,*#d{

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

, t
, i

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
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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)
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SolangeLaberge
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ResearchEilitor
Iim McRae
PictureEditor Christopherfackson
Writers Andrew Iones,Rob Lutes
Contributinglllustrators GillesBeauchemin,RollandBergera,
|ean-PierreBourgeois,Michel Blais,
Nicole Chartier, Ronald Durepos,
Philippe Gauweau,GrardMariscalchi,
facquesPerrault, Robert Paquet,
JamesThdrien
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Time-Life Booksis a division of Time-Life Inc.,
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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<s,
hastaughtprofessionally
for 27
years.Helives in FishCreek,Wsconsin.

jj
tr-i

,.;'

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.

,r.#-.

$- a

ffi

*j'
..,1,

',,

ior?

t s*'
. ..n

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

IllillllIlI1
ffiilttiltillltll}Illlilflllltr]ltilltlllllllllllllllllll
1HO?TI?

ii'il:x
::;zf,i,"
:,y:x
uno
ffi

duet ouI of r,hecollel.

t6

;'

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

a a

t9

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

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

,1

-)

//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

fnr a

/o-innh dpnth

^l^-^
n f c r r i T o c . p c r r r pfL hr rpu n
p u2r n
' t^
r 1l . U l o l l l P

^ {^^+L

ltrdLll-

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

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<rboth.
chapterprovidestep-by-step
The sliding dovetail(page
instructions
for fashioning
Pairedwith a multi-jointjig a routermakesquick
103) and glue joint (page
thecuts.
workof carvingthepins of a dovetailjoint.
107),forexample,
arestrong
Themortise-and-tenon
is
iointsthatremaininvisible
themostpopularmethodof assembling
theframein frame- oncetheyareassembled.
Thedovetailspline(page105),on
jigsareavailable the otherhand,is primarilya visualdetail.Thebutterfly
and-panel
construction.
Manycommercial
to helpyoucut thisjoint with a router.Someareessentially keyjoint (page112)fulfillsbothroles,reinforcingedge-tojigsfor centering
positioning
therouterbit on theedgeof a edgebuttjointswhileembellishing
thesurface
with its dou(page93).Othermodelsareusedto cutthejoints ble-wingmotif.
workpiece
jigsfor
for therailsandstilesof a frame(page
94).Shop-built
Somejoints,perhaps
because
theyrequirelongor repetitive
routingmortises(page96)andtenons(page97)canalsobe cuts,arebestproduced
ontheroutertable.Theboxjoint (page
(page114)aregood
madeinexpensively.
Anothercommonframe-and-panel 108)and,tongue-and-groove
examples.

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""@Sa
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

lpmnlzlc

/riohf

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).

98

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.

99

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.

100

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).

101

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.

103

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

:;]\,

i l
"
';i
i

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.

,i:ii

.:ll;SS$'

$#ffi

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

A)

)trai7ht

Door ed7e

U ft)'Kl

T-o
1
1*t^./n

tl_J o

t__/

1L-./l
r{d;l

v,\

G)
t_/ ,rw
\-ol

t r-\
t*bl

&

\ \^ -\_./
l |

t9

/'

'\o^\-4

v,ul

q --;-l

l9
a

) a" r \\ l

Qua rber- a nd half- quarter- round

1-\, >.,i

\"*/r
/ "*':1

Wedqeton1ue-a nd-q roovec u|te re

r-a
/r', a

t@
|
\

.1*\-4

'

U-J

120

Gluejoint

&

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.

'g
-1- e

----7 -,

Doorlip

l--\)
t

\---l

Four typesof shapercutters:

(clockwisefrom top right)
an assembled
cutter,a threeknifesafetycutter,a detail
cutter,and a cutterset.

Cope-and-etick

Horizont a I panel-raioinq

,/7

r--...----l

Cope-a nd-etick (Cove-a nd-bead etyle)

Komano1ee
=\

Y -Lj
\\-.]

Lockmiter

HorizonLalpanel-raiainqand back

/1

tY+

t2r

'{b
{

,.ridF
-

iWu"ry':

R
I

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).

Nut

7"
L

\
f

Kin4
4uard

raau
inaert

/ c

a^/

?pindleheiqht
adjuatment handwheel

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,

r32

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.

r33

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

t34

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

t37

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.

r39

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.

r4l

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

r43

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.

t44

I
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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
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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.