 Mortise Template
To make a mortise 3/8" wide and 1" long, I used a 3/8" bit with a 1/2" OD collar. The template is a piece of MDF with a slot 1/2" wide so the template guide fits exact and just moves back and forth a little bit. Seems simple, right?
Well, although the template worked properly in the abstract sense, it was more work than it ought to be. I have to plunge just a hole, turn off the motor (wait for it to stop), clear out the chips, and repeat. It takes 4 or 5 such passes to route the whole thing.
Basically, there is no way for the chips to escape. The router plate has holes around the big hole in the middle, but the shape being evacuated is never exposed from the plate, because it is so small.
I've never seen this issue discussed in the books I've read and the TV I've watched. How do you make a template for a small pattern?
FWIW, I chose a template guide around the bit instead of fencing in the whole router base because it is easier to make something small precise, and making an elongated hole is easier than getting two fences exactly parallel and 8" apart.
--John |