[Gridlock]

Hi All,

Fairly beginner to routing. I have a Bosch Colt router, and want to route an area about 7 inches square and 1/2 inch deep in a solid piece of wood. The area that I'm routing is considerably larger than the router base, so the router would fall into the routed area. How do I accomplish this? Do I need to build a custom base out of some sort of see through material such as Lexan, or is there a guide available that attaches to the router, or some other technique?

Thanks

 

[Stick486]

Hi All,

Fairly beginner to routing. I have a Bosch Colt router, and want to route an area about 7 inches square and 1/2 inch deep in a solid piece of wood. The area that I'm routing is considerably larger than the router base, so the router would fall into the routed area. How do I accomplish this? Do I need to build a custom base out of some sort of see through material such as Lexan, or is there a guide available that attaches to the router, or some other technique?

Thanks

welcome N/A....

make a simple rest...

.

 

[DaninVan]

Hey, Gridlock; welcome!
First point, the Colt is a fairly low powered router for doing heavier cuts so you're going to have to make multiple cuts at increasing depth until you get down to the full 1/2".
Second, Lee Valley carries a 6" wide alternate base, if you want an option of a larger span (although it won't really get you across the 7" you need)
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ries/110560-veritas-compact-router-base-plate
Third, that base I linked to is designed to accept template guides, so that may be a technique that will offer a solution (?).

 

[Herb Stoops]

All the above are good solutions. I would do like Dan suggested,i think and cut a hole in 1/4" plywood 3 5/8"X7 1/8" ,use a template bushing on the router,and then rout out half,then move to route out other half. Keep your cutting depth no more than 1/8" per pass.
Or make a 7 1/8" cut out template and attach a temporary base for the router wider than 7" and use a template bushing. Still have to take 1/8"deep cuts.
Or do the sled like Stick shows.
Herb

 

[Stick486]

Hey, Gridlock; welcome!
First point, the Colt is a fairly low powered router f

depends on which model Colt...
the small one (PR20 model) is 1HP...
the GKF125 is 1.25HP...

he said Colt...
not laminate trimmer...

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

If you use a small bit like say a 1/4" straight bit then you should be able to rout to full depth in one pass if you adjust your feed speed to what the router can handle. Start in the center and spiral your way out to the full circle. You'll still need to be able to balance the router on one side of the base but it's doable. Or you could add a wider base of 1/4 ply to give more bearing surface.

 

[DaninVan]

You selectively edited what I said, Stick.
What you quoted...
"First point, the Colt is a fairly low powered router f"

What I actually wrote...
"the Colt is a fairly low powered router for doing heavier cuts "
Context is everything.

 

[Stick486]

You selectively edited what I said, Stick.
What you quoted...
"First point, the Colt is a fairly low powered router f"

What I actually wrote...
"the Colt is a fairly low powered router for doing heavier cuts "
Context is everything.

noted..
a trimmer is ½HP or so...
those are low power routers....

 

[DaninVan]

OK; good to know! If I burn my Colt out, Stick, I'm sending you the repair bill...

 

[Bstrom]

I watched this video by Samurai Carpenter and made a plexiglass plate so you can see through as you go. If you add holes along the edges you can also create a channel for various width work pieces.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Welcome gridlock. Stick's suggestion is the way I'd go. You can put a stop block in to keep the router from going past your layout line. 1/8 th inch passes would be the max for me with a Colt. Let the bit cut at a rate that doesn't slow or bog the bit down or it will destroy the bit pretty fast (don't ask how I know). If you put some low friction tape or lots of wax on the side runners in Stick's drawings, you can slide the jig both up and down and sideways to make nice clean edges, but you will have to use a chisel to square off the corners. One last thing, If you put long rails on the jig, fitted to the width of the Colt's base, you can keep better control of the cut because it won't wander in the slot.

I would also suggest using a mortising bit like the one shown because it cuts a very flat bottom. You can get one with a 1/4 inch shank. A 3/4 long cutter is about as much as you can have on a quarter inch shaft. Make sure the router has stopped before lifting the bit out of the slot.

You might also choose to make an exact fit dado jig to do this job. Example below. It allows you to fit a sample of say, a shelf, set the exact width with the star knobs, then us a bit with a bearing to cut a dado or groove that fits perfectly. You can also use it for hollowing out your project, but it will also be very useful for other tasks as well.

 

[Stick486]

OK; good to know! If I burn my Colt out, Stick, I'm sending you the repair bill...

I see...
yur gonna set out to abuse your colt and then back charge me... eh...

 

[Gridlock]

Hi Folks,

Thank you for all the responses! I have the 1HP Colt version. I do realize not to cut too deep in one pass; for that reason, I often use a forstner bit in my drill press to remove most of the material before routing.

I took a ride over to Lowes and found a 7 inch base similar to the one DaninVan mentioned at Lee Valley, although the Milescraft one I found already has the holes drilled for various compact routers, which is nice. I also picked up a piece of 1/4 inch thick 12 inch long acrylic and had Lowes cut it into 4 inch strips, which I can then clamp to the work which will then provide a base for the router if I need to route something wider than 7 inches. Not exactly what Stick and others suggested, but somewhat similar in execution. If that doesn't work well, I may try what Bstrom suggested.

Thanks again, all!

 

[DaninVan]

I see...
yur gonna set out to abuse your colt and then back charge me... eh...

Basically...

 

[Stick486]

Basically...

so which model do you want for the replacement???
I'll get right on it...

 

[Bstrom]

so which model do you want for the replacement???
I'll get right on it...

I bought a new Colt 125 but have yet to use it much - I did learn that the power is clearly limited to lighter cutting but it is a nice unit all around. (Daninvan is really gonna like the one you get him!)

 

[DaninVan]

The more powerful one! (silly question)

Gridlock; Just in case you thought Stick and I are bickering, not so. We're pretty much on the same page. Stick is saying, and I'm putting words in his mouth here, that I'm being overly cautious; that the Colt is more robust than I seem to be giving it credit for. Me? I'm just pointing out that it's not in the same muscle class as Bosch's 1617, or equivalent in other brands.
I've only had my Colt since Xmas and I haven't really challenged it yet. I still grab my 1617 as my go-to choice
If you're interested, Lee Valley also has a small portable router table. I just received mine and haven't set it up yet.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...0566-veritas-table-system-for-compact-routers

 

[Stick486]

The more powerful one! (silly question)

Gridlock; Just in case you thought Stick and I are bickering, not so. We're pretty much on the same page. Stick is saying, and I'm putting words in his mouth here, that I'm being overly cautious; that the Colt is more robust than I seem to be giving it credit for. Me? I'm just pointing out that it's not in the same muscle class as Bosch's 1617, or equivalent in other brands.
I've only had my Colt since Xmas and I haven't really challenged it yet. I still grab my 1617 as my go-to choice
If you're interested, Lee Valley also has a small portable router table. I just received mine and haven't set it up yet.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...0566-veritas-table-system-for-compact-routers

let me get this straight...
yur gonna be unhappy w/ a PR10???...
if one can be found...
and yes...
that Colt is more robust than you are giving it credit for...

 

[Herb Stoops]

The more powerful one! (silly question)


If you're interested, Lee Valley also has a small portable router table. I just received mine and haven't set it up yet.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...0566-veritas-table-system-for-compact-routers

I saw that table, be sure to give a review. looks interesting.
Herb

 

[DaninVan]

I saw that table, be sure to give a review. looks interesting.
Herb

Absolutely! So far I've taken the pieces out of the box and they're all very cleanly machined. To be expected; they have the Veritas labeling.