Challenge with the use of the router

Attachment 345158
Enclosed sample of pics produced with the router in the plunge mode. I no longer use the table mode and I am not convinced that the above projects could be achieved with the router in the table mode IMHO so I had to find alternative alternative methods. I have searched the internet and I have no found any information where they can be produced in the plunge mode. No doubt some of them can be produced with the CNC router. So it was back to the drawing board to come up with he solution

Do you have a link where you can buy metric template guides?

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Originally Posted by DonIncognito

Do you have a link where you can buy metric template guides?

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Purchasing guides has always been a problem due to the fact that very people use them therefore where there is no demand why stock them. Makita and Hitachi are the only two manufacturers where there is a reasonable chance of getting what you want [though still hard to find] accordingly to the feed back I get on the subject. There are sets readily available but only in Imperial, still can be used but not as easy as the metric guides. Also these imperial sets are limited in size therefore restrict the variety of cutters that can be used. There is no 40mm/1-1/2ins guides available.

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Originally Posted by DonIncognito

Do you have a link where you can buy metric template guides?

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Trend in the UK make a wide range of template guides in both metric and imperial. They bolt straight into any Elu, Trend, Perles or DeWalt router.

And they go up to 40mm in their standard range; 90mm for their own-brand DeWalt 625 clone the T9; see here http://www.trenddirectuk.com/routing...ml?cat=362&p=4

Not cheap but bloody good gear. Their own brand router bits are in my top 5 brands CMT and Freud and just ahead of Carbitool

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Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Trend in the UK make a wide range of template guides in both metric and imperial. They bolt straight into any Elu, Trend, Perles or DeWalt router.

And they go up to 40mm in their standard range; 90mm for their own-brand DeWalt 625 clone the T9; see here http://www.trenddirectuk.com/routing...ml?cat=362&p=4

Not cheap but bloody good gear. Their own brand router bits are in my top 5 brands CMT and Freud and just ahead of Carbitool

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Just as a matter of interest what is your experience with the use of the guides?

I purchased 3 metric template guides for my Makita 3612 in 2013 from Norwest Tool Centre in NSW

16mm Part #344364-5

30mm Part #164471-6

40mm Part #165046-4

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Originally Posted by Template Tom

Just as a matter of interest what is your experience with the use of the guides?

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<br>
<br>Last year I bought the 30mm bush for use in a post-form kitchen bench top joining jig; this was mounted in a homemade baseplate for my baby Triton router, it worked flawlessly. When you physically examine the construction of the bush you can see quality work, no mild steel rubbish. This was made in two pieces and swaged together. Highly polished steel and thick chrome plating. The screw holes are accurately drilled and countersunk to fit straight into either their universal baseplate or straight onto a Trend/Elu/DeWalt router. After I had made my baseplate I fitted the bush and aligned the assembly using a homemade alignment tool. I pulled the bush off and rotated it, it went straight back in perfectly concentric with the router shaft.<br><br>During my previous existence as a Royal Navy Artificer I used to receive quite a lot of Trend gear from Naval Stores, I even ended up making my own copy of their older style half-blind dovetail jig. The original was pressed mild steel with black crinkle paint; mine was shiny stainless&nbsp;<img src="http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/standard/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Biggrin" smilieid="456" class="inlineimg">. I made my guide bushes by machining down solid brass bar.<br><br><br>

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Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

<br>
<br>Last year I bought the 30mm bush for use in a post-form kitchen bench top joining jig; this was mounted in a homemade baseplate for my baby Triton router, it worked flawlessly. When you physically examine the construction of the bush you can see quality work, no mild steel rubbish. This was made in two pieces and swaged together. Highly polished steel and thick chrome plating. The screw holes are accurately drilled and countersunk to fit straight into either their universal baseplate or straight onto a Trend/Elu/DeWalt router. After I had made my baseplate I fitted the bush and aligned the assembly using a homemade alignment tool. I pulled the bush off and rotated it, it went straight back in perfectly concentric with the router shaft.<br><br>During my previous existence as a Royal Navy Artificer I used to receive quite a lot of Trend gear from Naval Stores, I even ended up making my own copy of their older style half-blind dovetail jig. The original was pressed mild steel with black crinkle paint; mine was shiny stainless&nbsp;<img src="http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net/images/smilies/standard/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Biggrin" smilieid="456" class="inlineimg">. I made my guide bushes by machining down solid brass bar.<br><br><br>

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You are very lucky to be able to produce your own guides as we are waiting patiently for our makita order to arrive at the mens shed so that we can get started on our wine racks /Elliptical and circular boxes/ and small tables and many more
What sort of projects did you produce with the aid of the guides?

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Originally Posted by skot

I purchased 3 metric template guides for my Makita 3612 in 2013 from Norwest Tool Centre in NSW

16mm Part #344364-5

30mm Part #164471-6

40mm Part #165046-4

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Can you post some of the projects you have produced with the aid of the guides?

over the past six months I have been attending our local Men's Shed and I have had the opportunity to introduce members to the use of the template guides with the router. Tomorrow the group will be attending one of our BUNNING's Store to do a few demonstrations on the use of the router
. The group of 4 are set to produce Elliptical Trinket boxes / 12 bottle wine rack / Small shield / Small Table legs / Toy car. During these few months I am sure I have converted a number of the members of the SHED to producing article without the use of the Table mode. Forum members before you start your next project give consideration of using the template guides to introduce GREATER SAFETY AWARENESS with the use of the router.
Today I had a new convert when one of the members said he was prepared to use the guides By the way this member celebrated his 90th birthday this week. This only proves we are not too old to learn

Template Tom

The bushes I made for use on the jig were for a cheapo Chinese plunge router which was all I had at the time. I now use a Vermont American universal router base and bush set in a Makita D-handle router. The drawers in my workbench were made using the jig; 1/2" rebated half blind dovetail joints using Tassie Oak drawer fronts and pine drawer sides.

When I made the jig and the parts to go with it I had access to machine tools and free raw materials that were being dumped. Portsmouth Naval Base was being dragged kicking and screaming into adopting ISO 9001 QA system and we had an immense amount of material that wasn't complient as we never used to bother with Certificates of Conformity in our supply chain. So all this non-complient stock was just going to be thrown away. In these circumstances machining a small template bush from a solid 3" dia bar of naval brass isn't actually that much of an extravagance!

Sigh. I miss my lathe! Harrison M300 with many options ticked on the order form...

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Originally Posted by Template Tom

over the past six months I have been attending our local Men's Shed and I have had the opportunity to introduce members to the use of the template guides with the router. Tomorrow the group will be attending one of our BUNNING's Store to do a few demonstrations on the use of the router
. The group of 4 are set to produce Elliptical Trinket boxes / 12 bottle wine rack / Small shield / Small Table legs / Toy car. During these few months I am sure I have converted a number of the members of the SHED to producing article without the use of the Table mode. Forum members before you start your next project give consideration of using the template guides to introduce GREATER SAFETY AWARENESS with the use of the router.
Today I had a new convert when one of the members said he was prepared to use the guides By the way this member celebrated his 90th birthday this week. This only proves we are not too old to learn

Template Tom

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Results of the demonstrations was a great success with many attending to see what the router is really able to produce with the aid of the guides. I had an opportunity to speak to a number of the visitors and the conversations convinced me that the template Guides are not used by the average router user and they were amazed by the display of projects laid out. I am convinced that the group enjoyed the opportunity to demonstrate the use of the guides. You must make the change to the use of the guides if you wish to introduce Greater Safety Awareness with the use of the router. With their permishion I will ask them on Monday if they have any objections to me submitting their photographs of their demonstration posting here on the forum.
Template Tom

John Saxton,
Justin,
Geoff Sims,
ian,
Template Tom,
Chesand,
coffenup,
skot,
nine fingers,
ivanavitch,
daninjt,
Interwood,
rod1949,
dai sensei,
Skew ChiDAMN!!,
chrisb691,
snowyskiesau,
spokeshave,
joe greiner,
sleake,
TermiMonster,
NCArcher,
westcoast,
Sebastiaan56,
Fuzzie,
terryvk6pq,
brontehls,
ajw,
burraboy,
pker,
router,
malb,
Christos,
Sam,
acnut1,
andyd,
RedShirtGuy,
sje-tools,
benhoskin,
HOOKED.UP,
MikeJ,
champs,
Greg Hall,
Enfield Guy,
labr@,
John T,
Guttapercha,
Stone Monkey,
carrom,
Brosh,
maniotas1,
tojo,
ROCKYSTEVE,
EnR,
owlsnest,
Chief Tiff,
A Duke,
mark david,
cava,
mnk,
Bernt,
neilyeag,
Handyjack,
aldav,
albor13,
Jeffen,
Uncle Al,
Canoath,
Dareen,
maggs,
Kidbee,
cj1715,
fields,
Evanism,
Fiddling About,
Njmpm,
Rod Gilbert,
jarradds123,
Bobpol2,
Wakefield,
Opelblues2,
justonething,
62woollybugger,
RoyG,
Sambo1111,
Tahlee,
Redbog,
Slydog,
david.elliott,
Wood Collector,
rjtwin501,
allan chalkley,
WesP,
Nifty Nev,
kn1ghtjp,
tcjbrown,
george mavridis,
tonycrh,
Jimb0b,
Michael Lew,
NewCA,
grad00,
hef,
Arfur,
Brian45,
nicko1995,
Yenn,
The Caboose,
TonyTilot,
Smartseal,
tom8,
gwaldron,
Seymore Butts
Tell me there has to be a few from this list of members who have used the guides and I would love to see the results

Two years have gone by since I submitted the challenge and I still have not seen any project completed with the router in the plunge mode with the aid of template guides do see projects produced at our local men's shed