There are a number of simple jigs suitable for providing this support, which will assist in obtaining a better finish to your work and also add safety awareness to your routing procedures
Consider the problem
When starting and finishing a cut, less than 25% of the base of the router is supported, and during the stroke less than 50% is resting on the material. (This is another advantage of having a circular based router, you will have the maximum support, but it is still not enough.)
What are the alternatives?
1 Screw a piece of material to the base of the router, this material is the same thickness as the piece to be routered. This method is illustrated in many books and magazines and is considered standard procedure for supporting the router.
(The procedure is used, only when routing the external edges of your material on a flat surface)
2 Place a strip of material the same thickness as the material to be cut along the side to rest the router. If the material is loose it has a tendency to move. (Unless a large piece is used and can be clamped in position.) The support material should be longer than the project material to give maximum support to the router at the start and the completion of the cut.
3 Router Support:
Make a ‘Router Support’ that can be easily attached to the router, one that will be suitable for a greater variety of material thicknesses. This support is easier to adjust and saves time locating and screwing a piece to the base of the router .
(You will always have constant support for your router.)
4 Simple Router Support
Routing the edge of the material with such cutters as the ‘Rounding over’ bit or ‘rebate cutter’, it will be necessary to ensure the router has maximum support. The ‘Router Support’ illustrated can be attached to the ‘Side Fence Attachments’ supplied with a number of routers. Prepare a suitable piece of material that can be added to the fence support with the screw provided.
The shape can be cut with the band saw, scroll saw, bow saw, or coping saw, and the slot can be drilled and completed with the chisel. The support can be adjusted to suit a greater variety of materials thicknesses. With the ‘Router Support’ in position it will be easier to control the router and also easier to adjust the plunge depth
5 Router Support New Design
This support will also give more stability to the router and it will not be necessary to use the side fence attachment supplied with the router. Purchase two rods 300mm long with the ends prepared as shown in the diagram. The space between the slots are designed for the Makita and Hitachi ½” routers and therefore it will be necessary to make the alterations to the design to suit the router that the support is to be fitted to. The distance between the slots should be made to suit the rods for the router to be used.
Having the support in position will also assist in applying equal pressure to the two router columns, therefore improving the ‘Plunging Mechanism’. Material suitable for the support can be cut from 16/18mm M.D.F., 19mm solid timber or Plywood. There are still other means of supporting your router for consideration.
Constructing a set of ‘Skis’ will add greater safety awareness and produce a better finish to the project.
Skis in use
Once the cutter has been locked at the required depth, the router with the skis attached, can be controlled from the support position which will give greater control of the router.
Sectional view through the ski mode in action to trim the external edge when routing the final stages for the base of the Elliptical Trinket Box. This is an alternative method of trimming the material, no need to place the router in the router table.
