Routing with the template guide

[Tom O Donnell]

Is there anyone that would use the template guide on a regular basis? I conduct router workshops and use the guides for 90% of my lessons. There is very little written about the guides to explain how they can Get more from your router. For years we had one and left it in the drawer and never used it, other than when we were doing lettering or routing dovetails.

I would be interested in finding out just how many router users actually construct their projects round the template guides.
Give me a call if you wish an email with some pics to illustrate what I mean.

Tom

[RETIRED]

Gooday.

Do most trenching on fence posts with a template.

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[John Saxton]

Hey Tom,I used a Template Guide just the other day when cutting out mortises for the base's of the Scroll-saw plan that posted.
Any well managed workshop is indicative by the array of template profiles used and usually found hanging on walls within.
I must admit I don't use them as often as I used to now as I usually employ a shaper/spindle moulder that takes my router bits if doing light work where the combination bench is not required.
These are very much underrated in my view and if folk were to go back to Patrick Spielmans books from time to time they would realise the depth available in their workshops employing the router and its accoutrements/attachments
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[This message has been edited by John Saxton (edited 17 January 2001).]

[Tom O Donnell]

Hi Johno
Sorry for the late reply.
Are we talking abot the same thing? To me templates are used with the trimming cutter or where the cutter is placed in the router table, and we wish to cut material all the same size.

template guides are (were) supplied with the router, and in some instances still are, where they are attached to the base of the router to control the cutter especially the face/Edge cutters.
I have sent you an email with a sample of the work that I do and the material did not come from Patrick Spielman's book.

I am interested in anyone who may use the template guides extensively to complete their projects.

I have been conducting a 'School of Routing' (Now retired) for a number of years and in the process of putting all the material in a book (one day)
Tom

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TomnJarrah

[barrysumpter]

Its my deduction that the template guides were around long before we developed the expertise for mounting bearing guides directly onto the router bits.

Just my deductive reasoning.


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Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter
Proud Tritoneer



[This message has been edited by barrysumpter (edited 31 January 2001).]

[John Saxton]

Yeah Bazza you're right in that templates and their guides have been around for some time particularly in the older trades such as Wheelrights,Blacksmiths and coachbuilders just to mention a few.
The confusion here is probably relative to the fact that with routers most would use a template for a production run as opposed to a suitably made profile jig used in conjunction with a Shaper/moulder to produce the same effect.
Some Woodturners use profile templates to produce the same item in a production run if done by hand rather than computer controlled expertise and this is where the craftsman comes in who can replicate with out the need for the above though in Spindle moulding /routing it requires more precise guide than merely hands on.
Tom I apologise for the lethargic response but to answer your query I do predominately use Jigs on the Moulders ,but employ templates with guide bearings on routers where the need requires numerous replication of the same piece.
Hope this answers your Question if not I'll catch up with you at the Perth WW show in March.
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[Glen Bridger]

Hi,
I have used my template follower in a circle routing jig. I just drill a close tolerance hole in a piece of perspex or metal plate (easier to drill one hole accurately than to drill four holes for a sub-base). Sit the router on the jig locating the template follower in the machined hole. Works a treat.

[Dave in Cairns]

Tom , I use templates for many of the curved pieces in my work. I was surprised when I bought the latest Makita 3612C last year , to find that the template bush is not included as standard anymore. Even my little throw away Bosch POF comes with guide bushes.
http://www.australianwoodart.com/awa_explorer/galleries/g01/rolltopdrawer.jpg

[Tom O Donnell]

Hi All
Please forgive me for not reponding earler to you postings.

Barry.
I agree with you the template guides have been around for a long time. Unfortunately they are not used as often as they should. Take a close look at the articles that appear in routing Books and Magazines. Just how many projects couls have ben done with the template guide and were not. For safety reasons alone the guides should have been used.
From a survey taken the template guides have seldom been used by the average router users. The template guide will introduce a greater variety of cutters that can be used in the plunge mode of routing.
Most of us, myself include, and I have been using the router for a great number of years, to many to mention, neglected to find out how versatile the template guide was, I really should say IS. I would look at a project and see if it could be done with the guides rather than in the below bench position. I have three routers set up permanently in the below bench position, which are used for the obvious method of routing where the router in the plunge mode with the template guides and the introduction of Jigs will increase the routers versatility.

John
I suppose the material above will explain where I am coming from. There are some items that I would not attempt in the spindle moulder and therefore a safer metod has to be introduced, that will still give you the same article over and over again exactly the same size and shape.
I look forward to seeing you at the Perth wood show in a couple of weeks time. I will have a couple of items available for demonstration to illustrate the point. "We are not getting full use of our touter because we do not use the template guides".

Dave

From your pic enclosed I can see that you would use the template guide extensively, very nice piece of furniture. I can see the template guide being used for a number of the tasks that have to be carried out to get them all the same size. Should you wish to repeat the project you will also have all the jigs ready to produce the article in half the time.

Yes I also was surprised that the template guide was no longer supplied with the makita router, but as one salesperson told me a number of years ago 'Nobody uses them" then he added except you Tom.

Ask arround if your friends use the template guides?

Tom O'Donnell
Router Specialist

[barrysumpter]

Ummmm, uhhh, Jeez, Dave.

Thats a relly nice piece of work. Any backgroud info or story to go with this?.



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Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter
Proud Tritoneer