Five
Smart
Router
Jigs
Get more from your
router with this set
of easy-to-make
accessories
ADJUS TABLE CIRCLE-CUTTIN G JIG
B Y Y E U N G C H A N
All pieces of the jig are made of 1 ⁄2-in.-thick plywood.
Pin
Crosspiece,
F ew woodworkers enjoy the luxury of a 5 in. wide by
12 in. long
spacious shop, and I’m no exception.
Lacking the space for many large ma-
chines, I rely on my router when building fur-
niture. However, used on its own, the router Guides,
21 ⁄2 in. wide
is limited in its abilities. More often than not, Runner
by 5 in. long
I use it in conjunction with various shopmade
jigs that increase its ability to quickly and ac- Two mounting holes let you
work around breaks in slot.
curately cut circles, make edge profiles, cut
dadoes, trim edge-banding, and even substi-
tute for a lathe.
Nut
The five jigs illustrated here are all made
from cheap and stable plywood or medium-
density fiberboard (MDF) and require only a
few pieces of hardware, available through Lee
Valley ([Link]; 800-871-8158) or
Rockler ([Link]; 800-279-4441).
These router jigs are as easy to use as they
are to make. A 13⁄4-in. break in
Cutout, 2 in. dia. the slot maintains
the jig’s strength.
Yeung Chan builds custom furniture in Millbrae, Calif.
Machine screw
68 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Mark Schofield
Cut perfect circles
T his jig can be used to rout a circle with a maximum diameter of 72 in.,
but the design can be modified for other diameters. First, drill a 1⁄4-in.-
dia. hole, 1⁄4 in. deep, in the middle of the workpiece. If you don’t want the
hole to show, work on the underside. Next, mark a point on the desired edge
of the circle, place the sled over the base, and fit the jig’s pin in the center
hole. Move the base in or out until the bit is on the mark, then lock the sled.
Turn on the router and plunge down to start the initial cut, which should
be less than 1 ⁄8 in. deep, just enough to define the circle. Use a jigsaw to
cut away the outside pieces, leaving about 1 ⁄8 in. outside the final size of
the circle. This method enables you to support the corners as they are cut off so
that they won’t damage the finished workpiece. Once the bulk of the waste
has been removed, the router has to make only a light final cut. If you’re
working with solid wood, pay atten-
tion to the grain’s orientation and [Link]
the bit’s rotation. Climb-cut when Visit our Web site to see the author
necessary to avoid tearout. demonstrate his circle-cutting jig.
Set the size of the circle. With the pin registered in the center
of the workpiece, move the jig’s base until the inside edge of the
router bit is aligned with the desired outside edge of the circle.
Base, 7 in. wide by 41 in. long Make a shallow cut to define the circle. Remove the waste. Following the
The initial cut made with the router should track left by the router, saw away
be only about 1⁄8 in. deep. the waste.
Slot, 1 ⁄2 in. wide
Slots, 1 ⁄4 in. wide by 9 1 ⁄4 in. long with
a 1 ⁄2-in.-wide by 3⁄16-in.-deep groove
in the bottom (see detail below)
S L E D D E TA I L
Pin, 1 ⁄4 in. dia. by at
Pin holder, two least 23⁄4 in. long
pieces each 2 in.
wide by 5 in. long
Locking screw
Hardwood runner, 1 ⁄2 in.
square by 5 in. long,
rides in slot in base. Washer
Head of machine bolt is
flattened on two sides The final cut. The router now has to remove only a small amount of material,
Base Crosspiece
to fit in the groove. creating less dust and leaving a clean cut.
Drawings: John Hartman M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 5 69
Trim or cut large panels
I t is a difficult job to cut a large panel on a tablesaw that’s not
equipped with a sliding table. So I made a simple jig that can be
used to cut out a section from a full sheet of plywood or medium-
S TRAIGHT-EDGE JIG
Always use the same-diameter router bit with this jig. A smaller
bit will cut wide of the jig’s edge, while a larger bit will eat into
density fiberboard (MDF) or to clean up a rough cut made by a jigsaw the jig.
or a circular saw.
Once you’ve assembled the jig, run the router along the straight
edge of the fence to create a matching straight edge on the base. To
use the jig, clamp it at both ends of the workpiece with the edge of
the jig aligned with the desired
cut. As the router rides along the
Fence,
jig, it leaves a perfectly straight, 1 ⁄ 2 in. thick by
clean cut. 21 ⁄2 in. wide
by 50 in. long
Rabbet,
Straighten edges. Rough-cut the ⁄ in. deep
18
panel, then clean up the cut with this by 1 ⁄8 in.
straight-edge jig. Base, 1 ⁄4 in. thick wide, collects
Before use, trim the base by 50 in. long
parallel with the fence. sawdust.
Cut dadoes at any angle
I reach for this jig when I have to cut multiple parallel dadoes on
a panel. Most of the time these grooves are perpendicular to the
short fence of the jig, but they can be cut at different angles. Like the
straight-edge jig (above), this one needs to be clamped at both ends
during use. As long as you use the same size bit each time, and the
same angle, the entry cut on the jig’s short fence will show the loca-
tion of the dado. Use an up-cut spiral bit, which will prevent chips from
jamming in the dado. For deep dadoes, make several passes.
DADO - C U T T I N G J I G
Align the notch cut by the router in the short
Variable-angle jig. Although dadoes usually are perpen-
fence with the desired dado location. dicular to the long edges of a panel, this jig can make cuts at
other angles.
Wing nut
Long fence, 1 ⁄4 in.
Washer thick by 3 1 ⁄2 in. wide
by up to 54 in. long
Entry-cut notch
Short fence, 1 ⁄4 in.
thick by 2 1 ⁄2 in. wide
#1 ⁄4-20 machine by 15 in. long Cut clean and accurate dadoes.
screw, 11 ⁄2 in. long Clamp the dado jig at both ends and
make the cut in two or three passes.
70 FINE WOODWORKING
Trim edge-banding
quickly and cleanly
O ne of the hardest parts of using solid
wood to edge plywood or laminate
panels is trimming the edge-banding flush
with the plywood. If you use a plane, you
risk cutting through the thin plywood ve-
neer, and sanding can leave cross-grain
scratches on the plywood. This router jig
enables you to trim the banding flush,
quickly and flawlessly.
Mount the router on the jig, and set the
depth of the bit so that it just clears the
plywood surface. A router with micro-
adjustment comes in handy. Adjust the
guide block to align the bit so that the
carbide tips extend just a hair over the
plywood. Clamp the guide block tight, and
you’re ready to go.
Pay attention to the router bit’s rotation
and the direction you move the router. To
avoid tearout, you want the leading edge
of the bit to enter the wood first. Known as
climb cutting, this method can be danger-
ous if the bit pulls the router forward un-
controllably. Because the amount of wood
being removed is so small, you should be
Flush-cut edge-banding. This jig allows you to cleanly cut solid-wood edge-banding flush able to control the router easily.
with the plywood panel.
EDGE-BAND TRIMMIN G JIG
The router bit should be positioned a hair above the plywood surface. The spacer/
guide block is clamped to the jig to steer the router along the edging.
Top and bottom,
⁄ in. thick by
12
7 ⁄ in. wide
12
by 17 in. long,
overlap by 11 in.
Cutout,
2 in. dia.
Trimming
jig
Plywood Guide block, 1 ⁄4 in. thick by
panel 21 ⁄2 in. wide by 7 1 ⁄2 in. long,
Guide with spacer, 1 in. thick by
block Edge-banding 11 ⁄2 in. wide by 7 1 ⁄2 in. long
M AY / J U N E 2 0 0 5 71
Make turnings with a router
T his jig allows you to “turn” round columns and posts using a
router. To use the jig, first drill a 5 ⁄16-in.-dia. hole, 11 ⁄2 in. deep,
in each end of the workpiece, then insert a steel rod to hold the
workpiece inside the jig. Lock a drill stop on each end of the rod
where it enters the jig to prevent the workpiece from shifting dur-
ing the turning. Clamp two wood guide pieces to the edges of the
router subbase to restrict the router’s side-to-side movement.
Turn on the router, slowly plunge down, and move the router
halfway up and down the jig as you slowly rotate the workpiece. As
you increase the depth of cut, you’ll create a cylinder. Then repeat
the process on the other half of the workpiece. Throughout the pro-
cess, make small cuts for a better finish and a safer operation.
You can adapt this jig to create different turnings. Offset the
hole at one end of the jig to make tapered turnings, or clamp
blocks to the long sides of the jig to produce stopped turnings. If
you design the jig with gently curving sides, the workpiece will
become football shaped as it is turned.
TURN I N G J I G
The dimensions of this jig
will vary based on the size
of the blank to be turned. Router-cut turnings. By guiding the router back and forth while turn-
The four sides of the jig ing the workpiece, a square blank gradually becomes a cylinder.
can be screwed together
or clamped for greater
flexibility. Steel rods Guide pieces,
passing through each end clamped to
of the jig hold the blank. subbase
Router
subbase
Steel rod,
Workpiece 5⁄16 in. dia.
Drill stop is
tightened
with hex key.
Tapered turnings. Lower the
hole at one end of the jig to taper
the turned workpiece.
Workpiece
The dimensions of the ends and sides
will vary according to the diameter
and length of the turning. Stopped turnings. Clamp blocks
to the side of the jig to leave a
square section on the turning.
72 FINE WOODWORKING