbeLinq bit, you can sLillbenefitfrom Lhis convenience by buyinqNhebearingeoeparaNely. 1 \
78
'r..
{
CIRCULARGROOVES .|a h. routerisoneof thefewtoolsthat I excelat makingbothcurvedand straightcutswith equalease. Assisted by thedistance a guideorjig thatmaintains between thebit andthecenterof thecircle,theroutercancutdecorative curves andcircleswith unerringprecision. One guides of themanystylesof commercial isshownin thephotoat right, available but thecircleandedgeguidesupplied with the route5like that illustratedon page66,isusuallyadequate for thetask. Ratherthan pivotingarounda fixed pointat a circletcenter, thisguidefollowsthe edgeof the workpieceand is usefulonlywhenthecircularcut is concentricwith the circumference of theworkpiece. jigscanbeadjustWhilecommercial edto cut circlesof varyingdiameters, someguidesaretoo shortio cutlarger jig likethatdescribed arcs.A shop-made on page80will solvethisproblem.
As with cuttingdadoes, a plunge routeris moreconvenient thana standardtoolfor routingcirdes. Andremember,forsafety's tearout, sakeandto reduce cut deepgrooveswith severalpasses, ratherthanin onecut.
groovein a A routercutsa decorative tabletopwith thehelpof a commercial circleguide. Fixed to the stockwith a screwthejig pivotsaroundthe center of the circle.Thescrewholecan beconcealed later with a woodplug.
ROUTING A CIRCTE Usinga plunge router Buttwoodscrapsascleatsagainstthe edgesof the workpiece andscrewthem i n p l a c e I. n s t a lal s t r a i g hbt i t i n t h e router,thenmarkthe locationof the groove andthe centerof the circle.Use a screworthefulcrumpinprovided with guideto fix a commercial circle-cutting thepivotpointof thejig to thecenterof thecircle;theguideshouldbesecure, butableto pivot.Installtherouteronthe guidesothebit is aligned withthegroove mark.Withthecutterclearof theworkpiece, griptherouterf irmlyandplunge the bit intothe stock.Feedthe tool (left)until steadily in a clockwise direction thecircleis completed.
79
GROOVING
tr COMPASS IIG Tocut largercirclesthanmostcomguidesallow, mercial circle-cutting jig shownbelow. usethe compass Makethedevicefrom7+-inch hardboard,sizingthejig to suityourrouter andthe radiusof the largest circle
youplanto cut.Cuttherouter-end of thejig in theshapeof a circleabout thesizeof yourtool'sbaseplate, Thearmof thejig shouldbeat least 2 incheswideandlongerthanthe radiusof thecircleyouwill becutting. Cutoutthejig witha bandsawor a
sabersaw,thenborea holein the centerof the rounded endto accommodate the routerbit.To mountthe jig on yourrouter,remove the subbaseandsetthetoolon thecircular partof thejig. Withthe bit centered overthehole,markthelocations of the predrilled holesin the base plate.Borethe holesandscrewthe jig to therouter. Finally, drawa line downthecenterof thejig arm. To usethejig, determine the radius of thecircleyouwishto cut and transfer thislengthto thejig, measuringfromtheedgeof the bit closestto thecenterof thecirclealong the centerline.Borea holeat the centermark,thenscrewthejig to theworkpiece. Secure thestockto a worksurface withcleats.Routthe circleasyouwouldwitha commercialguide(page79),guidingthe routerin a clockwise direction.
1ll'-lll-flnlnffiffillt[rtff"llf1ll"1ll"lll" 1Ilflll[Illllllll 1HO?TI? Quiokcompase jig ^ uee a svrt? of ?erroraLed hardboardcutr eliqhtlywiderNhan the router baee plate to fabricate a eimpleehop-made circle-cuttin7jiq for your tool. CUN the strio so that one row of holesrune downthe center of vhejiq. lJoeNhejiq ae describedabove,but attaah iNlo your router and the workoiece lhrouahlhe hardboard'e q ?erroral,tano. eYaTtn
80
PATTERNGROOVING p atterngroovingis usednot only I for cuttingdecorative grooves, recesses for inlay,andproducingmultiple copiesof thesamedesign, but alsofor suchworkaday, but demanding, tasksas cuttinghinge-and-lock mortises. The procedure involvesfixinga templateto theworkpieceandusingit to guidethe routerbit. Youcanbuytemplates for somejobs, oryoucaneasilymakeyour own.There aretwomainmethodsof patterngrooving:onewith thehand-heldrouterand anotherwiththetoolmountedin a pin routingattachment.
Theexactprocedure youfollowfor hand-heldpatternroutingdepends on thetypeofbityouuse.Wth atop-pilot edbit, all you needis a carefullypreparedtemplate. Non-piloted bitsrequire a templatealongwith atemplateguide.
A plungeor pin routeris yourbest choicefor groovingthe interior of a workpiece, sincethebit canbeeasilyand accurately loweredinto thestock.Pin routingisexamined in detailbeginning on page84.
Mountedin a pin routingattachment, a routercutsa groovein a wo*piece with thedesired front.A template patternisfud totheunderside of theworlEiece anda guidepin in the tableensures thatthepatternis accurately reproduced.
PATTERN GR(IOVING WITHA TEMPTATE GUIDE Usinga plunge routel guideonyourrouterand Installa template prepare a templateof the patternyouwish (page38).Setthestockona to reproduce worksurface andclampthetemplate on position. topof it in thedesired To make the interior cut shown, settherouterflat on thetemplate withtheguidebutted against the insideedgeof thetemplate. Plunge the bit intothestock,thenfeed the toolin a clockwise direction(/eff). Complete thecut,keeping theguidein contactwiththe edgeof thetemplate throughout theoperation.
81
GROOVING
Usinga standard router Setupyourstockandrouterasyouwould for workingwiih a plungerouter(page 8 l ) . W i t ht h et o o lo nt h et e m p l a t et i,l t i t s ot h e b i t i s c l e a o r f t h es t o c kb, u t aligned overthemarked outline. Gripping therouter firmly,turnit on andlower the cutterintotheworkoiece untilthe base plateis f laton thesurface andthetemplateguideis buttedagainst the edge of the templale(left).Feedthe bit in a c l o c k w i sdei r e c t i ounn t i tl h ec u t i s f i n ished;ridetheguidealongthetemplate throughout theoperation.
A HINGE MORTISE CUTTING
Using a template Pattern routing isanexcellent method forcuttingmorInstalla straight tisesfor hinges. bit anda template guidein yourrouter, Thenmakethetemplate froma pieceof%-inch plywood thatiswideenough to support t h er o u t e rO. u t l i nteh e h i n g el e a fo n t h et e m p l a t e , guide beingsureto compensate forthetemplate and thethickness of thefence,whichis alsomadefrom%inchplywood. Cutoutthetemplate, thenattach the (above). fencewithcountersunk To usethejig, screws secure the dooredgeup, markthe hingeoutline on t h ew o r k p i e caen, dc l a m pt h et e m p l a tien p o s i t i o n , aligning thecut-out withtheoutline onthedooredge andbuttingthefenceagainst thefaceof the door. Makethe cut(right), moving therouterin smallclockwisecirclesuntilthebottomof therecess is smooth, thensouarethe corners witha woodchisel.
82
GROOVING
ADJUSTABLE ROUTING GUIDE Thejig shownat rightis idealforroutgrooves ingrectangular andit can for curved befittedwithtemplates cuts.Thejig canbe adjusted to a widerangeof sizesandproportions. Cutthefourguidesfrom1-by-2 stock,making themlongenough to workpiece accommodate the largest youplanto handle. Theguides are usinga combination assembled of grooves, tenons,mortises, andhanggrooveer bolts.Routa continuous % inchdeepandwide-alongthe insideedgeof eachguide.Thencut a two-shouldered tenonat oneend of eachguide;sizethetenonto f it in the groove. Borea pilothole intothe middleof eachtenonfor a %-inch-diameter hanger bolt.Screw the boltsin place,leaving enough threadprotruding to feedihe bolt through theadjacent edgeguide andslipon a washer andwingnut. Finally, rout%-inch-wide mortises
through theguides; starting about3% inches fromeachend,makethecuts 4 incheslong,separated by about %inchof solidwood.Assemble the jig byslipping thetenons andhanger boltsthroughthegrooves andmorguideand tisesof the adjacent installing thewashers andnuts.To
83
produce a curvedpattern,youwill alsoneedto maketemolates likethe onesin the illustration to guidethe routeralongthe contours; usedouble-sided tapeto secure thetemplates to theworkoiece. To usethejig, setyourstockon a worksurface andoutlinethe pattern onthesurface. Loosen thewingnuts of thejig,thenposition it onthestock sotheedgeguides frametheoutline. Placetherouterflatontheworkpiece andalignthebitwithoneedgeof the outline. Buttoneof theedgeguides flushagainst the routerbaseplate. Repeat ontheotheredges untilall fourguidesandanytemplates for curved cutsarein position. Tighten thewingnuts,reposition thejig on theworkpiece, andclampit in place, Plunge the bit intothestockand makethecut in a clockwise direction,keeping the baseplateflush against anedgeguideortemplate at all times.Forrepeat cuts,simply clampthejig to thenewworkpiece androutthe pattern(/eff,).
GROOVINGWITH A PIN ROUTER ountinga routerin a pin routing is anespecially attachment efficient way of making interior cuts.All you needto carveout a recessor rout a curveis a templatewith the desired patterncut into it. The templateis fastenedto the bottom of the workoiece with double-sided tapeor, if the und..sideof the stockwill not be visible, screws.With the router in the attach-
Suspended in a pin routingattachment,a routerfitted with a corebox grooveinto the bit carvesa decorative stilesof a cabinetdoor.Feedingthe with itsedgeflush against workpiece thefenceensures a straightcut.
ment,thebit is aligneddirectlyabove a guidepin installedon thesurfaceof theworktable.Movement of theworkpieceand templateon the tableis determined by the pin, allowingthe pattern bit to reproduce thetemplate in thetop faceof thestock.Resist the temptation with thepin to cutgrooves routingattachment freehand-withouttheguidepin in place-oryoumay experience kickback.Takethetime to builda template andusethepin. Tocutstraightgrooves with thepin routingattachment, removetheguide pin andinstalla fenceon thetable,as shownin thephotoatleft.Referto page 58 for detailson settingup yourpin routingattachment.
A RECESS CUTTING
Workpiece Tempfato
DepthLonirot' nagU o ,a
Making thecut Mountyourrouterin the pinrouting attachment andinstalla guidepininthetabledirectly below thebit.Makea template with the patternyouwishto produce andfastenit to the underside of thestock.Setthetemplate andworkpiece on thetableso the guidepin will bewithinthe cut-out(above, /eff),andset the depthof cut. Withthebitclearofthestock, turnonthe router. Holding theworkpiece steady withonehand,pulldownon
thedepthcontrolhandle to lowertherouterandplunge the bit intothestock.Feedtheworkpiece against thedirection of bit rotation, keeping thetemplate flatonthetableandtheguide pinflushagainst theedges of thepattern. Oncethebit hascut a groove aroundthe rim of the recess, remove the wastepro(above, gressively right),continuing untilthe bottomof the (Caution: depression is smooth. Bladeguardraisedfor clarity.)
84
GROOVING
INTERIOR WITHA SHOP.MADE PINROUTER CUTTING GR(I(IVES upandstarting thecut 1 Setting provides I Pinrouting anaccurate parallel wayto routa groove to a curved edgeof a workpiece. Builda pinrouting jig (page63)andmountyourrouterin a routertable.Settheworkpiece onthe tableandalignthemarks forthewidth of thegroove withthebit.Clamp thejig t o t h et a b l es ot h eg u i d ep i ni s i n l i n e withthe bit andbuttsagainst theedge Tostartthecut,turnon of theworkpiece. the routerwiththestockclearof the bit. Holding theendof theboardsquare to thecutter,advance theworkpiece until theedgecontacts theguidepinandthe bit bitesintothe stock(right).
Completing thecut Feedtheworkpiece intothe bit, applying lateralpressure to keepthe edgeof thestockagainst theguidepin. groove Toensure thatthe is parallel to theworkpiece's curvededge,pivotthe stockto keeptheportion of theedgebeing cut parallel to the endof thejig armat all times(left),making sureyourhands areclearof the cutterwhenthe bit exitstheworkpiece.
85
INLAYING I nlayingis the decorativeprocessof I settinga thin strip of wood into a recess cut in the surfaceofa workoiece. A wide rangeof inlaysis avaiiable, from simplebandsof exoticwood to elaboratemarquetrymotifsconsisting of severalveneersassembledinto an attractivedesign.An exampleof the latteris shownbelow.Beforethe development of the router, recesses for inlaysusedto be cut with a woodchisel or a routerplane-a laborious,timeconsumingtask.A router fitted with
a straightbit cancompletethis chore quicklyandprecisely. Still,it is an exacting taskbecause the depression must match the inlay precisely.Following the stepspresentedbelowand oppositewill helpyou achievegoodresults. With edgeguidesto confinethe routert movements,you can be assuredof a perfectmatchbetweenthe sizeof the recess andthe dimensionsof the inlay. Recesses for marcuetrvinlav should be asdeepor slightiydeeperihan the thicknessof the inlay, typically r/zo
inch. If the inlay is slightlyrecessed afterthe gluehasdried,carefullysand the wood surroundingthe inlay until the two surfacesare flush. If you are usingsolidwood inlay-thicker than marquetry-make the recessslightly shallowerthan the inlay'sthickness, and sandthe two surfacesevenafter glue-up.Spreada verythin layerofglue to securethe inlay in place.Onefinal tip: Beforeplowingthe recess, scoreits outlinewith a chiselor knife to avoid tearoutalongthe edges.
A marquetry inlay,formed from a pattern of dyed wood set in a veneer, gracesa mahoganyboard. The inlay wasglued into a routed recess.
SETTING A MAROUETRY INTAY INPTACE
uptheedgeguides 1 Setting I Afteryousetyourstockon a worksurface, buttwoodscraps against theedges ascleats andscrew themin place.Position theinlayandoutlineitsedges onthesurface. Thencut a strip of %-inchplywood so its widthequalsthedistance between theedgeof yourrouter's baseplateanditsbit.Sawthestripinto fourpieces andbuttthemagainst theedges of theinlayto serve pieces asguideblocks. Thenrestfourmoreplywood against
theguideblocksasedgeguides. Tokeeptheguides frommoving,screwthemto thecleats;in cases where thiswouldinvolve screwing directly intotheworkpiece, suchasat theendsof the workpiece shown, fasten support boards to theguides, thenscrew the boards to theguidesthatarealready fixedin place(above). yourrouterbaseplate Remove theinlayandguideblocks. Riding against theedgeguides ensures therecess willfit theinlayexactly.
86
GROOVING
l') Routing therecess cuttingdepth.Make L Settherouter's a testcut in a scrapboardandtest-fit theinlay;adjustthecuttingdepth,if necTo makethe cut, restthe router essary. withthebit clearof the ontheworkoiece Thenturnon stockandabove theoutline. andplunge thebit intotheworktherouter direcoiece.Guidethetoolin a clockwise edgesof therecess, tionto cuttheoutside an keeping thebaseplateflushagainst edgeguideat all times(right).To completetherecess, routouttheremaining waste,feeding thetoolagainst thedirecasmuchasoossible. tionof bit rotation thecorners. Usea chiselto square
uptheinlay Q Gluing is completed, cut r.,l Oncetherecess a woodpadslightly smaller thantherecess a thin to holdtheinlayin place.Spread layerof gluein the recess andposition Laya the inlayin place,paper-side-up. pieceof waxpaperoverthe inlayto preto it. ventthewoodpadfrombonding Thensetthepadin place.Useasmany the C clamps asnecessary to distribute pressure clamping evenly, Starting about 1 inchfromtheendsof thewoodpad, at 3- to 4-inchintervals; space theclamps onthetophalfof the focusthepressure justenough pad.Tighten to theclamps holdthepadin place,thenturntheworkpieceoversothatthefirstrowof clamps Installthe is resting ontheworksurface. rowof clamps alongtheotheredge second all of of thepad(/eff).Finishtightening f irmly. theclamps
87
n:
,|e
. i:.:.
-&
ROUTERIOINERY joint-the cope-and-stick he router'sability to plungeinto woodand (page98)-offers strength cut precise, clean,straightanda decorative flourish. edgedgroovesmakesit an Dovetailiointsarebestcut excellent toolfor thedemandwith theheipof a varietyof jigs.Whether ingtaskof joinery.Equipped commercial you with a batteryof specially cut the half-blindvarietv (page100),a designed bits,jigs,andother commondraw accessories, the routercan er joint, or the traditional cutdozens ofjoints,ranging throughdovetail(page101), fromtheutilitarianrabbetto thesejigswill helpyouprothemostelaborate of doveduce. thejoint with unerring tails.A dozenof thesejoints prec$ron. is presentedon page90. JointscanbeeitherfuncTheremainingpagesof the tionalor decorative
joint like For a seamless fit, a long,interlocking precision thetongue-and-groove callsfor cutting. Here,thegroow half of thejoint isplowedon a routertableby a three-wingslottingcutter.
89
ROUTER-MADE IOINTS
M M M Half-blind dovetail
Mortise-and-t'enon
Dovetail spline
q/ Cope-and-atiak
Through dovetail
Miter-and-apline
5liding dovetail
Butterfly key
Rulejoint
ROUTERIOINERYIIGS
Moftise-and-tenon jig Ueedwith router to cut matchin4 mortiaee and tenone;jiq is eecuredin viae and workpieceia then clampedto ji4
Sizeand buib-inprecision makea stationaryjointmakeridealfor cuttingvariousjoints at production-line speed.Themodelshownfeaturesan adjustable tablethat movesbackandforth and sideto side,enhancingthe machine's versatilitv.
Momieing jig Attaohea to router baae plate to rout morbiaea:4uide pineare pbeitionedaqainat board facea or edqee, centerin4 mortiae in edae or face
lnterahangeabletemplate jig Dependin7on t.emplate uaed,allowa router to cut dovetail and boxjointo with a ainqle aetup; come6 with 4uide buehin4and router bits
Adjuatable dovetail jig Features adjuatable template for routing half-blind and throuqh dovetailjointa; width of matchin7 pine and taila aan be aet with the 6ame adjuetment. Includeeguidebuehingand router bita
Dovetail templatea
f""@S€a Kouter aub-baee =\ Dovetailtemplatea A aet of two fixed templatea faatened to backup boards to rout through dovetailjointa; one template ia for pina and the other for tails, Various modeleare availablefor routinq different-aize pina. Comeewith two piloted router bita
Tenontemplate Multi-joint' jig Ueed with router to cut dovetail, box,finger, and mortiee-andtenon jointe. L-ahapedbracket ie faatened to backupboard and aecuredin viee;appropriatetemplate ia attached to bracket. Comeawith 4uide buehinq,router aub-baae,and bits
9l
-TENONIOTNTS MORTTSE-AND With originsin woodworkingthat date backmore thon 3,000years,the mortise-and-tenonis a strongand versatilejoint. Thereare ntany variations,but
thebasicprincipleis constant:a projecting tenonfits snuglyintoa mortise.The typeshownhereis theblind mortise-andtenonjoint.
ttl: t' jl&'qo,
R()UTING OUTM()RTISES
Using anedgeguide U s et h et e n o nw, h i c hy o uc a nc u tw i t ha s a wt,o o u t l i nteh e mortise Thensecure thestock on theedgeof theworkpiece. in vise with a support board to keep therouter edge-up a along make certain the top surfaces of thetwo steady duringthecut; pad protect your level, wood boards are andusea to stock.Install width a mortising bitof thesamediameter asthe of themortise, thensetthedepthof cut.Fora deepmortise, makeoneor more intermediate Dasses. Attacha wooden extension to thefenceof
a commercial edgeguide,thenfasten theguideto therouter baseplate. Center thebitovertheoutline andadjust theextensionsoit restsflushagainst theworkpiece. Holding therouter firmly,plunge thebit intothestockat oneendof themortise (above, left),thenfeedthecutterto theotherend.Oncethecut i s c o m p l e t ecdl ,a m pt h es t o c kt o a w o r ks u r f a caen ds q u a r e thecorners of the mortise witha chisel(above, right),keeping thebladesquare to theworkpiece andthebevel facing thewaste.
92
ROUTERIOINERY
Working witha mortising sub-base Another wayto routmortises is to attach a commercial mortising sub-base to your router's baseplate.Thejig features two guidepinsdesigned to buttagainst oppo(inset), sitefacesof a workpiece ensuring thatthe mortise is centered ontheedge. Secure thestockedge-up in a viseand markthebeginnrng andendof themortise.Routthemortise asyouwouldwith an edgeguide(page92), makingsurethe guidepinsbothridealong theworkpiece throughout Ihe cut (right).
Routing deepthrough mortises W i t ht h ea i do f a n e l e c t r idcr i l l ,y o u r o u t ecr a nm a k em o r tisesthatexceed itsmaximum depthof cut.Theillustration a b o v es h o w st h e t h r e es t e p sn e c e s s atroy c u t a m o r t i s e t h r o u ga h t h i c kw o r k p i e cS e t. a r tb y i n s t a l l i nagm o r t i s i n g b i t i n t h e r o u t e ar n dm a k i n ga s m a n yp a s s eassy o uc a n u n t i ly o uc a ng o n od e e p e(rA ) .T h e nu s et h ed r i l l w i t ha
b i t b i g g etrh a ny o u rr o u t e br i t t o b o r ea h o l et h r o u g thh e ( B ) .I n s t a lal p i l o t e fdl u s h - t r i m m ibnigt r e m a i n i nwga s t e i n t h er o u t ear n dt u r nt h ew o r k p i e coev e rI.n s e r t i nt h g eb i t throughthe holemadebythedrill,routoutthewaste(C); k e e pt h ep i l o tb e a r i n p g r e s s eadg a i n stth e w a l l so f t h e c a v r t yt o c o m p l e tteh e m o r t i s e .
93
ROUTERTOINERY
A MORTISE-AND.TENON R()UTING uptheiig 1 Setting mortise-andI Assemble a commercial h em a n u f a c t u r e r ' s t e n o nj i g f o l l o w i nt g you allows shown Themodel instructions. andtenon.Secure to routboththemortise t h ej i g i n a v i s et,h e nc l a m pt h ew o r k pieceto it, butting theendof theboard thestopandtheedgeto bemoragainst Usewoodpads thetemplate. tisedagainst (left). lnstallthe thestock to protect p i l o t eb d i ts u p p l i ewdi t ht h e1 i gt ny o u r r n r r t elrl s et h ei i p ' sd e n t h - o f - cnuott c h therouterbit'scutasan aidto setting t i n gd e p t h .
r) Routing themortise hold router, L lt youareusinga plunge with the routerf laton thejig template t h e b i t c e n t e r eodv e ro n ee n do f t h e slot.Turnonthetoolandplunge mortise the bit intothestock(rieht).WiIha stanthe d a r dr o u t e ry,o uw i l ln e e dt o a n g l e t o o la n ds l o w l yl o w etrh e b i t i n t ot h e In eithercase,feedthetool workpiece. to theotherendof alongthetemplate ge t h es l o tt o f i n i s ht h ec u t ,p r e s s i nt h b i t p i l o ta g a i n st ht ei n s i d e d g eo f t h e thecut. Keepthecutslotthroughout at thetemplate tingedgefromtouching fromthejig thestock anytime.Unclamp thejig fromthevise. andremove
94
ROUTERIOINERY
thejig forthetenon Q Adjusting r.,l Remove thejig stopfromthefence a n df i t i t i n t h ef e n c es l o ta t t h eo o o o siteendof thejig.Unscrew thetemplate f r o mt h ej i g b o d ya n ds hi ft t h et e m platetoward thetenon-end slotssothat pinsonthejig body oneof thealignment is exposed. Refasten thetemplate. Secure thejigandthetenonworkpiece in thevise, positioning thestocksothatitsedgebutts against thestopanditsendisflushagainst lhp
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Routing thetenon Cutthetenonin twosteos.Oneend of thetenonis cut thesamewayyou routed themortise in step2, guiding the b i t p i l o ta l o n gt h e i n s i d e d g e os f t h e tenonslots0bf0.men,without moving t h ew o r k p i e cuen, s c r etwh et e m p l a t e fromthejig bodyandturnit endJor-end, pinexposed keeping thesamealignment . i n i s hr o u t i n g a sf o rt h ef i r s tp a s sF thetenon.
95
ROUTERIOINERY
ia
A MORTISING JIG youto routa Thejig at rightallows lts mortise in stockof anythickness. jaws thatthemoradjustable ensure properly, nortisewillbepositioned intheedgeoftheboard. mallycentered Cutthejig topfrom%-inchplywood;makethepieceabout15 inchto accept eslongandwideenough thethickeststockyouexpectto mortise.Cutthetwojawsfrom2-by-4to the inchstock,sawing thepieces samelengthasthetop.To prepare thetop,marka linedownitscenter, thencut a notchalongthe lineat Thenotch oneendusinga router. should beaswideasthetemplate guideyouwill usewithyourrouter bit, bit.(lf youareusinga top-piloted bit rather thana non-piloted straight guide,sizethenotch witha template The the bearing.) to accommodate to notchshouldbe longenough you moriise thelongest accommodate expectto cut.Next,routtwoadjustto thecenmentslotsperpendicular hole borea viewing terline.Finally, thetwoslots.Toassemble between boltsintothe ihe jig,screwhanger jaws,thenfasten thetopto thejaws withwashers andwingnuts. Tousethejig,outline themortise andmarka line on theworkpiece thewing downits center.Loosen nutsandsecure thestockbetween isaligned thejawssothecenterline withthelineonthejig top;make surethetopedgeof theworkpiece ihetop.Tighien is buttedupagainst thewingnuts.Alignthebitwithone thenmarkreferendof theoutline, encelinesonthejig topalongthe edgeof therouterbaseplate.Repeat
to marklinesat theotherendof the outline.Routthe mortise(below), thecut withthe baseplate starting
96
aligned withthefirstsetof reference it whentheplate linesandstopping reaches thesecond set.
ROUTERIOINERY
A TENOI{ING JIG Madeof solidwoodandplywood, the jig shownat rightallowsyourrouter to cut square, two-shouldered tenons. Thestocksitsface-down underthe jig whiletherouterridesalonga fence ontop,removing wastein twopasses. jig The consists of twoparallel pieces, base anendstop,anda fence -all madeof woodthesamethicknessastheworkpiece, in thiscase 1-by-3stock-anda topandsupport plywood. madeof Vz-inch Thebaseoieces shouldbeabout 16 incheslong;cuttheplywood top about 8 by 10 inchesandscrewit to the basestripsasshown at right. Screwtheendstopin placeunderneaththesupport, andattachthe endsof thesupport to thebasestrips, Fixthefenceabout1 inchfromthe endof thetop. Countersink all screwheadsand besureto makeall angles square. Borea viewing holethrough thetop to helpyouposition theworkpiece against the base. Youwillalsoneedto construct an acrylicsub-base foryourrouter.lt shouldbe at leastaswideasyour router'sbaseand longenoughto extendfromthe fencebeyondthe endstop;a 10-or 12-inch-square oiecewillserve well. Installa %-inchbit in therouter, thenremove thestandard sub-base fromthetoolanduseit asa temolate to markthescrewholesandbit clearanceholein theacrylicsub-base. Thenewsub-base mustbeattached to the routerso thattheedgeof the bit linesupwiththeinneredgeof the supportandendstopwhenit rides
alongthefence.Borethe holesand attachthe sub-base to therouter. Tousethejig,butttheendof your workpiece against theendstopand theedgeflushagainst thebase. Clamp theassembly in place.Settherouter's cuttingdepthandroutoutthewaste
97
forhalfthetenon,riding thesubbasealongthefencethroughout thecut. (Youwill routreference intothebasepiecesat the dadoes sametime.)Turntheworkpiece overandrepeat thecutto complete thetenon(below,bottom).
COPE-AND-STICK IOINTS Usedin frame-and-panelconstruction, joint providesstrength thecope-and-stick whileadding comparable to themortise-and-tenon a decorative touch.Therouterbit that cutsthe grooves for thepaneland tongtesako carves a decorative molding along the inside edgesof the frame.
TABTE ROUTING A COPE.AND.STICK JOINT ONTHEROUTER in therails thetongues 1 Cutting joint byfirst I Makea cope-and-stick in theendsof bothrails. cuttingtongues Thenroutgrooves forthe panelalongthe insideedgesof all fourframepieces; the grooves in thestileswillaccommodate the railtongues at thesametime.Tocut the installa pilotedcopingbit-or tongues, railcutter-inyourrouterandmountthe toolin a table.Setthe cuttingdepthby buttingtheendof a railagainst the bit andadjusting the router's depthsetting so that the top of the uppermost cutter is slightly above theworkpiece. Position thefenceparallel to the mitergaugeslot andin linewiththeedgeof thebit pilot. Fitthemitergauge withan extension and oressthe outsidefaceof the stockflat on thetable;keeptheendsof theworkpieceandextension buttedagainst the fencethroughouteachcu| (right).
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ROUTERTOINERY
r) Adjusting thesticking bit L Replace the copingbit witha piloted sticking bit-alsoknown asa stilecutter. Tosetthecuttingdepth, b u t tt h ee n do f a c o m p l e t erda i l a g a i n st ht eb i t ,a n dr a i s eo r l o w e r the bit untiloneof thegroove-cuttingteethis levelwiththerailtongue (left).Alignthefencewiththeedge of thebit oilot.
thegrooves Q Cutting r.J Usethreefeatherboards to secure the workpied ce u r i n tgh ec u t .C l a m p o n et o theroutertableopposite thebit,securinga support boardat a 90" angleto the jig.Clamp theothertwofeatherboards to (ln thefenceoneithersideof thecutter. thisillustration, thefeatherboard onthe outfeed sideof thefencehasbeenremoved forclarity.) Makeeachcutwiththestock outside-face down,pressing theworkpiece against thefence(right). Usea pushstick to complete the pass.Repeat thisgroove cutonalltherailsandstiles.
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DOVETAILIOINTS
jointsproduced Fourdovetail with a router:(clockwise from bottom left) dovetailspline,slidingdovetail, throughdovetail,and half-blinddovetail.Although eachjoint wasfashionedwith theaid of a commercial jig, all possess thestrengthand appearance of hand-crafied j oinery.
R(lUTING HALF.BLIND DOVETAILS jig Using aninterchangeable-template jigforhalf-blind doveSetupa commercial instructhemanufacturer's tailsfollowing thisinvolves tions.Onthemodelshown, in position clamping thepinandtailboards against thebodyof thejig,andsecuring theappropriate template atoptheworkpieces. Install theproper bitandtemplate guideon yourrouter, thenroutthe pins andtailsin twooasses: Startfromthe r i g h t - h a nedd g ea n dm a k ea l i g h tc u t Thiswill alongtheedgeof thetail board. reduce thatall the tearoutandensure wastearoundthetailswill be removed. f ull passstarting Thenmakea second folat the left-hand endof theworkpieces, lowing thecontours of therouter's templateandmoving in andoutof theslots (righil;keepthe templateguidef lush atalltimes. against theedgesofthefingers T h i sw i l lc u tt h ep i n sa n dc o m p l e t eh e tailssimultaneously.
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ROUTERIOINERY
TW(]JIGSF()RROUTING THROUGH DOVETAILS
jig Using anadjustable dovetail Thejig shownonthispagefeatures an you adjustable fingerassembly thatallows to setthesizeof the pinsandtailsyou routaswellasthespacebetween them, Adjusting theassembly forthetailsautom a t i c a lgl yi v e ys o ut h ep r o p esri z ea n d spacing of thepins,Install a dovetail bit in yourrouter, thensetupthejig followingthemanufacturer's instructions: Clamp a spacer boardof %-inchplywood to the t o po f t h ej i g b o d ya, n ds e c u rteh et a i l board outside-face out.Oncethefingers arelaidoutoverthetailboardaccording youwant(inseil, to thesizeandspacing usethethickness of theoin boardasa guideto marka cutting depthlineacross Flipoverthef ingerassemthetailboard. blyandsetthedepthof cutontherouter to cut thetails(left,fop).Routfromright to left,keeping thebaseplateflatonthe fingers. Tocutthepins,remove thetail b o a r da n dt u r no v e rt h e f i n g e ra s s e m b l y .I n s t a lal s t r a i g hbt i t i n t h e r o u t e r andclamp thepinboard to thejig.Mark a c u t t i n gd e p t hl i n eo n t h e b o a r ds, e t therouter's depthadjustment, androut the pins(left,bottom).
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ROUTERIOINERY
Using dovetail templates Toroutthrough dovetails withthedovetail templates shownonthispage,attachthe pinandtailtemplates to backup boards following themanufacturer's instructions. Secure thetailboardin a viseend-upand c l a m pt h e b a c k u pb o a r dt o i t , m a k i n g suretherewillbehalf-tails at bothedges; t h et e m p l a taen db a c k u b p o a r sd h o u l d beflushagainst theworkpiece. Protect thestockwitha woodpad.lf youarecuttingseveral workpieces, butta stopblock against thefirstworkpiece andclampthe blocktothebackup board. Install thedoveguidesupplied tail bit andtemplate with thejig andcutthetails,feeding thetool in andout of the templateslots(right). Unclamo fromtheviseand thetailboard useit to outline thepinsonthepinboard. Secure thepinboardin theviseandclamp thepintemplate to thestock,aligning t h ej i g f i n g e rw s i t ht h em a r k e od u t l i n e . Remove thedovetail bit fromtherouter, installthestraight bitsupplied withthe jig, androutoutthewastebetween the pins (below).
Tail board
r02
ROUTER]OINERY
MAKING A STIDING DOVETAIT IOII{T thedovetailgroove 1 Cutting groovein twopasses I Cutthe dovetail on a routertable:Startwitha straightbit to removemostof the waste;complete witha dovetailbit. Forthefirst thegroove pass,installa straightbit. Adjustthe thefenceso depthof cut, andposition that the workis centered overthe bit. Clampa featherboard to the tableto securethe workpiece duringthe cut; to applyextrapressure, clampa support boardat a 90oangleto thefeatherboard. Feedtheworkpiece intothe bit withboth hands(right),pressingthe stockflat the cut. against the fencethroughout Finishthecutwitha pushstick.Forthe secondpass,installa dovetailbiI (inset) andcomplete thegroove byfeedingthe workpiece intothe bit whilepressing thefence. thestocktightlyagainst
r) Gutting thedovetail slide L Witnthedovetail bit still in therouter. shiftthe fencetowardthe bit sothat half thediameter of thecutterprojects beyond the fence,Reoosition the featherboard. Reduce thecuttingdepthslightlysothat the slideis notas deepas the groove; t h i s w i l l i m p r o v teh e f i t o f t h e j o i n t . removing Cut the slidein twopasses, the wastefromonesideat atime (left). Test-fitthejointandreadjust theposition of the fenceif it is necessarv to trim the slide.
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ROUTERIOINERY
A JIGFOR STIDIilG DOVETAITS youto Thejig shownbelowallows routslidingdovetails without a router features table.Thedevice a fence thatholdstherouteranda pivoting adjustable tableforaligning theworkpiecewiththe bit. Cutthefence, table,andsupportpiecefrom3/a-inch plywood. Makeall the boards16 incheslong;thefenceandtable wideand shouldbeabout10 inches thesupportpieceabout3 inches
wide.Screw thetableto thesuoportpiecesotheyforman L shape. Position fromthe thetable4 inches topof thefenceandboretwoholes through thefenceintothetablesupport.Witha straight bit in a router, lengthen the holeon the outfeed sideof thefenceintoa curvedslot. Fasten theadjustable endof the tablesupport to thefencewitha carriage bolt,washer, anda wing n u t . B o l tt h e i n f e e ds i d ei u s t
Fence
104
looseenoughforthetableto be ableto oivotwhentheotherendis raisedor lowered. To preparethe fencefor your router,remove thesub-base anduse it asa template to markthe screw holesandbit clearance holeon the fence.Thebottomedgeof thecleara n c eh o l es h o u l dl i n eu o w i t ht h e topof thejigtablewhenthetableis level;in theillustration at left,the tableis in the lowest oosition. To usethejig,secure thefence groove in a viseandroutthedovetail first,thenthematching slide,For thegroove, installa bit in therouter, attachthetoolto thejig fence,and adjustthe cuttingdepth.Setthe workpiece face-down on thetable, b u t t i n gi t s e d g ea g a i n stth e b i t , Loosen thewingnutandadjustthe tableto centerthe bit on the edge of thestock,thentightenthe nut. Securethe workpiece withthree featherboards: Clamponeto thetable i n l i n ew i t ht h e b i t a n dt h e o t h e r twoto the fenceon bothsidesof thecutter.(ln the illustration, the featherboard ontheoutfeedsideof the fencehasbeenremoved for clarity.)Routthegroove asyouwouldon a router table,usingfirsta straight bit, thena dovetailbit (page103).Tocut theslide,setyourworkpiece onthetable andlowerthetableto oroduce a 7ainch-wide cut.Makea passon each s i d e f, i n i s h i ntgh ec u tw i t ha p u s h stick(/eff,bottom). Tesffit thejoint; if necessary, raisethetableslightly passon eachside andmakeanother of thestock,
ROUTERIOINERY
ROUTING A DOVETAIL JOINT SPLINE thejig 1 Making I T h ej i g s h o w na t r i g h t b , u i l tf r o m 3/+inch plywood, willhelpyoucutgrooves of fordovetail splinejointsin thecorners Refer to theillustration forsuga carcase. gested Before the dimensions. assembling jig,cuttheovalslotin themiddleof the yourbit. Cut45" baseto accommodate bevels at thetooendsof thearmsand the bottomendsof thesupportbrackets. Attachthearmsto thebaseandthebrackthearms etsto thebaseandarms,making oeroendicular to eachotherandcenteringthemunder a dovetail theslot.Install b i t i n y o u rr o u t e rs, e c u r teh ej i g i n a viseand,withthebit in theslot,position theedgeguideagainst thetool'sbase plateandscrewit down.Then,withthe baseplatepressed against theguide,rout a channel across thetopendsof thearms.
: 8"x15"
\ g t o t'1" x 5"
r') Routing thegrooves Z Vtari,cutting linesforthegrooves on thecorners of theworkpiece. Secure the carcase in a viseandsetthejig diagonally ontop,aligning theedges of thechannel youroutedin step1 withoneof thecuttingmarks. Clamp thejig to thecarcase, protecting thestockwithwoodpads.Rout thegrooves by repeating the cut you m a d et o r o u t h ec h a n n efle, e d i ntgh e bit through thecornerof the carcase. Besureto keeptherouterflatonthejig b a s ea n df l u s ha g a i n st h t ee d g eg u i d e well untilthebit is clearof thecarcase. Reposition thejig andrepeat to rout (left). the othergrooves
105
ROUTERIOINERY
Inserting thesplines grooves, To makeenough splines for several rout justasyouwould a dovetail slideontheedgeof a board, joinl(page for a sliding dovetail J03).Riptheslidefromthe board o n a t a b l es a wt,h e nc u t i n d i v i d u a l s p l ifnr o em si t . Fora snugfit,usethesamedovetail bit thatcutthegrooves i n s t e p2 . I n s t a lt lh es p l i n ebs ys p r e a d i ns go m eg l u ei n thegrooves andonthesplines andsliding themin place (right).Oncethegluehasdried,trim off excess woodwith a handsaw andsandthesurface flushwiththecarcase.
tr A ROUTER-TABIE JIG Thejig shownbelowallowsyouto routa seriesof evenlyspacedgrooves for straightor dovetail splines. Cut a V-shaped notchintothefaceof a board,theninstalla V+-inch straight bit in yourrouterandmountthetool in a table.Screwthejig to a miter gauge andfeedit intothebitto make a notch.Fitandgluea woodkeyin the notch,thenreposition thejig gauge onthe sothedistance between the keyandthe bit equals thespac-
ffi ingyouwantbetween the spline grooves, Feedthejig intothe bit to routa second notch.InstallaVz-inch dovetail bit andsetthedepthof cut sothefull dovetail shapeis visible abovethe bottomof the notch.
106
To usethejig, seattheworkpiece in theV withanedgebuttedagainst the keyandroutthefirstgroove. Tocut grooves, subsequent fit the groove overthekeyandslidetheworkpiece intothe biI (below).
GLUEIOINTS
Usedto reinforceglued-uppanels, thegluejoint consists of two boards with identicalcutsin their edges. Both cutsareproducedon a router tablewith thesamebit; oneof the boardsisflipped to matewith theother.
CUTTING A GLUE IOINTONA ROUTER TABLE Making thecub Installa gluejointcutterin yourrouter, mountthetoolin a tableandsetthe cuttingdepth.Secure theworkpiece with twofeatherboards clampedto the fence on eithersideof the bit. (ln the illustration,thefeatherboardTqn theoutfeedside of the fencehasbedr/removed for clariyoucut thejoint,maketest ty.) Before cutsin twoscrapboards. Fliponeboard over,test-fitthejointand, if necessary, adjustthe depthof cut untilthe mated surfacesof the twoboardsareflush,To makea pass,feedthestockintothe bit withyourrighthandwhilekeepingit pressed firmlyagainst thefencewith yourleft hand(left).
107
BOXIOTNTS Theboxjoint, alsoknownasafinger joint, is idealfor makingdrawersor cabinets.Thejoint derivesitsstrength from the largegluing areaof the interlockingpins and notches.
ROUTING A B(lXJOINT uptheiig 1 Setting I Thejig shownat rightallowsyouto fora boxjointoneat a cut the notches timeon a routertable.Thejig is simply boardscrewed to the miter an extension gaugeandfittedwitha keyto determine lnstalla the spacingof the notches. as straightbit with the samediameter mount widthofthenotches; the desired the routerin a table,Setthe depthof of yourstock cut to equalthethickness intothe bit to andfeedtheextension the extenrouta notch.Thenunscrew sionfromthemitergaugeandreposition the notchand it so that the gapbetween thebitequals thewidthof the bit, Feed intothebit again,cutting the extension a wood a secondnotch(right).Fashion keyto fit in thefirstnotchandglueit in placeso it projects about1 inchfrom board. theextension
108
ROUTERIOINERY
r) Gutting thenotches in thefirstboard L noningthe faceof the workpiece against the mitergaugeextension, butt o n ee d g ea g a r n st ht ek e y T , u r no n t h e yourthumbsaround router and,hooking t h eg a u g es,l i d et h e b o a r di n t ot h e b i t , cuttingthe first notch(right).Fit the n o t c ho v e rt h e k e ya n dm a k ea s e c o n d c u t .C o n t i n uceu t t i n gn o t c h et sh i sw a y u n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e o p p o s i teed g eo f t h ew o r k p i e c e .
thenotches inthemating board Q Cutting \,, Fit the lastnotchof the f irstboard overthe key.Buttoneedgeof the mating boardagainst thef irstboard, andmove t h ee n t i r ea s s e m bfl o y r w a r tdo c u t t h e f irstnotchin thematingboard; holdboth p i e c e fsl u s ha g a i n st th e m i t e rg a u g e (left).CUItheremaining extension notchesin themating boardbyfollowing the sameprocedure usedforthef irstboard.
109
MITER-AND.SPLINEJOINTS is essentially a simple Themiter-and-spline cut miterjoint with a splinegluedintogrooves in miteredends;it is oftenusedin frame-andpanelconstruction.Thesplineis either plywood,or solidwoodwith grain that runsperpendicularto themiter cuts.
(lFROUTING A MITER.AND.SPLINE JOINT TWOWAYS Usinga straight bit Make45' mitercutsin eachworkpiece. Installa straightbit in yourrouterand mountthetoolin a table.Setthecutting youcutwillaccommodepthsothegroove To thewidthof yourspline. dateone-half clampa feathersecure theworkpiece, board to thetablein linewiththebit.Rest thefeatherboard on a shimsothestock thefence; clamp willbeheldflatagainst a support boardat a 90' angleto thefeathRoutthe erboard to applyextrapressure. byfeeding theworkpiece splinegrooves itsfaceflush onendintothebit,keeping all the against thefence(right).0nce grooves havebeenmade,cuta splinefor eachjoint;makeit twiceaswideasthe groove depth,less%zinchforclearance. or solFormaximum stren$h,useplywood the id woodwiththegrainrunning across widthof thespline, rather thanlengthwise.
110
ROUTERIOINERY
llltlll1 IlIlilltIIIJ illttlllllltllllilltllltilltlllitlllilllilltllllfilt 5HO?TI? jig A miter-and-spline Io roul Lhe qroovefor joinL_ a .miNer-,andopli1e alonga boardedqe,uee the ji4 shownhere.CuI a 4-W-4lonqertrhanyour
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guide,Toueelhe jiq, cuNa 41"bevelalonqlheedgeof the workp i e c et,r h e nc l a m pL h e s t o c k a n d L h ej i q t o a N a b l ew i t h t h e edqeof t.heworkpiece olightlyoverhanqin7 the jiq. Ueethe router filNei wiih a otraiqhLbit,to trim Ihe bevelededge,then install a Lhree-wing oloNlinqcutter and repeatlo rouNLheqroove, keeVingNhe bit pilotaqaine|thesLock.
111
Using a three-wing slofting cufter Youcanalsoroutthegrooves for mitera n d - s p l i nj oei n t sb y u s i n ga t h r e e wingslotting cutterandfeeding the stockface-down intothebit. Position thefencein linewiththebitpilot,makingthecutting widthequal to one-half thebit diameter. Tosetthedepthof c u t ,p l a c et h ew o r k p i e cf lea to nt h e t a b l ea n dc e n t etrh e b i t ' st o o t ho n the edgeof thestock.Feedtheworkpieceintothecutterwitha mitergauge, h o l d i n tgh ee d g eo f t h eb o a r df l u s h against thegauge andonemitered end flatalongthefence(above).
KEYIOINTS BUTTERFLY
The butterfly key is a multi-purpose joint. Ordinarily cutfrom a contrasting hardwood, the key servesto strengthenedgeto-edgebutt joints or splitsand checksin boards,while providing a decorativemotif.
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A BUTTERFLY KEYJOINT MAKING
'l
Routing therecess guidedby Markintersecting imperfections fromthetemplate to therecess. keyusinga router fora butterfly I Routtherecess Iinesforthelocation of eachkeyontheworkpiece and of thekeyon reference Tomakethetemplate, drawthepattern a template. yourpanel. Thenclampthetemplate atopthestock, aligning the Usea saber template. thatis smallerthan a pieceof plywood lines(above, right).lnslalla straightbit andtemplate Clamp a guideblockto thetemplate reference sawto cutoutthepattern: setthedepthof cutto nomorethanone-half while guideintherouter; thesawbladeintothestockwithintheoutline andplunge of theworkpiece. Routouttherecess, rrding the left). thethickness theblock(above, keeping thetool'sbaseplatebuttedagainst guidealongtheedges of thepattern throughout the Careful- template theblockandcutoutthewaste. Turnoffthesaw,remove witha chisel. willtransfer any operation. Square thecorners of therecess sincetherouter of thepattern lysandtheedges
rt2
ROUTERIOINERY
r) Gutting thekey L Clampyourtemplateatopa hardwood board;thestockshouldbeat leastVqinch you thickerthanthe depthof the recess routedin step1. Setthecuttingdepthon cut,then the routerfor a %e-inch-deep makea lightscoring cut around thetemplate.Cutoutthe keyon the bandsaw, edgeof aligning thebladewiththeoutside the scoredrecess(right).Keepyourhands clearof thebladeasyoumakethecuts.
Gluing thekeyin thepanel Test-fitthe keyin the recess. lf necessary, usea chiselto trim itsedges. Once youaresatisfied glue withthefit, spread in the recess andinsertthe key.Tofocus pressure, theclamping laya woodpad across theworkoiece andclamobothends (/eft).Tighten eachclampa littleat a time untila thingluebeadsqueezes outfrom underthekey.Oncethegluehasdried, gentlysandthe surfaceto trim the key flushwiththesunounding wood.
113
TONGUE-AND-GROOVEIOTNTS
With itslonggluingsurlace, joint is thetongue-and-groove commonlyusedto strengthen carcase joinery and to assemble glued-up panelsand solidcabinetdoors.
CUTTING A TONGUE.AND.GROOVE JOINT
Routing thegroove andtongue (page Fityourrouterwitha straightbit.Startbycuttingthegroove passes, 75),thencut thetonguein several removing thewaste a littleat alime (inseil.Thetongue's depthshouldbeslightly lessthanthegroove. Tosupport theworkpiece duringthecut, clampa featherboard to thetableandrestit ona shimsothat it presses against the workpiece abovethe bit; clampa sup-
portboardat a 90o angleto the featherboard forextrapressure.Slowly feedthestockintothecutter.Turnthe workpiece end-for-end andrepeat the procedure. Finish eachpasswitha pushstick(abovd.Movethefencebackfromthe bit to remove morewasteandmaketwomorepasses, test-fitting the joint andcontinuing untilthetonguefits snuglyin thegroove.
tt4
RULEIOINTS MAKING A RUTE JOINT
A commonfeatureof drop-leaftables,therule joint consists of two matching hingedpieces.The leafhas a covecut alongits edgethat mateswith the tabletop's rounded-overedge.When the leaf is down, the decorativeedgeis visible.
thecutin thetabletop 1 Making I C l a m pt h et a b l e t otpo a w o r ks u r f a cw e i t ht h ee d g et o b e shaped extending offthesurface. Install a piloted round-over bit andadjustthecuttingdepthto allowyouto reachthefinaldepth in at leasttwopasses. Asyoumakethecut, pressthe bit pilot against thestockthroughout the pass(above). Fora smoothfinish,makeyourf inalpassa slowandshallow one.
r) Shaping theleafand Z installing thehinge Install a piloted covebitwhose diameter andprofilematchthe oneusedin step 1, thenmount therouter in a table.Align t h ef e n c ew i t ht h eb i t p i l o ts ot h a tt h e widthof cutwillequalone-half thecutterdiameter. Setthedeothof cutto reach yourfinaldepthin several passes. Feed t h e l e a fi n t ot h e b i t ,b r a c i n igt s e d g e against thefence(left).AfIereachpass, test-fit thepieces; continue cuttinguntil thetabletop andleafmeshwitha slight gapbetween thetwo.Finish thejointby installing a rule-joint hingeontheunders i d e so f t h e p i e c e sP: o s i t i oonn eh i n g e l e a fa g a i n st ht et a b l e t oapn dt h e o t h e r against theleafsothehingepinisaligned withthestartof theround-over cutonthe (rnsef). tabletop Outline andthenroutmortisesforthehingeleaves in thetabletop andtheleaf.Screw thehingein place.
115
SHAPER their ownknivesto whateverproheshaper andtheroutershare filetheydesire. a commonheritage.In the With its largecutterexposed mid-l9thCenturyaninventorin abovethetable,theshaperrequires Ohioproduced a prototypefor a special attentionto safety; thetool machine with averticalspindleprojectingout of a horizontaltable. is oftenconsidered to bethemost dangerous machinein the shop. knownasa spindle Thismachine, Keyconcerns aretherotalionofthe routeqwasvirtuallyidenticalto the spindle,thedirectionof feed,and present-day Anothermodshaper. the locationof the cutterwith elfromthesameera,employingan regardto the workpiece.Most and overhead spindleto raisepanels shaperspindlesand cuttersare andrecesses, evolved cut grooves designed to rotateeitherclockwise router. intotoday's or counterclockwise; eachdirecSimilaroriginsnotrvithstanding, Theshaperisa commonsightin produaion tion offersitsownadvantages and havesincefoltherouterandshaper constructing disadvantages. Most cutters are shops, whereit is unequaled loweddifferentpaths.Therouteris for jig shownabove designed to cutfromaboveaworkoftenconsidered themostuseful cabinetdoors.Thepanel-raising piecewhilespinningcounterclockpower allowsarchedtop railsand archedraisedpanels andversatile woodworking wise(asseenfrom above).This to beshapedquickly,safely,and accuratef. tool;theshaper, ontheotherhand, offersa betterviewofthe cutand. isfrequentlyttre lastmachine added its ofthe direction ofthe threads onthespindle, fact that belies usefulness because ensures woodworking shop, a to the place nut in remains that the securing the cutter tight throughto thecraftsman. Byreversing moldingsin theedges of outtheoperation. spindlprotationandinverting If youfrequently cut decorative so that it lies mostlybelow tdblelevel,youcanshape if you many doors and drawers, the the cutter workpieces, or build curved workpiece. This isoftena safersetupfor foryour Basically, the machine is the underside of the is ideal tool shop. shaper an for version of a table-mountfreehand shaping or working with extra-wide or verylong and more stable a bigger,stronger, lifts gouge stock. If the workpiece up, the cutter will not it and with much wider range of available cutters. Shaper edrouter, a (pagu profile to kick the board back. 120) vary from simple, single cutters cutters Readyour owner'smanualcarefullyandfollowthe setup thatproduce thecontours of a complexcombination systems with, and cuttingguidelines discussed here,startingon page123. Relatively safe and easy to work hostof individualblades. preferred guards Take the time to build the and fenceshownonpages126 are the choice, though solidcutterswith carbide teeth your grinding andl27;theywill make machine muchsaferto use. for the versatility of manywoodworkers still opt
With a workpiece secured on a templatewith toggleclamps,a straightcuttercutsa curvewith easeandprecision.Theresulting edgeis smootherthan couldbeproducedon a bandsmu; perfectcoPies of theoriginalpattern. usinga templateensures
T17
ANATOMYOFA SHAPER he shaperworksvery muchlike router,but it a table-mounted generally more is larger,heavier,and powerful.Theheartof the machine is its spindle,a threadedYr-to lYn-inchthattypicallyturns diameterassembly rpm.The a cutterfrom7,000to 10,000 spindle,in turn, is drivenby a belt-or to mechanism connected direct-drive
Fenceaoaembly Guidea work acrosa table for atrai4ht cute; aplit into two halveethat can be individuallyadjuated and lockedin poaition
motor.Some a k- to 5-horsepower speeds. modelsoffervariable aresizedby spindlediameShapers spinwithlarger-diameter ter.Machines dlesrequiremorepowerfirlmotors,but cleaner thesetoolsvibrateless,produce cutsandcanbeusedwithawiderassortfeature mentof cutters.Manyshapers spindles. interchangeable
Rin6 6uard Mounted on apindleto protect o?erato i' o fi ngera' fro m c utte r; rema ine etatio na ry as cutter spina. Made of clear plaetic to keepcuttinq operationa vioible
are Shapercuttersandaccessories secured to thespindlewith a nut and lock washer.The spindlenormally On many turns counterclockwise. machines, spindlerotationcan be reversed byflickinga switchlocatedon themotorjunctionbox.Thisis avaluablefeature,allowingstockto be fed fromeithersideof thetable.
Spindle aaaembly Kevereible,with a 3/u inch apindleat one end and a %-inch apindleat the other; mounted to a bracket under the table
5witah arm Canbe ewun4 belowtable and out of the way to accommodate Iar4e workpiecea
Onloff awitah To44lebracket acce@ padlock to prevent accF dental atart-up
Table inseft ring Oneof a aet of concentric ringe aet in table to accept different diameter cutterg, maximizinqtable bearinq aurface
5tarting pin A ateel rod that oupporta work until it contacte rub bearin7 for freehand cuta; fita into hole in table on infeed side of cutter
Spindle height adjustmenthandwheel Raiaeeand lowera epindleaaaemblyto eet cutter heiqht
Front aaaeeapanel Coveramotor and drive mech' aniam; removed to acceeeepin' dle opeed adjuatment
Height adjustment'lock knob Fixee hei4ht of apindleaeeembly: muat be tiqhtened before ehaper io operated
118
SHAPER
Dependingon the model,the height of the spindlecan be adjustedfrom 2 to 6 inches. Few cuts on the shaperare made or a jig. Most without an accessory shapertablesfeaturea miter gaugeslot. Straightcutsshouldbe guidedby the fenceor a miter gauge.While some fencesarecomprisedof two solidarms
Fenaeadjuatment knob Turnedto advanceor retract fence
that canbe movedcloseto the cutters, thetypeof fenceshownbelowhassegmentsthat slidelaterallyto conform more closelyto the cuttershape,providing an extra measureof safety. Curvedwork canbeshapedwith ajig, or a templateor startingpin usedin conjunctionwith a rub bearing,whichmust be mountedon the spindle.
Fence loaking handle Attached to fencelocking rod: tiqhtened to aecure fencein poeitionon table Lo width of cut
Fenaeeegment locking handle Lockafencegeqmenta at deeiredeettin4
Duat chute For duaL collection eyjtem
benchtop Thisportable%-horsepower shapercanperformmostof thefunctionsof a largertool.It is equipped with a'6-inchspindleandan accessory routerchuck,andcanturn cuttersand routerbitsat 9,000rpm.
twosetsof ballbearings thatprevent assembly shellscontain Spindle shownbelow fromdeflecting duringa cut.Bothassemblies thespindle (below,toil canaccomThestandard assembly aredouble-ended. on whichendis shaper cutters, depending modate different-sized (below,bottom)acceptsrouter adapterassembly used;the router/stub cuttersat theother. bitsat oneendand%-inch-bore Spindle aaeembly
%-inch-diameter opindle Fencesegmenta Indtvidual wooden ftngere adjuot to frame cutter and rinq quard, increaotnqfence bearinq aurface and protecting operaf,or'o fin4ere
9oindleehell Routerlatub adapter spindle aaaembly
)tub opindle
119
CUTTERSAND ACCESSORIES
Cuttersetsprovidea precisemethod join* for of makingsnug-fining frame and-panelconstruction. The cutproducedby thisstickingcutter will matewith theprofilecarvedby itscopingcounterpart.
arvingdecorative moldingwith a f V shaperusedto involvegrindingsteel knivesto thedesiredprofilein theshop. Theknivesweretheninsertedinto slottedcutterheads andheldin olacebv friction-an arrangement notoriousfor releasing the cutters,oftenwith disastrousresults. Today,the knivesaregroundcommerciallyand normallysecuredto the cutterhead with hexbolts.(ln fact,you shouldavoidusingan assembled cutterheadon a shaperunlessit features a methodof fixing the knivesin place.)
Mostknivesaremadefrom high-speed steel(HSS)and areavailable in a variety ofprofiles.Ifyou havea profilein mind that you cannotfind in a catalog and areunableto grind in your own shop,checkwith a manufacturerof cutters.Somecompanies will grindknives to yourspecifications, althoughthecost canproveprohibitivefor the occasional woodworker. Moreoften,two- andthree-wingsolid shapercuttersare usedby woodworkers.TheseareusuallyHSScutters. tippedwith tungsten carbideto provide
SHAPER CUTTER PR(]FITES Aaeembled-cutter deoorative moldin4 knivea
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Gluejoint
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SHAPER
a moredurablecuttingedge.Most solboresizes id cuttersaresoldin standard fromt/zto l% inches.As shownbelow, theycomein a varietyof profiles,from standarddetailcuttersusedfor molding to cuttersetslike cope-and-stick assemblies, designedto cut both parts joint. Othertypes, of a frame-and-panel like gluejoint and drawerlock cutters, createinterlockingprofilesfor solidjoinery.Combinationcuttersconsistof a set of individualbladesthat producedifferentprofilesdependingon how they arestacked on the spindle.
Any shapercutterwill createa different profileaccordingto thethicknessof theworkpieceandtheheightof thecuttestcuts ter on thesoindle.Makeseveral Forcombibeforeshapinga workpiece. nation systemsand cuttersets,follow instructions. themanufacturer's Youshouldalsoreferto the manufacturer'sspecifications for the required spindlesizeand maximumrpm rating for a cutter.And althoughyou canuse bushingsto fit large-borecutterson small-diameter soindles. theaddedstress maycausethespindleto deflect.
The quality of your shaperwork dependsto a greatextenton the cutters. Neverusea damagedor rustedcutter. Keepcuttingedgessharpandwipethem cleanaftereachuse.Carbidecutters canbe chippedeasily,sotakecarewhen storinsthem.
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Four typesof shapercutters: (clockwisefrom top right) an assembled cutter,a threeknifesafetycutter,a detail cutter,and a cutterset.
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SHAPER
SHAPER ACCESSORIES
Tenoner Holdaatock on end for ahapin1: featuree bar that alidie in table miter alot
Hold-down rods Mounted to fenceon infeedand outfeed aideaof cutter to pre6a workfirmly aqainat fenceaitd tabte: adjuetableto accommodatevarioua aizeaof atock
Buahinss@g lneerted in hole of cutter to allow larqe-borecuttera to fit on amall-diameter apindlea; uaed in paira, with one on each aide of outter
@m Rub bearing Mounted on epindleaboveor below cutterto providea bearin7 aurface for edqe of workpieceor template; availablein different aizeato accommodate varioua cutter diametere and achievepreciaedeptha of cut
Push block and push atick For feedinq etock alon4 ahaper fence.Fueh block(top) haa rubber baae to 7rip workpiece;pueh etick (bottom) 7uideonarrowatock
Miter 6au6e Guidea workpieceacroao table; used principallyfor ahapin7end 7rain. Features hold downato clamp atock face down:additional hold- , down acrewg can be inatalled onji7
thim lnatalled on apindle to makeamall hei4ht adjuetmente to cutter
@ Spacera Mounted on epindle cuttero @ tofromoeparate quard or rub /A\ V'
bearinq
@@@ 5paaer aollar Placed on epindle to 6et cutter at deaired location
Power feeder Motorized aafety device7uideo atock throuqh atraiqht and somecurvedahaper cuta: electric motor drives feed rollera or belt whichpueheo work throuqh the cut. Feeder is secured over the work to grip workpiece,and ofbenat a alight angleto eecureworka4ainet fence;feed opeedadjuatable on most modele
thaper jig )lidee in table miter olot to quide ahort or narrow workpieceo acroaa table; hold-downacrewz eecure atock face down
r22
SETUPAND SAFETY require machines [' ewwoodworking { asmuchattentionto safetyasthe shaper.Its reputationasa dangerous highthe shaper's tool is well-earned: speedcuttersaredifficultto guardfully and theyareproneto kickback. Beforebeginninganyshapingoperation.makesurethespindleis fastened securelyto the machineand its height is locked.Turn the spindleby handto makesurethecutterturnswith thespindle.Anvsoindlevibrationor vertic;lor lateralmbtion during a cut canspell or trouble.Replace thespindlebearings if you noticeany the entireassembly performthetest problems.Periodically shownbelowto ensurethespindleshaft turnstrue. Personalsafetygear,suchassafety cutter Two designsfor shop-made glasses, dustmask,andhearingprotecguardsareshownon page126.When tion,shouldbewornfor all shaping guidingstockalongthe fence,usea In addition,theextra-wide hold-downdevice.Resistthe temDta- operations. tion to shapecurvesfreehanduiing featherboardclampedto thefencefor thiscut helpspreventkickbackby only the startingpin. Takethe time to keepingtheworkpiece build a template. flat on thetable.
SHAPER SAFETY TIPS . Makesuretheheightof the s p i n d lies l o c k e bd e f o rteu r n i n g ontheshaper. . Adjustspindle speed androtationforthecutteryouareusing. . Donotshapewarpedstock, knotsor fasworkthatcontains than4 teners, or a piecesmaller i n c h ebs y6 i n c h e s . . Usefeatherboards anda push stickor a jig withholddowns to f e e ds t o c kl e s st h a n1 2 i n c h e s longor 6 inches wideacross the shaper table. . Always feeda workpiece against of cutterrotation. thedirection . Never the runstockbetween cutterandthefence. . Feedworkintothecutterwith a s m o o t hc,o n s t a nmt o t i o ni;f t h ec u t t e rs l o w sd o w n r, e d u c e f e e ds p e e d .
THESPINDLE CHECKING forrunout Testing dialindicator face Seta magnetic-base of upontheshaper tablesotheplunger thedevice contacts thespindle. Calibrate thegauge to zeroaccording to the manufacturer's instructions. Thenturnthespindleslowly by hand(lefil,f he dial indispindle runout-the catorwillregister would amount of wobble thatthespindle thetestat transmit to a cutter.Perform intervals along thelenghof thespindle, adjusting itsheight byr/zincheachtime.lf exceeds 0.005inchfor anyof therunout thespindle, thetests,replace
r23
SHAPER
CHANGING A CUTTER thecutteronthespindle 1 Tightening I Inserttheappropriate insertringin thetableto support theworkpiece. Slide a spacer collaronthespindle sothecutterassembly willsit nearthebottom of the shaft,whileallowing fora sufficrent range of heightadjustment. Fora freehand cut, mounta rubbearing next.Thenslideon thecutterandringguard. Youmayneed to placea spacer collaron bothsidesof thecutterto ensure therubbearing and guardspinfreely onthespindle; thecuttershould beascloseto thebearing as possible without it.Sliponanothtouching erspacer collar, thenaddthelockwasher andnut.Tighten thenutusingthetwo wrenches supplied withtheshaper. Hold thespindle steady withonewrench and tightenwiththeother.Forextraleverage, position thewrenches sothatyoucan squeezethemtogelher(right).
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r) Setting thecutterheight L Once t h ec u t t e h r a sb e e ni n s t a l l e d b ,u t tt h ew o r k p i e c e inateanyplayfromthehandwheel, turnit counterclockwise against thecutter.Turnthespindle heightadjustment hand- slightly, thenclockwise to thecorrect setting. Fixthespindle wheelto setthecuttingedges to theappropriate height(above):height withtheheight adlustment lockknob.Makea testcut raises Clockwise thespindle; counterclockwise lowers it. Toelim- in a scrapboardandreadjust thecutterheight, if necessary.
r24
SHAPER
SETTING UPTHEFENCE OuLfeedhalf ,-<-'-'-,
of fence
Adjusting thefence 1 J- Forthemodelshown, loosen thefourfencesegment locking handles andmovethewooden segments onbothhalves of the fenceascloseaspossible to thespindle without touching thecuttingedges orguard. Lockthehandles, thensetthewidthof cut, moving thefencebackfromthecutterfora widepassandadvancingit fora shallow cut.Fora partial cut,where onlya portion of theedgeoftheworkpiece willberemoved, loosen thefencelock-
/ffitr-h
Cutter
fu'/ (top view)
inghandles. Thenholda straightedge against thefenceandmove bothhalves asa unituntilthestraightedge contacts therubbearing(above), Tighten thehandles. lf youaremaking a fullcut,in whichthecutterwillshape theentireedgeof theworkpiece, turn offtheshaper a fewinches intothecut.Holding theboardin placeagainst thefence, advance theoutfeed halfuntilit butts against thecutpartof thestock(insef), thenfinishthepass. lnstalling holddowns onthefence T h es h a p ef re n c es h o u l b d eu s e d withholddowns or featherboards wheneverpossible to keeptheworkpiece flat a g a i n st ht et a b l ea n df e n c eI.n s t aal l hold-down device onyourshaper fence following themanufacturer's instructions. Forthespring-type modelshown, attach theassembly brackets of thedevice to the fencebrackets, thenmount theangled rodsontheassembly brackets. Position the metalarmsof eachrodsothatone presses downontheworkpiece andthe pressure otherapplies lateral on thestock toward thefence.Lockthearmsin olace bytightening thehold-down brackets usinga hexwrench(/eff,.
125
SHAPER
ANDA FENCE TWOSHAPER GUARDS Thetwoguardsshownon this page entirelyfrom3Z-inch areconstructed plywood. andsetup, Easyto assemble yourfinto protect eachis designed gersfromthecutter. at rightis idealforfenceTheversion guidedoperations. Cutthe guardin to theshapeof an arclargeenough fromthefenceandshieldthe extend Thesupportboard cuttercompletely. to beclamped shouldbewideenough to thefencewiththeguardasclose as oossible to the cutterwithout it. Screwtheguardflush touching with the bottomedgeof thesupport Next thefasteners. countersink board; andmarka clampthejig in position pointon theguardabovethecutter. Remove thejig andborea 17a-inchholethrough theguardat the diameter mark;theholewillallowyouto view operations. thecutterduringshaping makea guard Forfreehand shaping, liketheoneshownbelowto coverthe cutterfromthetop,back,andsides. Cutthetopabout16 incheslongand to extendfromthe back wideenough
in of thetableto about1% inches frontof thecutter.Miterthefrontends of thesidessotheycanbepositioned to thecutter.Rip ascloseaspossible the thesidessothetopwillsit above clearance for cutterwithjustenough youto seethecutter.Position thetop onthetableandmarka pointon it Cutanovaloverthespindle. directly
r26
shapedholethroughthetop at your point;theholeshouldbelarge marked andallow enough to clearthespindle youto movetheguardacross thetable different cutslightly to accommodate ters.Fasten thetopto thesideswith screws. countersunk it on the To usetheguard,position projecting through tablewiththespindle thetop,andwiththesidesascloseas possible Clamp to thecuttingedges. theguardin place. fenceshownon page Theshop-made plywood and I27 , madefrom7e-inch is an inexpenof lumber, a fewscraps fence. to a commercial sivealternative It is alsoverysafe,sincethe cutting edgesonlyprojectthrougha narrow by slot in the fenceandarecovered a guard.Startbycuttingthebaseand fromplywood. Makebothpieces upright as longasthetable;the baseshould b e a b o u t1 2 i n c h e sw i d ea n dt h e wide.Before upright about3 inches cut a notch assembling the pieces,
SHAPER
(BACK FENCE VIEW)
intothebackedgeof thebasein line withthe soindleandcarvea recess across thewidthof theupright's back face;aligntherecess withthenotch.
Next,cutthesupports from2-by-2 stock.Oneendof thesupports should beflushwiththeendsof the base; mitertheotherendto clearthecutter.
127
Attachthe supports to thebase, then screw theupright to thesupports; yourfasteners. countersink Tosetupthefence,usea saber sawto cuta precise slotforthecutter. 0r, place thefenceontheshaper table, clamping onlyoneendin position. With thecutteryouplanto useinstalled onthespindle, turnontheshaper pivotthefreeendof the andcarefully fenceintothecutteruntilthe cuttingedgesrouta slotthrough the uprightandprojectbytheproper amount, Thenturnoffthemachine andclampthefreeendof thefence to thetable.Finally, cuta plywood guardlargeenough to extend overthe cutterandscrewit to the rrnrrcht. flushwiththetopedge. Tomakea cut,feedtheworkpiece intothecutterwithbothhands, using featherboards to applypressure against theupright andthebaseof thefence.
BASICCUTS E.* toolscanmatchthe shaper's for carvI' precisionandefficiency ing decorative contoursin woodand handle cuttingperfectjoints.Shapers bothstraightandcurvedcuts.Straight cutson the edgesof mostworkpieces shouldalwaysbe guidedby a fence. A typicalsetupis illustratedbelow. Ifyou areshapingstockthatis shorter than12inches,or cuttinginto theend or faceof a board,you shouldusea jig like the tenoneror miter specialty gauge shownon page129,ratherthan thefence. freeCurvedcutscanbeperformed handor usingatemplate. Templates are simpleto buildandcanbecustom-made areshown for thejob athand.Examples 130and131.A rubbearing on pages shouldbemountedon thespindlefor manystraightcuts;it isamustifyou are Therestof theproceusinga template. Theworkpiece dureisstraightforward:
joint cutterinstalled on Wth a drawer itsspindle, a shaper canmakequick partsofa drawer workofcuttingboth j oint.Featuring tongues interlocking andgrooves andtvvice thegluingsurfaceofa simplebuttjoint,thedrawer joint issimplebut strong. isfastened to thetemplatewith doublesidedtapeor toggleclamps.Thetemplateridesontherubbearingwhilethe Thewidth cuttershapes theworkpiece. relative of cutisdeterminedbythe diametersoftherubbearingandthecutter.
CUTS STRAIGHT Shaping anedge 0ncethe cutterandfencearesetup, secureyourworkpiece withthreefeatherto the boards. Clamptwofeatherboards fence,oneon eithersideof theguard, a n da t h i r dt o t h et a b l ei n l i n ew i t ht h e cutter.Clampa supportboardat a 90' for extrapresangleto thefeatherboard sure.Tomakethecut,feedtheworkpiece intothecutterwithbothhands, asshown on pageI27 . Oncethetrailingendof the thetable'sedge,finishthe boardreaches passusinga pushstick(right),or by movingto theoutfeed sideof thetableand pullingthestockpastthecutter,
128
Anotheroptionfor curve-cutting is jig.A V-blockjig for cira shop-made clecutsis shownon page132. Freehand shaping-cuttingwithout a templateor jig-can be performedonlywithpartialcuts,in which the cutterbitesinto a portion of an edgewhilethe restridesagainstthe rub bearing.Eventhesecutsarenot quite"freehand"l a startingpin must be installedon thetableto bracethe work beforeit contactsthe rub bearing,preventing kickback. Asyouwouldwith a router,makea fewshallowpasses to reachyour final depth,ratherthantryingto removeall Forbestresults, thewastein asinglepass. usea smooth,evenfeedspeedandcut with the grain,ratherthanagainstit. Shapingagainstgrain can resultin tearoutor kickback.Whenyouarecutting endgrain,placea backupboard to preventtearout. behindtheworkpiece
SHAPER
CUTTING A DRAWER JOINT thedrawer sides 1 Cutting I Forthesecuts,theshaper is fitted jointbit. witha router spindle anddrawer joint The is cut in twostages. Thedrawer sidesarecutfirst,heldupright in a tenoningjig.Thedrawer frontandbackarethen cutfacedownin a mitergauge. Install a commercial tenoner onthetablefollowingthemanufacturer's instructions; the model shown slides in themrterslot.Clamo theworkpiece to thejig,protecting the stockwitha woodpad.To prevent tearout, placea backup board behind thetrailing edgeof theworkpiece. Follow the manufacturer's directions to adjustthejig for the depthandwidthof cut.Feedthe worksmoothly intothe bi| (right).
r) Cutting thedrawer frontandback I Remoue thetenoner fromthetable a n di n s t a a l l m i t eg r a u g e q u i p p ewdi t h holddowns. Alsoclampa guardto the yourhandsfromthe bit; tableto protect seepage126for details on building the guardshownin this illustration. Protect thestockwitha woodpadandclampthe position workpiece to themitergauge; the jig boardlaterally onthe forthewidthof c u t .T o p r o v i daed d i t i o nsaul p p o ratn d reduce iearout, screwanextension board to themitergauge. Slidethemitergauge andthestockasa unitintothecutter(/eft). Testthefit of thejointandadjustthe heightofthebit,if necessary. lf youwant thedrawer frontto overhang thesides,as in thephoto on page128,youwillneed to makea fewpasses, increasing thewidttr of cutslightly eachtime.Clamp a stopblock to theextension boardforrepeat cuts.
129
SHAPER
JIG PROFII.ING jig liketheoneshown A profiling devicefor at rightis a timesaving copiesof thesame several shaping a Thejig features curvedpattern. you wish to the shape of template ClampyoursiockatoP reproduce. t e m p l a t ew,h i c hw i l lf o l l o wa the enabling onthespindle, bearing rub the reproduce edge to cutting the patternon theworkpiece, froma Pieceof Makethetemplate plywood is largerthan that 7a-inch provide a bearing to workpiece the cut.Cut after the and surface before pattern a saber band saw or with a the the edges sand carefully saw,then bearing. rub ride along the thatwill mustbesmoothsince Thetemolate will betransferred anyimperfections yourworkpieces your Next cut stock. to theedge oversizing to size, roughly inch. 7a by about to be shaped temon the workpiece Position the on plate,aligning mark cutting the with the shaped the edgeto be Using curvededgeof theiemplate. pencil, on workpiece outline the a Fasten of thetemplate. thesurface twoguideblocksto thetemPlate withcountersunk fromunderneath liningup the edgesof the screws, To outline. blockswiththe marked jig, a toggle screw the complete clampto eachguideblock. anda straight Installa rubbearing Adjustthe cutteron the shaper. heightof thecutterso it willshape the thefull widthof theworkpiece; diamshouldbethesame rubbearing theworketerasthecutter.Secure jig, pieceonthe makingsureto butt the guide the stockflushagainst jig Setthe onthetableand blocks.
adjustthespindleheightsothecuttingedgeswillshapetheentireedge Alsomakesure of theworkpiece. andthe rub bearing thetemplate arealigned, To makethecut,turnon the withthejig andworkpiece shaper
130
thetogclearof thecutter.Holding gleclamps, into feedtheworkpiece Applyslightpresthe cutter(below). against sureto pressthetemplate Keepthetemplate the rubbearing. throughwiththe bearing in contact outtheoperation.
SHAPER
SHAPING WITHA TEMPTATE upandstarting thecut 1 Setting I Builda template asyouwoulda profilingjig (page130);ratherthanedge blocks andtoggle clamps, thistemplate hasa 2-by-4handle screwed to it from underneath. Bevel theupperedges of the blockfor comfort. Clampa guardto the tableto coverthecutter.Thencutthe workpiece roughly to size,making it several incheslarger thanyouneedsoit canbe screwed to thetemplate. Locatethe screw youwillcut holesin thewastesection awayaftertheshaping operation is completed. Startthecut asyouwouldwrth jig,gripping theprofiling thetemplate handle withyourrighthandto feedthe pressure workpiece andapplying lateral withyourlefthandto keepthetemplate flushagainstthe rubbearing(right).
r') Completing thecut Z- Continue feeding withyourright yourlefthandto keep handwhileusing thetemplate in contact withtherubbeari n g ;t h et e m p l a tseh o u l rdi d ea l o n g the bearing asthecuttershapes theworkpiece.Asthetrailingendof thestock reaches thecutter,gradually slideyour lefthandtoward the backof theworkpiece(left),maintaining pressure against therubbearing untilthetemplate clears thecutter.Onceyouhavefinished the cut,unscrew theworkpiece fromthetemplateandtrimthewaste.
13l
SHAPER
.
rr-ffi:
AJIGFOR CIRCTE CUTS circularworkfreehand Shaping on the shapercanbe a riskyjob. Onewayto makethetasksaferand jig moreaccurate is to usea V-block liketheoneshownat rightto help guidethecut;buildthedevice from a pieceof %-inchplywood. cut thejig Formostshapers, about24 incheslongand14 inches thejig foryour wide.Tocustomize holdit abovethetableflush shaper, withthe backedgeandmarkthe location of thespindleon thesurwedgeout face.Cuta right-angle theapexof the of thejig, locating point.Then angleat yourmarked cut a circleoutof thejig centered on theapex;the holeshouldbe the largeenoughto accommodate largestcutteryouplanto usewith thejig. Routtwoslotsintothe back edgeof thejig on eithersideof the hole-about5 incheslongandVz inchwide-to lineupwiththeholes in theshaper tableforthefence lockingrods.
thejig on the table, Position centering the bit in the hole.Seat in the jig, butting the workpiece it againstbothsidesof the V, and until adjustthejig andworkpiece the widthof cut is set correctly. Tighten thefencelockinghandles Youmay to clampthejig in place. wantto makea testcut on a scrap pieceto be certainthatthedepth andwidthof cut arecorrect,
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Tousethejig,turnontheshaper against the andbutttheworkpiece outfeedsideof theV. Slowlypivot thestockintothecutteruntilit rests it against firmlyin thejig'sV, moving thedirectionof cutterrotationto prerotatventkickback belowI Continue ingtheworkpiece untiltheentire keep hasbeenshaped, circumference ingtheedgein contactwithboth thecut. sidesof thejig throughout
SHAPER
FREEHAND SHAPING upthecut 1 Setting I Reverse thedirection of cutterrotationto clockwise andplacethestarting pinin itsholeontheinfeed sideof the table.Thiswillnowbetheleft-hand side. (Forthiscut,therubbearing is mounted onthespindle above thecutter, sincethe bottomportion of theworkpiece's edgeis to beshaped.) Turnontheshaper andbutt theleading endof thestockagainst the startingpin (lef|.
r) Starting thecut L Bracingthe workpiece against the pin,pivotthestockintothecutter starting (right).Asthe cutterbitesintothestock, you; it tendsto kicktheworkpiece toward b es u r et o h o l dt h eb o a r df i r m l yO . nce theworkpiece is in contact withboththe pinandtherubbearing, starting slowly swingit away fromthepinwhilekeeping it pressed against therubbearing.
Completing thecut C o n t i n uf e e d i n tgh ew o r k p i e c e , pressure maintainingconstant against the rub bearing(left).Keepyourhands wellawayfromtheedgeof theworkpiece b e i n gs h a p e d0.n c et h ec u t i s f i n i s h e d , slowlypullthestockawayfromtherub bearing andthecutter.
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DOORS FRAME-AND-PANEL has construction I rame-and-panel for I beenpopularwith woodworkers it closeto 500yearsprimarilybecause offersa solutionto theproblemof wood movementby allowingthe panelto expandand contractfreelyas everchangingmoisturelevelsin theair cause wood to swelland shrink.Humidity levelsin centrallyheatedhousescan rangefrom l0 percentin winter to 85 Dercentin summer. assembly comA frame-and-panel orisestwo horizontalmembers-railsind two verticalstiles,all lockedtogether with strongjoints.Thefollowingpages will showyou howto cut thecommonjoint. ly usedcope-and-stick Theopeningin theframeis filledby a "floating" panelthat sitsin grooves cut in the railsand stiles.Thesegroovesare cut on the shaperby a stickingcutter, whichcarvesa decorative moldingalong
Thisframe-and-panel doorfeaturesa sturdyframeof railsandstilesencasing a decorative Jloatingpanel.Thecontrast between thewalnutpanelandashframe makesthisdoorall themorestriking. theinsideedgesof theframeat thesame time.Thepiecesof the framemeshtogetherby meansoftonguesandgrooves cut into theendsof the railsthat fit into
FRAME A COPE.AND.STICK upforthecopecuts 1 Setting I Startby makingthecopecutsinto theendsof therails.Install a coping cutontheshaper, thenbuild terandringguard jig is madefrom jig.Thesimple a coping pieces: plywood four a3/q-inch basesized thespindle andthefront to fit between to edgeof thetable,a miterbarscrewed ihe bottomof thebasethatridesin the board fastened miterslot,a 2-by-4support atopthebaseflushwiththebackedge, to anda plywood backup boardscrewed To prevent tearout on thesupport board. theworkpiece, thebackup board should extendbeyond thebaseto thedesired ihejig,screw widthof cut.Tocomplete twotoggleclamps to thesupport board (right).Counlersink To all yourfasteners. height, mark setthecutterto thecorrect twolinesforthetonguelocation onthe rail;thetongue should becentered between Position thejigon thefacesof theboard. onthe thetableandsettheworkpiece base.Adjustthecutterheightto alignthe the marks(lnsef). tonguecutterbetween
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thegroovesandmoldingcus in thestiles. Therailsareshaped by a copingcutter. Thepanelis saidto floatbecause it is not gluedin place.Instead,it fits in its grooveswith room for movement.Panels "raised"-that areoften is. thev have bevelscutaroundtheiredges. This'makes thepanelseasierto fit into grooves while providingdecorativeappeal.As shown on page136,theshapercanalsobecalled uponto raisepanels. A plethoraof cope-and-stick cutters is manufactured for framespecifically and-panelconstruction.Panel-raising bits areavailablein an ecuallvdiverse range.Followthemanufacturer's instructionsfor usingthesecutters. Whenconstructing a frame-and-panel doorwith theshaper, sizeall thecomponentsof the framebeforebeginning Thisallowsyouto usethesame to shape. cuttersetupflortheentireoperation.
SHAPER
r) Makingthe copecutsin the rails Z- Positionthe workpiece on the 1igbase f l u s hw i t ht h e e n do f t h e b a c k u pb o a r ds o t h e c u t t e rw i l l s h a p et h e e n t i r eb o a r de n d , then usethe toggleclampsto securethe stockin place.Butt a stopblockagainst t h e o p p o s i t ee n d o f t h e w o r k p i e c a en d c l a m pi t i n p l a c eT. u r no n t h es h a p ear n d i n t ot h e c u t t e rw i t h f e e dt h e w o r k p i e c e g t o g g l ec l a m pa n dt h e o n eh a n dg r i p p i n a otherbracedon the jig base.Remove the w o r k p i e c et u, r n i t a r o u n di n t h e j i g a n d repeatthe cut to shapethe tongueat the olher end (right).
Adjusting theheightof thestickingbit ? r - , f O n c ea l l t h e c o p ec u t sa r e m a d e , remove t h e c o p i n gc u t t e ra n d i n s t a l a l s t i c kc u t t e rs e t o n t h e s h a p e r B . esure t h e g r o o v ec u t t e ri s t h e s a m et h i c k n e s s a s t h e t o n g u el e f tb y t h e c o p ec u t s .T h i s s e t u pw r l ls h a p et h e e d g e so f t h e s t i l e s w i t h a d e c o r a t i vper o f i l ea n d c u t g r o o v e s f o r t h e r a i l sa n d t h e p a n e l si n o n es t e p . T o s e tt h e c u t t i n gh e i g h t b, u t tt h e e n d o f o n eo f t h e c o m p l e t e d r a i l sa g a i n st th e s t i c kc u t t e r ,t h e na d l u s t h e h e i g h to f t h e s p i n d l es o t h a t t h e g r o o v ec u t t e ri s l e v e l with the tongueon the rail (left).
Spindle heiqht adjuetmant handwheel
135
SHAPER
Making thestickcuts stiles,onestraightwithstraight Forthedoorshownbelow, rail,install thefenceonthetablefor rail,andonecurved edged cuts.Setthecuttingwidthfora full cut-onethat thestraight thestock, Tosecure willshapetheentireedgeof eachboard. to thefenceandoneto thetable(above, clamptwofeatherboards intothecutter,usea push theworkpiece /eff).Whenfeeding
edge Tomakethecutonthecurved thepass. stickto complete thefenceandbuilda profilingjig based of thetoprail,remove a on page130to guidethepiece.Install onthemodelshown of thecutter andadjust theheight rubbearing onthespindle of thejig.Feedtherailintothe thethickness to accommodate right). thejig'stoggleclampsfirmly(above, cutter,holding
A RAISED PANET MAKING to size thepanel 1 Cutting I Assemble theframedryandmeasure therailsandstiles. theopening between to AddVzinchto eachof thedimensions allowforthe% inchalongthepaneledges (righ). thatwillfit intotheframegrooves Forthecurved topedgeof the panel, outlinethe profileof thecurvedrailon lineoffset thestock,thendrawa parallel fromthef irstbyVainch.(Thedottedlines represent theactualedges in theillustration the thesolidlinesrepresent of thepanel; cutsto Makethestraight frameopening.) sizethepanel onthetablesaw,ripping Cutthe curved first,thencrosscutting. too of the panelon the bandsaw.
136
SHAPER
r) Setting jig upa panel-raising jig L eunaa to guidethepanelintothe cuttersafelyandaccurately. Thejig con3/a-inch plywood, sistsof a template of cutto thesamelength asthepanel,but widerto accommodate about12 inches edgeblocks;reproduce thecurveof the panel's edgeonthetemplate. Center the panelonthetemplate, thenbuttedge blocks against thepanelandscrewthem to thetemplate; to reduce tearout, the b l o c ks h o u l d e x t e n tdo t h ee n do f t h e t e m p l a toen t h eo u t f e esdi d eo f e a c h cut.Screwa toggle clampontoeach edgeblockandsecure thepanelto the jig,making sureitsendsareflushwith thetemplateends(right).(Youmaywish to makea testcut on a scrappiece,test itsfit in thepanelandadjustthecutter height, if necessary.)
thepanelends Q Raising r-l Install a rubbearing anda panel-raisi n gc u t t eor nt h es h a p esrp i n d l eA.d j u s t thecuttingheightto makea partial cut. (Donotattempt to raisethepanelends withonecut.Youwill needto maketwo or morepasses, test-fitting aftereachcut untilthepanelf itsproperly intotherails.) your Clampa guardto thetableto protect handsfromthecutter.Turnontheshaoer. buttthetemplate against therubbearing, andfeedthecurved edgeof thepanelinto thecutter, holding thejigfirmlywithboth h a n d sT. u r nt h ej i g a r o u n a d n dr e p e a t the procedure to raisetheotherendof passes, the panel.Makesuccessive loweringthecutteruntilthepanel fitsin its (/eff). matinggroove
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SHAPER
Making a featherboard forthestraight cuts Toraisethesidesof thepanelsafely, build featherboard. lt willnotonly anextra-wide press thepanelagainst thetable,butalso fromthecutter.Cuta shieldyourfingers 2-by-4tothe lengthof yourfence.Setthe boardagainst thefenceandusea pencil to outlinethelocation of thecutteron it. Thenusethebandsawto cuta series of 7a-inch-wide slotsat a 30" to 45'angle withintheoutline, creating a rowof sturfingers. Alsocurvethebotdy butpliable tomedgeof thefeatherboard sothatonly thefingers contact thepanelduringthe shaping operation. Screw twospacers to thebackfaceof thefeatherboard to enable thejig to clearthecutter;countersink the fasteners(/eff).
forstraight uptheshaper cuts f, Setting r-,f Toavoidhaving to adjustthespindle height forshaping install thepanelsides, plywood an auxiliary tableontheshaper that is thesamethickness asthe orofilyouusedto raisethe ingjig template ends(page137). AItacha cleatto each pieceto holdit snugly endof the plywood in place.Clampthefeatherboard to the fence(right)so it will applypressure on the panelasyoumakethe pass.Advance thefenceandfeatherboard awayfromthe rubbearing onthefirstpasssoyouremove onlya portion of thewaste.
138
SHAPER
Raising thepanelsides Turnontheshaper anduseyourrighthandto slowly feed theworkpiece intothecutter;useyourlefthandto keepthe panelagainst thefence. Turnthepanelaround andrepeat the cutto shape theothersideof the panel(above). Movethefence
closer to therubbearing andshape bothsidesof thepanel again.Makeasmanypasses asnecessary-two orthreeare usually sufficient-until thefenceandrubbearing arealigned; thisfinalpasswillgiveyouthefullwidthanddepthof cut.
ASSEMBLING THED()OR Testassembling andgluingupthepieces Joina rarlanda stile,thenseatthepanel between them.Setthestileona worksurfaceandaddthesecond railandstile (left).f,Aark allthejointswitha pencilto helpyouassemble thepieces whenyou applythegluein thef inalassembly. The panel should fit snugly buteasily. lf it is tootight,makeanother lightpassonthe shaper alongtheill-fittingedgeor end. Assemble thedooragain. Onceyouare satisfied withthef it,applyglueto allthe contacting surfaces of theframe.Donot spread anyadhesive in thepanelgrooves; thepanelmustbefreeto movewithinthe frame. Glueupthedoor,securing it with DarctamDS.
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GLOSSARY A-B-C Arbor: A motor-driven shaftthat turns rotating bladesor other cutting implements. Bead:A rounded, convexshapecut in wood, usually along an edge. Bevel cut: A cut at an angle from faceto facethrough the thicknessor along the length of a workpiece. Box joint Identical interlocking fingersthat meshto form a cornerjoint. Butterfly key joint: A joint featuring a double-wing-shapedhardwood key glued into a recessto strengthen a board or glued-up panel. Carcase:The boxlike body of a piece of furniture. Centering pin: A machined aluminum pin insertedin a router collet and usedwith a dial indicator or feelergaugeto checkcollet runout. Chamfer: A bevelcut along the edge of a workpiece. Collet: The sleevethat grips the shankof a router bit. Cope-and-stickjoint A method of joining stilesand rails in frame-andpanel construction. Tonguesin the rails meshwith groovesin the stiles; a decorativemolding is cut alongthe inside edgeof the frame.
Copingbit: A router bit that cuts both a decorativemolding and tongue in a workpiece,allowing the stockto be joined to a board with a matching groove. Countersink: Drilling a hole that allows a screwhead to lie flush with or slightly below the surface of a workpiece. Cove:A rounded, concavedecorative profile cut in wood, usually alongan edge. D-E-F-G-H Dado: A rectangularchannelcut acrossthe grain of a workpiece. Edge guide: A straightedgethat guidesa tool during a cut. Edgejointing: Cutting thin shavings from the edgeof a workpiece until it is flat and squareto the face. Featherboard:A pieceof wood "feathers" with thin fingers or along one end to hold a workpiecesecurely againstthe fenceor table of a power tool. Fence An adjustableguide to keep the edgeof a workpiecea setdistance from the cutting edgeof a tool. Glue joint An interlocking tongue and groovecommonly usedto join boardsedge-to-edge. Groove:A cut along the grain of a workpiece, forming a rectangular channel; frequently decorative,but may form part of joint.
140
Half-blind dovetail: Similar to a through dovetailjoint, exceptthat the pins are not cut through the entire thicknessof the workpiece in order to concealthe end grain of the tail boards. Hanger bolt A bolt with no head; one end of the bolt haswood screw threadswhile the other end features machinethreadsto accepta nut.
r-l-K-r-M-N Infeed: The direction from which a workpieceis fed into the bladeor bit of a power tool. fig: A devicefor guiding a tool or holding a workpiecein position. Kickback The tendencyof a workpieceto be thrown back toward the operator of a power tool. Laminatq A thin layer of material, such asveneeror plastic,usedto covercore stock. Marquetry: Decorativeinlays of veneers)metals,or other materials. Miter-and-spline joint: A joint featuring two mitered or beveled surfacesbutted togetherand reinforcedwith a spline. Miter gauge:A devicethat slidesin a slot on a saw,shaper,or router table, providing support for the stock asit movespastthe bladeor biq can be adjustedto different angles.
GLOSSARY
Molding cutter head: A solid-metal wheel that acceptsa set of three identical cutter knives, enabling a table sawor radial arm sawto cut molding. Mortise: A rectangularor oval hole cut into a pieceof wood to accepta mating tenon. Mortise-and-tenon joint: A joinery techniquein which a projecting tenon on one board fits into a mortise in another.
o-P-Q-R Ogee:A decorativemolding with an S-shapedprofile. Outfeed: The side of a power tool blade or bit to which a workpiece exits after cutting. Pilot bearing: A cylindrical metal collar either above or below the router bit's cutting edgethat rides alongthe workpiece or a template, guiding the bit during a cut. Pin router: A table assemblythat suspendsthe router abovethe workpiece; a fenceor guide pin on the table guidesthe workpiece into the bit. Plunge router: A router whose entire motor assemblyis mounted above the baseof the tool on spring-loaded columns; downward pressureon the handlesfeedsthe bit into the wood. Push block or push sticlc A device used to feed a workpieceinto the bladeor cutter ofa tool to protect the operatort fingers. Rabbet A step-like cut in the edge or end of a board; usuallyforms part of a ioint.
RaiL A board that runs along the undersideof a tabletopto which the legsofthe table are attached;also, the horizontal member of a frameand-panelassembly.
Sticking bit R router bit that cuts a decorativemolding and a groove at the end or edgeof a workpiece, allowing the stock to be joined to a board with a matching tongue.
RaisedpaneLA pieceof wood that forms the centerof a frame-and-p*el assembly.Bevelingthe edgesof the panel "raises"the middle portion.
Stile: The vertical member of a frame-and-panelassembly.
Rub bearing: A ball-bearing collar mounted on a shaperspindle either aboveor below the cutter to provide a bearing surfacefor a workpieceor template. Rule joint A joinery method commonly usedin drop-leaf tables;the tabletop has a convexprofile, the leaf has a matching concavecut; the two areheld togetherby a dropleaf hinge. Runout: The amount of wobble that a shaperspindle or router collet imparts to a cutter when the tool is operating;0.005inch or less is acceptable.
s-T Slidingdovetail joint Similar to a tongue-and-groovejoint, except the slide is shapedlike the pin of a dovetailjoint and the groovefeatures a tail-like profile. Spindle: The threadedarbor on a shaper.thatholds cutters and accessorles.
Stoppedgroove A groovethat does not run the full length or width of a workpiece. Tearout: The tendencyof a blade or cutter to tear wood fibers. Template: A pattern used with a templateguide and non-piloted router bit or a piloted bit to reproduce copiesof the pattern. Template guide: A metal collar screwedonto a router's baseplate to guide a non-piloted bit during a pattern routing operation. Tenon:A protrusion from the end of a workpiecethat fits into a mortise. Through dovetail joint A method of joining wood by meansof interlocking pins and tails; the name derives from the distinctive shapecut into the endsof the joining boards. Tongue-and-groove:A joinery method featuring a protrusion from the edgeor end ofone board that fits into the grooveof another.
U-V-W.X-Y-Z Spline: A thin piece of wood that fits in mating groovescut in two workpieces,reinforcing the joint betweenthem.
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Veneer:A thin layer of decorative wood laid into or over a more common wood.
INDEX Pagereferencesin itallcsindicate an illustration of subiectmatter. Pasereferencesin bdld indicate a B'uildIt Yourselfproject.
A-B
Biscuitjoints. SeePlatejoints Bits: Routers,13,lG 19,36,38 chip-limitation bits (ShopTip), 18 edge-forming,l7 grooving, 18 installation,22 molding bits, backendpaper,52 panel-raising,48-49 rabbetbits, 77, 78 router tablebits, 16,19,52 stickingrouter bits (ShopTip), 16 storage,backendpaper Shapers storage,backendpaper SeealsoCutters Bivona,Bill, l0-11 Boxioints, 90,108-109 Build It Yourself: Radial arm saws auxiliary tables,56 Routers adjustablecircle-cuttingjigs, 67 adjustable dado jigs, 74 adjustablerouting guides,83 compassjigs, 80 corner-roundingjigs, 41 flush-trimming jigs, a3 jig for pin routing on a router table,63 mortising jigs, 96 panel-raisingjigs, 50 quick setupgroovingjigs, 72 rabbetingjigs, 78 router table/cabinet,32-33 router-tablejig for splines,106 27 shop-madesub-bases, sliding dovetailjigs, 104 surfacingjigs, 35 tenoningjigs, 97 T-squarejig for grooving,7l veneer-trimmingguides,44 Shapers circle-cuttingjigs, 132 fences,126-127 guards,126 profilingjigs,130 Table saws cove-cuttingguides,55 Butterfly key joints, 94 112-113
C-D
Cope-and-stickjoints: Routers,89,90,98-99 134-136,139 Shapers,
Curved cuts: Routers,78-80,80 adjustablecircle-cuttingjigs, 67 edgeand circleguides,66 pin routing, 59-62 quick compassjigs (ShopTip), 80 rounding corners,44 4l undercuttingcurvededges,45 128,130,131,133 Shapers, circles.132 Cutters: Radialarm saws,52-53 Shapers,backendpaper,ll7 , 120-121 changing,124 Tablesaws,52-53 SeealsoBits Dado cuts.SeeDadoes;Grooves Dadoes,64,66, 68,70,71,74 equallyspaced,27 Splintering eliminatingtearout (ShopTip), 73 preventingtearout (ShopTip),69 SeealsoGrooves Decorativetechniques: Butterfly key joints, 9O 112-113 Grooves,65 circular grooves,79-80,80 Inlayrng, S6-87 Moldings radial arm saws,52-53,56 routers,backendpaper,16,52,57 shapers,backendpaper, 120 tablesaws,52-54,55 SeealsoEdge-formingtechniques Doors. SeeFrame-and-panel construction Dovetailjoints, 89,90,91,10G104 Dovetailsplinejoints, 90, 105-106,106 Drawers: Routers,75 Shapers,129 Drill presses: Raisedpanels,5l DropJeaftables,l15
E-F-G Edge-formingtechniques: Plasticlaminates,42,43 Routers,36,37, 43 bits, 17 rounding corners,4Q 4l undercuttingcurvededges,45 Edgeguides: Routers,2&66 Shop-built edgeguides,70 Featherboards, front endpaper,127 Extra-wide,123,138 Fingerjoints, 90, 108-109 Frame-and-panelconstruction: Drill presses,5I Routers,47-49,50, 89, 98-99 miter-and-splinejoints, 94 110-111,ttl Shapers,134-139
142
Gluejoints,90, 107 Grooves,65,66, 68-69,71, 72 Bits.18 Boardedges,75 Circular,78-80,80 quick compassjigs (ShopTip), 80 Patterngrooving, 81-82,83 Stoppedgrooves,76 Thin stock,73 SeealsoDadoes
H-r-J-K
Half-blind dovetailjoints, 90,100 Hinge mortises,82 Hold-down rods, 122,125 lnlayrng, S6-87 figs: Routers,7, 89 adjustablecircle-cuttingjigs, 67 adjustabledadojigs, 74 adjustabledovetailjigs, 91, 101 adjustablerouting guides,83 box joint jigs, .108 cicle jigs, 21 jigs,80 compass corner-roundingjigs,4l dovetailsplinejoints in a carcase,705 dovetailtemplates,91,102 flush-trimmingjigs,43 templatejigs, interchangeable 91,100 jig for pin routing on a router table,63 jigs (Shop miter-and-spline Tip),lIl miter gaugesfor router tables(Shop Tip),57 moldingjigs,20 jig, 91,94-95 mortise-and-tenon mortisingjigs, 91,96 mortising sub-bases, 93 multi-joint jigs, 89,91 panel-raisingjigs, 50 plug-trimmingjigs, j4 quick setupgroovingjigs, 72 rabbetingjigs, 78 router-tablejig for splines,106 shop-built edgeguides,70 27 shop-madesub-bases, sliding dovetailjigs, 104 stationaryjoint-maker, 9I surfacingjigs, 35 tenoningjigs, 97 tilting tablejigs, 5I truing jigs, 25 T-squarejig for grooving,7l T-squarerouter guides(Shop Tip),26 turning jigs,20,2l veneer-trimmingguides,44
Shapers circle-cuttingjigs, 132 copingjigs,34 panel-raisingjigs, 137 profilingjigs,130 Table saws cove-cuttingguides,55 Joinery: Routers,88-91 boxjoints, 90,108-109 butterfly keyjoints, 94 112-I 13 gluejoints,90,107 mortise-and-tenonioints, 89, 9O 91,92-97,96,97 platejoints, 20 rulejoints,90,115 tongue-and-groovejoints, 88, 90, 114 Shapers,128,129 cope-and-stickjoints, 134- 136,139 SeealsoCope-and-stickjoints; Dovetailjoints;Miter-andsplinejoints fointing: Routers,46 jointing wide boards(ShopTip), 46
L-M-N-O-P-Q Laminates.SeePlasticlaminates;Veneer Marquetry inlay, 8G87 Miter-and-splinejoints, 90,1 10-111 jigs (Shop miter-and-spline Tip), 111 Miter gauges: Routers miter gaugesfor router tables (ShopTip),57 Shapers, 122,128,129 Molding planers,37 Moldings: Routers,backendpaper,20,52,57 Shapers,backendpaper,120 Tablesaws,52-54,55 joints, 89, 90,91, Mortise-and-tenon 92-97,96,97 Mortises,82,96 Panels: Frame-and-panelconstruction, 134-139 Raisedpanels,47-49,50,51, 13G139 Pin routing,37,58,81 Curved ctts, 59-62, 81,84-85 Interior cuts,62-63, 84 85 Recessed cuts,84 Router tables,53 Straightcuts,59 Planers: Molding planers,3T Plasticlaminates,42,43 Flush-trimming devices(Shop Tip),45
Platejoints, 20 Plugs: Trimming,34 Plungerouters,13, 15,65, 79-80,80,81 Adjustment,23 Plywood: Preventingtearout (ShopTip),69 Protectiveclothing, 123 Pushblocks,front endpaper,122 Pushsticls,/ront endfaper,122
R-S Rabbets,12,66, 77,78 Cutting rabbetsof differentwidths (ShopTip), 28 Pin routing, 62 Radialarm saws,52-53 Auxiliary tables,56 Routers,9, 13,14,37, ll7 Accessories, 2G21 grooving,66 templateguides,38, 39 seealsoligs:Routers Collets,22,24 checkinga collet for slippage (ShopTip),23 Cutting depth,22 Edgeguides,28,66 Feeddirection.25 ]oinery 88-115 fointing,46 jointing wideboards(ShopTip), 46 Moldings, backendpaper, 20, 52,57 Plugtrimming, 34 Raisedpanels,47-49,50 Recessed cuts,84 87-88 Splintering eliminatingtearout (ShopTip), 73 preventingtearout (ShopTip), 69 Straightclts,26 Sub-bases, 27,91,93 truing a router sub-base(Shop Tip),25 Surfacingtechniques,35 surfacingsmallworkpieces(Shop Tip),34 T-squarerouterguides(ShopTip),26 SeealsoEdge-formingtechniques; figs: Routers;Pin routing Router tables,13,29-30, 65,75 Bits,16,19 Extensions,3l Miter gaugesfor router tables(Shop Tip),57 Pin-routing jigs, 63 Router table/cabinets,32-33 Router tableon a tablesaw(Shop Tip),29 Rulejoints, 90, 115
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SafeWprecautions: Rddia]arm saws.52 Routers,fozf endpaper,25, 52,65 chip-limitationbits (ShopTip), t8 Shapers, front endpaper,ll7, lt}, 123 guards,126 power feeders,122 Tablesaws,52 Shapers, 10, 116,117,118 Accessories, 10, ll9, 122 auxiliarytables,138 Bench-top,119 Fences,1 19,125,126-127,128 Spindleassemblies, l19 spindlerunout, 123 Shaping: Curvedcuts,128,l3O, 131,133 circles,132 Frame-and-panelconstruction, 134-139 Freehand,128,133 Joinery, 128,129 cope-and-stickjoints, 13+ 136,139 Routers,29 Straightcuts, 128 ShopTips: Plasticlaminates,45 Routers,25,26,29,34 45,46,57, 80,111 bits,16, 18,23,78 splintering, 69, 73 Slidingdovetailjoints, 100,103,lO4 Spielman,Patrick,6-7 Splintering: Routers eliminating tearout (ShopTip), 73 preventingtearout (ShopTip), 69
T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z Tables: DropJeaf,I15 Radialarm saws,56 SeealsoRoutertables Tablesaws: Decorativemoldings,52-54,55 Routertableon a tablesaw(Shop Tip),29 Tearout.SeeSplintering Templates: Routers,38,39,91 pattern grooing, Sl-82 pin routing, 6I templateguides,21,38, 39,45 Shapers,123,128,130, 131 Tenoners,122,128,129 Through dovetailjoints, 90, 100,101-102 joints, 88,90, 114 Tongue-and-groove Truini, Ioe, 8-9 Veneers: trimming,44
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Theeditorswishto thank thefollowing ROUTERBASICS AdiustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Delta International Hitachi PowerTools Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga,Ont.; Machinery/Porter U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; Lei ValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; LinemasterSwitchCorp.,Woodstock,CT; NewmanTools Inc., Montreal, Que.;Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que.; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY EDGEFORMING AdiustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Delta International Ont.; G & W Tool, Inc., Maihinery/Porter Cable,Guelfh, Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd., Mississauga, Tulsa,OK; GeneralTools Manuficturing Co., Inc., NewYork, NY; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Makita Canida, inc., Whitby, Ont.; RichardsEirgineeringCo., Ltd., Vancouver,B.C.;.RobertLarsongompany, Inc', SanFrancisco,CA; SandvikSawsand Tools eo., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc., Dayton, OH and Montreal, Que.;Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY GROOVING AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Delta International Tools Michinery/Portir Cable,Guilph, Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd., Mississaugar_Qnt-;.G_eneral Manufaciuring Co., Inc., New York, NY; GrisetIndustries,Inc., SantaAna, CA; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., N6rcross,GA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; ShopsmithInc, Dayton, OH ROUTERIOINERY AdiustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Delta International Macliinery/Portereable, Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd., Missi.qsauga, Qnt.; Hitachi Po-werTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; LeichtungWorkshops,Cleveland,OH; LeighIndustriesLtd., Port Coquitlam, B.C.; Inc., Makita CanadaLtd., Whitby, Ont.; nobert tarson Company,-Inc.,SanJrancisco,CA; Sho,Psmith Montreal, Que.;Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY SHAPER Adiustable 'LagunaClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; LagunaTools, Beach,CA; LeeVilley Tools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; NewmanTools Inc., Montreal, Que.;Richards Co., Ltd., Vancouver,B.C.;Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que' Engine-ering in thepreparationof this book: Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted RdjeanCot6,LorraineDor€, RdjeanGarand,Graphor Consultation,Irene Huang, ClaudeMartel, GenevidveMonette,Tamiko Watanabe
PICTURECREDITS Cover RobertChartier 5,7 Glen Hartjes/ImageStudios 8,9 Ian Gittler 10,ll Ian Gittler 37 CourtesyWilliams& HusseyMachineCo. 91 CourtesyJointmaker/VegaEnterprises 117 CourtesyReliableCutting Tools 119 CourtesySears,Roebuckand Co.
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I I I I I I I
WORKSHO GPU I D E MILLING ELAB()RATE MOTDINGS You can uge f,wo or more common router brte or ehaper cuLLero in combtnation Lo form an impreooive array of deei4ne on a workpiecefor a fraction of the coet of a epe-
t I I I I I I I
t I I I I I I I I I I I I
t t I I
cialty bit or cuLter. A decoral;tve molding bit and core box btt, for example,can traneform a board into a baeeboardmoldin7 (below, lefl). Conaecutivepaseee with a
bead cutter and an oqee curve cutf,er can produce crown moldi n 4 ( b e l o wr,i q h t ) ,
Decorative molding bit
Core box bit
STORING R()UTER ANDSHAPER BITS Your router or ehaper will work better tf it,e bita and cuttttereare clean and oharp. Ueea clean cloth to wipe off duat, pit ch, and drrL. Dull bit;.e ehould be eharpenedprofeeoionally: avoid uoin7 bite or cuttere I;haf are dirLy, ruel,ed,or damaqed. Cuttin7 edgea,partrcularly Lhoaemade of carbide, can be ntckedif t,heyare LhrownLo7eLherin et oraqe. Frotect
rouf,er biLo with a eimple ehop-made holder ltke t,he one ehown petow-a eertes of holee tto fit lthe bit ehanko drilled in a block of wood. Keep ehaper cufLer6 in Lhe conLatnera in which they are eold.
Traneparent35mm ftln caniel;ersoffer another method for etonn4 rout er bita. 9imply bore a hole throuqh the lid of the canieter oliahr'lvemalle,than Lhe bir ehank,fit Lhe ehafL in th; hofe.and enap the ltd back on, euependin4the btt oafely tnatdethe'caniaLer.
