# Pin router workholding jig



## Prostheta (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi everyone! This is probably my first post as I am an avid reader and researcher in preference to being spoonfed. :happy:
I have however, not managed to come across much on the subject of overhead pin routing of the larger scary kind.

I am wanting to design and build a workholding fixture for the overhead pin router ("yläjyrsin", suomeks) I happen to have become very good friends with, and would very much appreciate input on the idea whether it be from existing fixtures, best practice in certain circumstances, etc.

First of all, say hello to my leetle frehnd.









Up until now, I have been using the simplest approach which is to direct-mount 18mm ply templates to the underside of the workpiece. Obviously this is not always the most practical of options and not the most accurate when using a number of templates so I have decided to fabricate a large sled with a method of both workpiece and template referencing/holding.

It looks to me like the pin router was originally designed for some kind of sled system, what with the parallel bars either side of the table. If anybody has photos of what this might have looked like, that would be beyond awesome. Certainly in the absence of the original sled, I would like to see whether those could be re-utilised in a new design.

Right. Pause for breath whilst I go and eat some food. 
Bear with me....


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Welcome to the forum, Carl.


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## LuisG (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi Carl, greetings from Mexico.
Consider this jig, I think would be easier and faster once you have all you templates


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## Watersports (Jun 5, 2010)

Good afternoon Luis,

Very nice set up. Thanks for sharing.

John Marsh


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Hi Carl

The Interwood router you have is designed for use with heavy templates with toggle clamps to hold-down the workpiece. These jigs are often "handed" for ease of use with a left and right hand jig to complete an all round profile cut on something like a guitar body - in other words you cut one side with jig A, then transfer the workpiece to jig B to cut the other side. This type of template allows one to fit handles which keep your hands well away from the cutter - far, far safer than the type of templates typically used for inverted routing on a router table. I still have one of my old Interwood books on this subject, so if you contact me by email I should be able to scan the relevant pages for you

Regards

Phil


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## Prostheta (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks for the responses everyone. I will certainly email you about this Phil as my degree will leave me spending a lot of time with this router, hence my decision to tool up around it and spend time maximising its usage. It has literally sat unused almost buried in a corner, whereas I see it as one of the most fabulous gems in the shop.

LuisG: More than likely I would use a graduated series of CNC-cut templates for specific depths rather than a duplicarving setup. Even a relatively mega-thick carve could happily be made with a set of say 15 templates at millimetre graduations, or even 8 templates each having two settings for the pin height. That is then hand scraper and paper territory. I am specifically leaning my degree specialisation towards process/manufacture so repeatability is key, hence my love affair with this beautiful machine.

I actually need to figure out my workholding options for this sled really. I've genuinely not used toggle clamps as previously all my workholding jigs have either of the more temporary nature. Vacuum holding crossed my mind as I could easily cut gasketing/plug channels into a sled on the CNC, however I would need to purchase a Venturi pump...perhaps one day as this would also be useful for vacuum bagging.

The initial idea fermenting in my head was a regular grid of say, 5cm spaced holes through which dowels would locate the lower templates and the workpiece. Certainly, I would very much like to figure out whether toggle clamps would be the better option for the workholding side of things. I presume bolting them through the aforementioned "dowel holes" would be the best approach here?


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## Prostheta (Feb 23, 2009)

Ah, I am unable to message you Phil at the PM system is disabled until my tenth post. My email is carl(dot)maltby(at)googlemail(dot)com.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Luis. Nice jig. If I had more shop room I think I could definitely use something similar.:yes4:


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