Popular Post gee-dub Posted December 5, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 5, 2021 I was surprised that with all the router stuff I have around that I did not have a pair of medium sized router base plates with template profiles in them. I mostly do template routing with my plunge bases which I prefer teardrop bases on. I didn't realize that when it came to plain round bases with step openings I had . . . none!?! Pull some plexiglass out of the bin and cut off a piece. Then cut that piece in half because I need two bases. This bandsaw template jig was made for different saw so the clamping is a little kludgy; still works. Leave the commercial base taped on and flush trim the bandsawn blank. Use the commercial plates holes as a guide for the through holes for the screws. These holes are a bit oversized to allow precision centering (later) of the template collar. For the counter-bores, the screw head thickness is the depth guide. That is, I drill the counter-bore deep enough so that the screw head is recessed. Nearly there. I attach each plate to the base it will be used with. I use a router and a 1/4" bit to mark the approximate center. Now using this hole at the drill press as an alignment aid I can drill the stepped hole for the collar. That's just what I needed. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 5, 2021 Report Share Posted December 5, 2021 Nice! Couple questions for you... How deep is the BS blade reccessed into that jig? I assume you follow with a flush trim bit to match exact size? Second, do you do anything special to avoid catches when you drill the plexi? I have cracked a few pieces when drilling, and it is very disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted December 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2021 On 12/5/2021 at 3:10 PM, wtnhighlander said: Nice! Couple questions for you... How deep is the BS blade reccessed into that jig? I assume you follow with a flush trim bit to match exact size? Second, do you do anything special to avoid catches when you drill the plexi? I have cracked a few pieces when drilling, and it is very disappointing. My notch is a fat 1/16". This leaves about a 1/16" proud blank. Yes on the flush trim to get an exact template match. The only thing special on the drilling is that I touch up my bits whenever I am going to do something unusual. I have a Drill-doctor for the twist bits and all manner of stones and diamond paddles for the other bits. I feed at a slower rate than I would in wood. It is a bit of a balancing act at the saw and the drill press. Too slow and things melt together. Too fast and they can fracture. If the leading edge on the Forstner wasn't really sharp I could definitely see it grabbing the plastic and doing terrible things. I wish I had a trick to share for it but I don't 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted December 6, 2021 Report Share Posted December 6, 2021 I would be interested in more construction and use details on your bandsaw follower. I have experimented with a couple of versions, but I've had inconsistent results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted December 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2021 ShopNotes #116 is where I got the idea. I added a second "nose" with a narrower tip since I do a lot of inside curves. I used an old section of cold roll that I cleaned up for the vertical rods. I recommend at least 1/2" for these as they take the lion's share of the force that may allow weaker stock to flex during use. You do not want the tip straddling the blade to shift while in use . The dimensions are flexible to make it fit your saw. One important fit is that you end up with the base being where you can clamp down the jig without being in the way of the work. Here's a couple pics of mine on the saws it was originally designed for. You can see in the pics in the previous posts that it does not clamp as well to the Rikon 10" I now have. The 10" pictured above is an older Delta. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mark J Posted December 6, 2021 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 6, 2021 Another quality jig from gee-dub. It looks like the design is meant to read a template mounted on top of the workpiece, which is the way it is more commonly done, I think. Because I'm cutting into a tall piece that won't sit well on the bandsaw table with a template on top I typically have the template under the workpiece. This is what I came up with: I usually use a 1/4" blade, but this 3/4" blade was what was on the bandsaw. The tip of the saw teeth are in middle of a 1/2" dowel, so 1/4" from the template surface, and the pin is about 1/2" proud of the plate. The plate is about as big as the BS table, to which it needs to be clamped. I will volunteer that my design is a qualified success. It can work well, but the problem is that the workpiece blocks your view of the template so it isn't immediately obvious that the cut has wandered off the line. And unfortunately it can wander towards or away from the template. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 1, 2022 Report Share Posted February 1, 2022 I was looking at an ultimate router base and remembered there was a post on a base someone made them selves. Thanks for this! What thickness acrylic did you use? it looks like I can only get 0.22" locally is that thick enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted February 1, 2022 Report Share Posted February 1, 2022 On 2/1/2022 at 9:43 AM, Chestnut said: I was looking at an ultimate router base and remembered there was a post on a base someone made them selves. Thanks for this! What thickness acrylic did you use? it looks like I can only get 0.22" locally is that thick enough? I bought a couple small sheets of 3/8 acrylic, and made router bases from it. I like being able to see what the bit is doing. I've one that I made a little large, and plan to add some grips on it when I get off my lazy butt. Someday. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 Drew, that 0.22" sheet should work, but you may find that countersinking or counter-boring for the attachment screws is tricky. The 3/8" Richard mentioned would be much nicer, if you can source it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 Search Google for clear acrylic sheets. There are dozens of places that will sell it to you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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