American Woodworker

Feb/Mar 2010

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  • Router Bit Spacers for Peace of Mind

    by American Woodworker Editors     Friday, January 22, 2010
    Recently I was routing a decorative edge on a large round tabletop. About halfway around, my router started to vibrate and I noticed (with great dismay) that the depth of the routed pattern had become much deeper than when I started. I turned off the...
  • Template Routing Tips

    by American Woodworker Editors     Tuesday, January 12, 2010
    by Randy Johnson If you want to get the most from your router, you need to master template routing. Once you learn the basics you can spend a lifetime exploring its many possibilities. You’ll be able to build more kinds of projects, more accurately...
  • World's Best Routing Guide

    by American Woodworker Editors     Thursday, November 19, 2009
    This simple guide guarantees success whenever you need to make a straight routing pass. It’s perfect for jointing a long edge or routing dadoes and grooves. You’ll get smooth, chatter-free results, thanks to the guide’s firm support...
  • 7 Trim Router Tips

    by American Woodworker Editors     Monday, November 9, 2009
    Multiple bases make this compact router extremely versatile. by Randy Johnson Laminate trim routers are amazing little machines. Their light weight and compact size make them exceptionally easy to use. Although they are designed primarily for trimming...
  • 9 Tips for Beating Router Tear-Out

    by American Woodworker Editors     Tuesday, October 20, 2009
    Stop router disasters before they start. by Eric Smith Snap, crackle, crunch! No, it’s not your breakfast cereal. That’s the sound of router tear-out. Aaargh! And that’s the sound of a woodworker facing a do-over or repair. Tear-out...
  • Router Wrench Risers

    by American Woodworker Editors     Thursday, October 15, 2009
    Trying to keep the wrenches that came with my router in position for tightening or loosening the collet used to drive me crazy. The nuts are so widely spaced that the slim wrenches would often slip out of place. Fortunately, I discovered a solution at...
  • Router Depth Setter

    by American Woodworker Editors     Tuesday, September 15, 2009
    This jig makes it easy to set the bit for routing flutes or dadoes. I simply drop the appropriate depth gauge into the channel, set my router on top and lower the bit until it touches the gauge. The base is an 8-in. square piece of 3/4-in. MDF. Two strips...
  • Minimize Router Burns

    by American Woodworker Editors     Wednesday, September 9, 2009
    End grain burns easily on maple and cherry, and those burns are hard to remove. After sanding my fingers to the bone following one particularly unfortunate routing pass, I came up with an easy solution that removes those unsightly burns without requiring...
  • Rail and Stile Set with Adjustable Slot

    by Tim Johnson     Tuesday, March 3, 2009
    Have you ever slid a piece of 1/4-in. plywood into a 1/4-in. groove? It ain't pretty. It's a fact of life that plywood is undersized in thickness and this results in ugly gaps in doors with plywood panels. So here's the skinny—skinny...
  • Template for Rounded Corners

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    This guide takes only a minute to make and helps you make perfect corners in four different diameters. Simply use a different sized coin (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) to create the four radii.
  • Rounded Corners In A Jiffy

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    Getting rounded corners that match is a cinch with this template. Legs fastened to both sides automatically center the template on the workpiece. Once the template is in position, only spring clamps are needed to hold it in place. When you install the...
  • Perfect Holes for Router-Bit Tray

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    I decided to organize my router bits by making a tray from a scrap block of wood. But I soon discovered that my 1/2-in. shank bits wouldn't fit into 1/2-in.-dia. holes - the holes needed to be slightly larger. Unfortunately, I didn't have a larger...
  • Precision Depth Gauge

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    My dovetail jig doesn't have a depth gauge, and with my engineering background, I like things to be precise. This depth gauge allows me to set my router bits to within .001 of an inch. I also use it to set saw blade heights and check the depth of...
  • Rout Narrow Stock with Ease

    by AW-Editor     Wednesday, September 3, 2008
    Since I don’t have a router table, routing narrow stock is doubly tough. First, it’s hard to hold the stock in position. Second, it’s virtually impossible to balance the router as I rout. My system solves both problems. I use a notched...
  • Rounded Corners in a Jiffy

    by AW-Editor     Wednesday, September 3, 2008
    Getting rounded corners that match is a cinch with this template. Legs fastened to both sides automatically center the template on the workpiece. Once the template is in position, only spring clamps are needed to hold it in place.When you install the...
 

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