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Centering your router on a mounting plate

41920 Views 61 Replies 37 Participants Last post by  niswanger, 
Mike
2
It is very important that your router be centered on your mounting plate. Many people sweat over this for hours remeasuring before they drill their mounting holes. The quick and easy way to do this is with a centering kit from Rousseau. These kits work with all brands of mounting plates that accept Porter Cable style guide bushings and they cost $5.

Step 1. You chuck up the centering pin in your routers 1/4" collet.
Step 2. Insert the disk into the center hole of your mounting plate.
Step 3. Remove the sub base plate from your router, set it and the screws aside.
Step 4. Install the transfer screws into your routers base with the points facing out.
Step 5. place the centering pin into the disk, position your router to face the direction you want it mounted and lightly tap the edge of your router with a mallet. This marks the locations you need to drill.
Step 6. Drill the holes, flip the plate over and slightly countersink them.
Step 7. Using the new screws that came in the centering kit attach your router and it is perfectly centered.

If you are using a plate that accepts the larger Oak Park style guide bushings you can purchase a centering disk and a guide pin from them. You can purchase transfer screws from most hardware stores or tool suppliers.

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B
This reply may not be best-suited in this table mounted section, but the same topic is being addressed, so...

I never liked the base plate on my hand-held Ryobi R180 due to part of the round perimeter being flat and using it against curved guides/edges, etc. So I bought a universal round, clear, predrilled base which came with additioanl screws, a brass collar w/nut to hold the centering pin, and a brass (centering) pin shaped like a golf tee to theoretically "center" the plate around the router collet.

I cannot get the plate centered after numerous attempts! The predrilled holes are adequatedly sized, so there is ample room for the screws and heads to adjust to the router foot print. I installed the centering collar and it fits snuggly into the plate hole with no slop. I then snuggly pressed the pin into the collar while it "wedges" itself into the collar, presumably to center the plate, and while maintaining pressure, I tighten the router collet, then tighten the four screws, yet the plate is not centered! It is consistantly 1/32"+ off!

This was a couple of months ago. I have used it since then, but now "rotate" the router so as to keep the same area of the plate against the guide edges when I'm not using a bearing bit. What can it be? Is the plate center-hole NOT centered? :blink:
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B
No, their not flathead. They're similar to a washerhead or panhead. The screw hole is oversize allowing the plate to center before the screw is tightened.
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B
As the centerpin, shaped like a golf tee, is pressed into the brass collar installed in the center (bit) hole of the plate, the plate automatically "centers itself" as the router collet nut is tightened (like router bit). From there, it's simply a matter of tightening the screws going through the plate and into the screw holes in the router housing. The plate holes and router (housing) holes line up perfectly. [Note that even if they weren't perfectly lined up, the plate is already fixed in position and can't move at this point. It is only a matter of tightening the screws down which holds the plate to the housing. Afterwhich, the centering pin and plate collar are removed. Am my making this out to be clear as mud?
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B
That's the set-up, Stick.
The method you desdcribed to screw on the plate on the router is exactly what I did.
There is no reason to the off-set other than the plate itself milled incorrectly.
Anyway, was wondering if anyone else have ever experienced this.
Thx for the input.
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DaninVan said:
Sorry, Bob, but that's in conflict with the Bosch instructions that I posted. The collet nut needs to be tightened before anything else is tightened...especially the brass collar. The centering cone is the starting point for everything else being aligned (to it). The cone has to be rock solid as the starting point; not applying sideways pressure to anything.
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Hi Dan,
There is a mix-up here.
The brass collar is attached, and its nut tightened, to the new plate before placing it on the router. Only then can the centering pin be pushed threw it and into the router collet to tighten IT up. See pic in upper post.
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