A while back I posted in ExNihilo's vintage burst thread (here) about his templates and one of the issues I had with them. Nothing serious, just got me thinking about doing the carve in an easier and safer method than what I was doing. My guess is Ex uses an overhead router with top bearing bits to do his carves and perhaps many of you do as well. That method makes it very easy to use his templates as is. My problem is I do not have one of those handy gadgets due to limited space and other constraints where I do my main working. So I decided to try something different and this is the initial go at it.
I made my little rig here to work with the routers thicknessing jig. These are quite common while being easy to build and use. They also are a stable platform for what follows.
To get an idea of what I mean, here is a picture that shows the thicknessing jig being used for the neck angle. It's an older image as I didn't feel like digging the box out just for one or two pictures and should suffice for this.
As you can see I have temporary taller side rails screwed to the inside of the box for this operation. For the bushing and carve templates these would be removed and the boxes permanent rails (visible as plywood in lower left corner & front) used instead.
OK, now that that is out of the way here's how I modified my routers sled that rides on top of the rails.
The router has two base plates, one is for bushings, the other a larger opening for general routing duties. I grabbed the bushing unit, lined up the screw holes, and traced it. Next I set the router depth a tiny bit deeper than the plate and freehand routed out the waste. I didn't want this tight as the proper way to center the bushing to the router is by keeping screws slightly loose, using the alignment tool, and snugging up the screws. So a little slop is good in this instance. Trying to tighten the bushing with the screws for the base plate locked down is a lesson in frustration. We don't want that. Bosch and some other have a different retaining method for bushings. Use what works for you.
Now one of the things you have to consider is the templates, as is, are too big for this method. They need to be offset based on your bushing and bit size. I am using a 3/4" bushing and a 1/2" bit. My offset will be 1/8". I only chose this because it's easy and I don't have to think hard. That's a bonus for me. You can use whatever mental gymnastics you see fit to use for yours if you decide to try this method.
How it works in images below. Note - I mocked this part up so I could take semi-clear and concise pictures. The body would be secured to the bottom of the thicknessing jig using whatever method you like. I tend to use carpet tape and wedges to keep things from moving when they shouldn't. Template then secured to body and carve routing begins. Simple.
Now the why...
I found when using the templates with a bearing and freehand router setup that depth adjustment was fussy. Depending upon the bits at your disposal this can be a swap-fest which I frankly don't like. Also, and this is just me, I noticed as the progressively smaller templates were used things got tippy. This is not good. It can do damage and has a slight unsafe factor I wanted to avoid. The templates I already have made are going to get reduced with a rabbet and flush trim bit eventually. Rabbet bits are nice in that most can do a dead on 1/8" cut with the right bearing. This will save me from having to redo the templates from scratch again. In the not too distant future I will have some more images of it in use.
Hope this was enlightening and thanks for allowing me bore you to death.
I made my little rig here to work with the routers thicknessing jig. These are quite common while being easy to build and use. They also are a stable platform for what follows.
To get an idea of what I mean, here is a picture that shows the thicknessing jig being used for the neck angle. It's an older image as I didn't feel like digging the box out just for one or two pictures and should suffice for this.
As you can see I have temporary taller side rails screwed to the inside of the box for this operation. For the bushing and carve templates these would be removed and the boxes permanent rails (visible as plywood in lower left corner & front) used instead.
OK, now that that is out of the way here's how I modified my routers sled that rides on top of the rails.
The router has two base plates, one is for bushings, the other a larger opening for general routing duties. I grabbed the bushing unit, lined up the screw holes, and traced it. Next I set the router depth a tiny bit deeper than the plate and freehand routed out the waste. I didn't want this tight as the proper way to center the bushing to the router is by keeping screws slightly loose, using the alignment tool, and snugging up the screws. So a little slop is good in this instance. Trying to tighten the bushing with the screws for the base plate locked down is a lesson in frustration. We don't want that. Bosch and some other have a different retaining method for bushings. Use what works for you.
Now one of the things you have to consider is the templates, as is, are too big for this method. They need to be offset based on your bushing and bit size. I am using a 3/4" bushing and a 1/2" bit. My offset will be 1/8". I only chose this because it's easy and I don't have to think hard. That's a bonus for me. You can use whatever mental gymnastics you see fit to use for yours if you decide to try this method.
How it works in images below. Note - I mocked this part up so I could take semi-clear and concise pictures. The body would be secured to the bottom of the thicknessing jig using whatever method you like. I tend to use carpet tape and wedges to keep things from moving when they shouldn't. Template then secured to body and carve routing begins. Simple.
Now the why...
I found when using the templates with a bearing and freehand router setup that depth adjustment was fussy. Depending upon the bits at your disposal this can be a swap-fest which I frankly don't like. Also, and this is just me, I noticed as the progressively smaller templates were used things got tippy. This is not good. It can do damage and has a slight unsafe factor I wanted to avoid. The templates I already have made are going to get reduced with a rabbet and flush trim bit eventually. Rabbet bits are nice in that most can do a dead on 1/8" cut with the right bearing. This will save me from having to redo the templates from scratch again. In the not too distant future I will have some more images of it in use.
Hope this was enlightening and thanks for allowing me bore you to death.
