Plans for a Plunge Router Slotting Jig

[Anthony Whitesell]

I find myself needing to make slots in wood. The current method is to set up the router table with a straight of spiral bit and a pair of stop blocks. Then turn on the router and drop the piece onto it and side over to make the stop. The whole process of dropping the piece over the running bit is a little unsettling. Does anyone know of a jig that would allow me to use the plunge router for this task? Preferrably, I'm looking for a jig that can accomodate different width stock and different length slots all while keeping the slot in the center of the workpiece.

[Paul Greathouse]

Have you checked out the SRK (smart router kit) from Eurekazone. They have a forum down toward the bottom. I have a Dewalt 621 mounted to the SRK.

If your not familiar, the SRK, with a router attached to it, slides along a track. There are also limit stops available for doing stopped dados and such. I use it for dados in cabinetmaking, that way I can keep the door making bits in my router table. Any router can be used with the SRK.

From what you described it would be worth checking out. Just go to the Eurekazone forum and do a search on SRK. They also have a website eurekazone.com

[pat warner]

An edge guide on both sides (http://patwarner.com/images/eg_2688.jpg) of your work with the plunger in between will do it.

[Peter Quinn]

Are you looking for a mortising jig for slot mortising end grain?

[Anthony Whitesell]

I am looking for a jig for "through slotting" of narrow stock. Edge guides won't work because the pieces are usually 2-4" wide, much narrower than my 6 inch diameter router base. I saw a hinge mortising jig (luckily I printed the plans when I found it because of course I can't find it again) that mounted onto a workmate and thought someone may know of something similiar or completely different.

The issue I can't get around is how to clamp something large enough to support and guide the router to something so narrow and still get it aligned.

[john bateman]

When I needed to route flutes in narrower stock, I just laid another piece of stock the same thickness, but wider, next to the original. Clamped it all down to my bench, and used the second piece to run the edge guide along. Some small blocks clamped at either end served as stops.

[Les Heinen]

Anthony,

I made a jig for mortising some doors which may be useful for your application. Basically it is a 4" x 4" x 30" block of maple to which I clamp the piece level with the top using cabinet clamps. I routed a 3/4"x3/4" slot along the entire length and about 31/2" from the face. Attaching a 3/4" piece of maple to the router fence and adjusting the distance from the router bit to the fence enabled me to run a parallel mortise(slot) in the workpiece right along the center and have 4"+ surface to steady the router. If you do not change this distance or bit, the setup is good for all similar workpiece thicknesses.

I also installed a T slot near the face of the jig so I could use stop blocks.

I know this is probably very sketchy description so please feel free to PM me if this may be of benefit to you & I will try & expand on this. If I were not so technically challenged, I would try and post a pix...oh & if I had a digital camera as well!!:D:D

Les

[Andy Haney]

What about drilling a same-size hole through the stock, setting the stock over the router bit with appropriate feather boards, and start the router and run to the stop.

Just an idea (that I have not tried), and sounds like it could be touchy from a safety perspective. If you try it, I hope it works.

Andy

[glenn bradley]

This guy is getting great reviews if you are looking for store bought.

http://www.mortisepal.com/

I have several shop made that work great but am thinking about this as it would free up the space occupied by multiple jigs now in use. For thin stock I cut the guide slot in a piece of 1/4" hardboard, position it on the piece and clamp in place.

[Peter Quinn]

I use the same method as yor original post in a table minus the dropping onto the spinning bit. With hold downs and featherboards in place I start the router bit below the table and use a router lift to raise it in 1/8" increments per pass. If you dont have a lift now might be a good time to get one.

The wood whisper has photos and a video of an ingenious shop made power lift for his router table that is foot activated, might be a good project if you are mechanically and electrically inclined. The whole thing is foot activated.

I have seen hand operated shop made router lifts that might suit your purpose in old FWW issues but regretibly can't find the issue at this time.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I like the mortise pal but it would generally be either too short or too narrow. Actually pretty ironic. When the stock is narrow enough the slot is too short, and when slot will fit the stock will be too wide.

I've seen the foot operated jig but didn't want to dedicate that much space to it. I tried lifting the router through the piece but the adjuster is too close to the center of the router and is covered by the stock.

I have also tried drilling the hole first but I've had too issues. The first is a bulb shaped slot because the drill bit and the router bit were not in exactly the same spot. Also if the piece is too far to one side it tries to grab when you hit the switch on the router.

[Bill Hylton]

Anthony,

Additional information would help others help you. You've said you want to cut a slot along the center line of a piece 2" to 4" wide. I think the slot is supposed to be through, that is, to completely penetrate the thickness of the material.

How thick is the stock? How long? What's the width and length of the slot? Is the piece one-of-a-kind? Or will you be making dozens of them, all the same?

If you are making a one only, then minimize your jigging and fixturing. Slip a piece of scrap under your workpiece (to protect the underlying surface) and dog it to your benchtop. Fit an edge guide on the plunge router, and adjust it to locate the cut on the center line. (I don't know why you'd reject Pat Warner's suggestion to use two edge guides to trap the edges of the work. An edge guide extends under the base of the router past the bit axis. I've used two of them on a plunge router to rout a 1/4" wide mortise into the edge of 3/4" thick material. A good edge guide will tuck up against the edge of 3/4"-thick material laying flat on a workbench.)

Can't dog the workpiece? Crosscut it overlong, so you can put a clamp on each end while you rout the slot, then trim it to final length.

Or screw or tack or carpet-tape it to a large scrap that you can clamp.

Or tack trap fences to a base. The router on top will keep the workpiece from popping out; all the fences do is keep it from shifting.

In all of these cases, you guide the cut with an edge guide, and you eyeball the start and end to the cut.

Another option is to make a template with fences. Cut a piece of 1/2" plywood or MDF and draw the center line of your slot. Attaching fences parallel to the line that will trap the router base so the center of the bit is on the line. Mark the beginning and end of the slot you want on the line. Put the router at the start mark, butt a stop against the router base and attach it to the plywood/MDF. Move the tool to the stop mark and attach another stop. Rout a slot in the plywood/MDF.

Is it just what you want in the workpiece?

If it is, align it on the work and clamp/screw/nail/tape/hot-melt-glue it. Then rout the slot.

Got lots of the same slot to rout, attach trap fences on the underside of the template to locate it on the workpieces.

I'm sure there are other solutions, but these come to mind.

Bill

[Anthony Whitesell]

Bill, the stock I have been slotting used the "drop over the spinning bit in the table" technique has been 1/2-1" thick, between 2" and 6" wide, and 8-24" long. The slots have varied in length 2-10" long and are either 1/4" or 3/8" in diameter. All the slots have been through the full thickness of the stock.

What I'm looking for is a jig that I can reuse and is easy to setup. The attempts that I have made to make a jig have lacked either a way to hold the piece (usually because the jig was bigger than the stock) or an easy way to align and square the jig/guide to the center of the slot. I have lots of boards with nice straight crooked slots in them. Bill's idea is fine if the piece is long enough or thick enough that I can get some clamps on it. Screwing, glueing and taping works sometimes but not always and isn't very reusable. That latest jig I built had a rabbeted slot in the center for a 3/4OD guide bushing. That allowed for 1/4-3/8-1/2 slots but completely lacked any way to align the jig to the work piece especially on the narrower stock. I also built one that would trap the router by its base but this was even more difficult to align and find where to end the slot.

I was hoping that someone had a neat jig for doing this, but I'll just keep tinkering with it until the light bulb comes on. Unfortunately the mortising jig was a daily tip on the Wood website and I can't find it again, luckily I printed it at the time.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Anthony,

I built this jig from Woodsmith Magazine a while back, and it works great for cutting mortises of any length, and depending on the size of your baseplate, you should be able to accommodate most any workpiece you need.

Sorry for the small photo, it is from the magazine site. I will try to get one of my jig tomorrow.

Doc

[Anthony Whitesell]

Do you recall which magazine?

I was thinking something along these lines.
84708

I just haven't figured out a way to make the router run straight along the length of the piece especially as the width of the piece varies.

[Stephen Edwards]

I have it from a good source that within a year or so the electronic, foot pedal operated router lift that someone else mentioned in a reply in this thread will be commercialy available.

The inventor is currently tweaking the prototypes and is working with a well known woodworkers' supply house to market the product. Their goal is to make this unique and extremely useful router lift competively priced with the better known manual lifts available now. If they succeed, and I have every reason to believe that they will, your problem will be solved! When this device hits the market, the router lift as we know it today, will become obsolete, IMHO.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Do you recall which magazine?

I was thinking something along these lines.
84708

I just haven't figured out a way to make the router run straight along the length of the piece especially as the width of the piece varies.



I will look for it, but I know it is in the "Woodsmith Router Workshop" special publication on page 18 too, and that is widely available now. They did not mention the source issue there, and it will take me some time to find it, if I even still have it.

Doc

[Danny Thompson]

Here is a simple jig I made following Norm's example:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=78639&d=1199562141

I may add a strip on the underside so it will be easier to square the jig to the workpiece. More info and some other ideas: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=737064&postcount=24

[Colin Wollerman]

Hi Bill,
I have your book, Router Magic, on my lap and was just about to suggest Anthony look into some of your publications for some solutions...I guess that won't be necessary.
I use your book alot (putting together a booster sled right now)
It is great to see you on this forum.

Cheers,
Colin

[Joe Chritz]

I wish I could find pics of the jig I used for my mission style bed.

It wasn't adjustable for width of stock but it was easy enough to build you could have several.

Basically it sat over the stock like the magazine article above and had sides the router ran against to control the width of the slot.

If made short work of 80 or more slots for the head and foot boards.

Sometimes adjustments just add complications.

Ignore the poor sketch up it was a quickie I threw together. The width assumes a 6" router base, by changing the offset of the vertical board in relation to the slot you can make it for any width stock. Clamp it in place and plunge away. A mark in the middle of the slot make lining it up easy.

Just wanted to add that I made one longer than needed and stuck in stops of plywood to adjust for the length of the slot.
Just have to remember to index off the same side of all pieces incase the slot isn't perfectly centered.

Joe

[James Suzda]

Would a self centering jig like this one work for you? I made the pictured one when I had to make a bunch of mortises/slots for a headboard I was making The side rails are fully adjustable for any width board and they will also keep your router perpendicular with the stock you are routing.

86388
86389

[Alan Schaffter]

I have it from a good source that within a year or so the electronic, foot pedal operated router lift that someone else mentioned in a reply in this thread will be commercialy available.

The inventor is currently tweaking the prototypes and is working with a well known woodworkers' supply house to market the product. Their goal is to make this unique and extremely useful router lift competively priced with the better known manual lifts available now. If they succeed, and I have every reason to believe that they will, your problem will be solved! When this device hits the market, the router lift as we know it today, will become obsolete, IMHO.

I hope they don't waste money trying to patent it- there is too much public domain, prior art out there already. They use everything from special motors, electric drill and screw drivers, CNC stepper motors, etc. Your inventor friend might be better off making an add-on kit.

I was thinking of trying to peddle my motorized router lift 4 or 5 years ago but figured it was so simple, anyone could make one. Mine uses a small 1/20 hp, 250 RPM, bi-directional, 120V AC gear motor I got from the Surplus Center which I coupled to my WoodPecker's Plunge Lift lead screw. I can control it via a panel-mounted, spring loaded, center-off DPDT switch or a foot switch. I never got around to installing an adjustable "up" limit switch but that would be simple. It works fantastic!!! The gearing is fast enough so I don't need to wait long for the collet to be high enough to change bits, yet it is slow enough I can tap on the switch to fine adjust the height when it use (1 rotation is 1/32" and a quick tap will give 1/4 of that). I don't use the foot pedal plunge feature much, but use it all the time to run the lift up to change bits.

Below are some pics of my latest version. My first design used a rewired electric drill with a HF right angle chuck and a rod coupled to the lead screw. I upgraded that a few years ago to a 1/40 hp motor which was still a little under powered and still used the right angle chuck. This direct coupling and motor work much better. Just wait till I get the Wixey digital height readout and tach hooked up! Talk about a tricked out router table! :D



http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/IMG_26761.jpg

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/IMG_26781.jpg

[Scott Rollins]

Here's a plexiglass one:
http://eagleamerica.com/combination-fluting-jig-and-edge-guide/p/400-1299/

[Lynn Evans]

Have you considered using a rub collar on your router? Of coarse you would use your router from the top Cut a piece of 1/2" ply, mdf or 3/8 plex large enough to allow plenty of room for your router to run on. With a table saw, cut slot out of the center.You could cut this extra long and all you need to add are strips of ply to the ends the same thickness and width of you template slot acting as adjustable stops. I normally just tape these on from the bottom. If you use a 1" collar you would need a 1" wide slot. I assume that you are using different sizes of bits to get your widths.This will assure your router bits run in the center of the 1" template slot. So you can use the same template for several different widths . I don't know how critical your widths need to be but if you can make your template slot ever so slightly loose so the router and collar will run smoothly. wax wax
Now all you have to do is make your bottom layer that holds your work piece. I normally make this out of 3/4" ply. This piece should be a couple inches larger on all sides than the template so you can add perimeter blocks around it to hold the template. And on top of it that will hold the template to the same height as your work piece. Use stop blocks around the work piece these can be made adjustable. and they need to be tight. Its kind of a template inside and under a template
Hope this helps

[glenn bradley]

I am looking for a jig for "through slotting" of narrow stock. Edge guides won't work because the pieces are usually 2-4" wide

I use the table but I don't drop material on a bit. I drill a hole as a starting and ending point. If the material is thick I set the hole over the bit and cut an 1/8" deep, crank up the lift and go back (stops at each end of the fence) and so forth.

[Bill McDermott]

I've done similar cuts this way...

I put the workpiece in my vise so that its surface is flush with the top of my bench. Then I clamp a board with a straight slot in it, precisely where I need the cut.

The board is a piece of half inch plywood. I cut the groove to the outside diameter of a router bushing. I carefully draw cross hairs on the template.

Just line up the cross hairs with center lines on your work piece. If the bit is the size of the groove, then the bushing needs to be bigger - as does the template groove.

Sometimes I use handscrews to clamp things together so they can serve as stops as well.

Since my vise has wood faces on it, I'm comfortable with this quick easy way to plunge in. Turns out I use that little template pretty regularly.