Mowerhappy

Hold off cutting into your table just yet!!!
The template you made to make a new baseplate
may or may not be the same as you would use to cut a recess into your table.
Before you start cutting, you need to take inventory of what router bits you have and what guide bushings and bearings you will need and the size of your template.
In my case, I made a female template the same size as my base Oak Park base plate, then used a 1/4" straight bit or 1/4" spiral bit in my plunge router with a 1" template guide bushing to cut a ** 10-3/16" x 10-3/16" ** hole through my table.
I then used a 1 1/4" dia. x 3/8 " rabbeting bit ( slot cutter ) with a 1/2" bearing and rabbetted the top 1/4 " deep. This left me a 3/8" wide x 1/4 " deep recess into which the Oak Park plate fits.
The resulting hole in the table top is 10-15/16" x 10-15/16" the same size as the Oak Park plate plus +/- 1/16".
Shop Tip: The Oak Park plate was a little tight in the corners, however with the aid of my disc sander, I rounded the corners to suit the routered hole.
If you or others need more help with making a female template, I can post some pictures and provide more detail as to how this was accomplished and recreate my steps in making the cutout.
So, before you start, take stock of what you have to work with and see if it compares to what I used, and if not the same, then advise. What is the inside dimensions of your female template??
If you have already made a cut into you table top the same size as the base plate, let me know, and I will come up with another solution, if need be.

Ric
