# Making clear base for template routing



## gelbaugh (Sep 23, 2014)

I am wanting to make a clear base for my router to do some template routing with. I am thinking about 3/8 thick Lexan but have never worked with any of this material. Wondering about drilling etc. Anyone have any personal experience with this type of project or any ideas would be appreciated.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

This should help:

http://www.routerforums.com/guide-b...making-your-own-sub-base-plate.html#post73038


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

gelbaugh said:


> I am wanting to make a clear base for my router to do some template routing with. I am thinking about 3/8 thick Lexan but have never worked with any of this material. Wondering about drilling etc. Anyone have any personal experience with this type of project or any ideas would be appreciated.



YUP...
1/4'' is all you need...
read the PDF...
any doubts questions.. ask...


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

"Anyone have any personal experience with this type of project or any ideas would be appreciated." I have & I do.
************************************************************
Unsolicited advice, no priors in Acrylic or Lexan?
Then don't start now. Whilst it is a popular sport, (making plastic base plates), there are too many surprises drilling and routing the stuff for the first time. If you must, do some experimenting first.
*****************************************************************
For example, acrylic can climb right up a drill bit, weld itself to a saw blade, melt up against a sanding disk, split in 2 when tapped, fill your work space with toxic waste, crack in your face when routed, lacerate you if you try to score & break it x hand, & burn up whilst being flame polished. Moreover, the chip is charged and will spread itself uniformly on all surfaces.
And the adversity is instant and unexpected; a recipe for a bad day, breaking a tool, busting the work and spoiling your set up.
Should be in Mike's safety thread.
These materials are not innocuous, nor are they as easy to work as wood. Wood can absorb mistakes, plastics are unforgiving.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Quillman said:


> "Anyone have any personal experience with this type of project or any ideas would be appreciated." I have & I do.
> ************************************************************
> Unsolicited advice, no priors in Acrylic or Lexan?
> Then don't start now. Whilst it is a popular sport, (making plastic base plates), there are too many surprises drilling and routing the stuff for the first time. If you must, do some experimenting first.
> ...



so let's try to help/educate Daryl ....


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

Internet advice is not what he needs. He needs hands on show & tell.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

I know one thing not to do with lexan , cut or engrave it with a laser . The vapours are very unhealthy to humans and also damage the lasers optics . I like plexiglass as its outgasses are mainly co2 .
Most companies that cut plastics with a laser will not touch Lexan . In this case I'm sure it doesn't matter but if I wanted a base I would certainly use my laser to make it

Daryl I've used lexan for car audio applications , and first I cut it as close as possible to the size of the jig , then finish on the router table with a flush bit I think it's called . My scariest episode was when I didn't remove enough material with the jig saw first , then when I put it on the router table the bit caught to much material and jettisoned it across the room bending the router bit. 
Never had issues drilling though. I put my drill press on low speed so the lexan doesn't melt and get the drill bit jammed in it

This is the piece that almost took off a finger . But it was 1/2" lexan and I think you'll find I/4" will be easier to work with 



Made a ring from mdf to act as a template for guiding the router bit around the plexiglass after it was pre cut


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I say listen to Quillman, he knows what he speaks.

Herb


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## kauila (May 17, 2015)

gelbaugh said:


> I am wanting to make a clear base for my router to do some template routing with. I am thinking about 3/8 thick Lexan but have never worked with any of this material. Wondering about drilling etc. Anyone have any personal experience with this type of project or any ideas would be appreciated.


I made a 3/8" thick Lexan base for one of my small routers. 
It looks great, but I have recently noticed how the extra thickness makes it more difficult to see the bit doing the routing. The Lexan is clear and it could be that I did not polish the sides of the hole for the bit to go through. It gives a distorted (or maybe a shadowed) view of what I am routing.
The thinner 1/4" thick material recommended by Stick would be how I would go if I did it again.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

This shot shows an Acrylic sub-base that I hurriedly made whilst in the middle of a project when I realized that the router would tilt into the template. I cut a piece of 1/4" Acrylic of unknown type on the band-saw, a jig saw would have been fine, then I placed the plastic base from the router on the centre and marked the mounting holes and which were the drilled and it didn't take much longer than it's taken to compose this post.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Daryl, I'm going to tell you that Pat (Quillman) is spot-on! He knows this from years of experience. Not only is Lexan quite expensive, but it is unforgiving. Guys that work with this stuff daily can buy in bulk and pass-on their savings. I work with it, but will readily admit it is a pain-in-the-butt. There is nothing else that even comes close to it in true quality. Just find what you need online from a respected manufacturer and make the purchase. I promise you will save money in the long run!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

OPG3 said:


> Daryl, I'm going to tell you that Pat (Quillman) is spot-on! He knows this from years of experience. Not only is Lexan quite expensive, but it is unforgiving. Guys that work with this stuff daily can buy in bulk and pass-on their savings. I work with it, but will readily admit it is a pain-in-the-butt. There is nothing else that even comes close to it in true quality. Just find what you need online from a respected manufacturer and make the purchase. I promise you will save money in the long run!
> 
> Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


It's extremely expensive but all you have to do is go to any windshield repair shop and they should have small pieces fairly cheap . At least that's how I've always done it


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## rpludwig (Nov 22, 2011)

buy what you need from Pat Warner (Quillman), reasonable and better quality than the router mfgrs bases by far...

Selecting A Subbase


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

rpludwig said:


> buy what you need from Pat Warner (Quillman), reasonable and better quality than the router mfgrs bases by far...
> 
> Selecting A Subbase


I agree, I have bought a few from Pat Warner over the years and they are unmatched top quality for a reasonable price and will last as long as your router and beyond. 
I guarantee that you will spend more buying material,paying shipping and risk messing them up, plus have an inferior product if you do them yourself.
Herb


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Herb Stoops said:


> I agree, I have bought a few from Pat Warner over the years and they are unmatched top quality for a reasonable price and will last as long as your router and beyond.
> I guarantee that you will spend more buying material,paying shipping and risk messing them up, plus have an inferior product if you do them yourself.
> Herb


Wow I just checked the link and he does some nice work !


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

RainMan1 said:


> Wow I just checked the link and he does some nice work !


I agree. I've not purchased anything from him, but his "word of mouth" advertising on here is pretty good.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

BrianS said:


> I agree. I've not purchased anything from him, but his "word of mouth" advertising on here is pretty good.


He just needs to mount about 3-4 white LEDs in them


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

RainMan1 said:


> He just needs to mount about 3-4 white LEDs in them


But I like the Blue ones...

Herb


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Herb Stoops said:


> But I like the Blue ones...
> 
> Herb


Well as long as there not pink


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## Lappa (Feb 5, 2015)

When I was looking to buy acrylic to make a router plate, the supplier advised me not to buy Lexan as it scratched too easily. So I just bought Perspex on his advice.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

http://www.routerforums.com/guide-bushings-templates/39218-new-base-plate.html


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

@Lappa, I think someone swapped product labels or maybe the "dealer" was recently promoted from "French Fries". Here in my area (US - State of Georgia) Lexan is darn near impossible to scratch - whilst most acrylics (i.e. Plexiglas) are lucky if they can get from the store to your home or shop without scratches. Perspex is one I have never used. Lexan is expensive and well worth the price. Many people call Plexiglas "Lexan", but real honest-to-goodness Lexan is some very fine material!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## gelbaugh (Sep 23, 2014)

Thanks for all the advice! It's great to hear from people with experience with this. I have purchased a 1/4 piece of Lexan that is the dimension that I was looking for, so no need to cut. Hopefully I can get a center hole and the 3 mounting screw holes drilled with few problems. Slow seems to be the trick for this sort of thing. The edges of the Lexan are not sharp so I will not need to deal with that at all. I will try it and see what happens! Thanks again everyone for replying.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

This link leads to an old thread of mine showing in detail how I made an Acrylic base with built in LED lighting.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm not taking sides here...I'm listening to Pat's advice and digesting it!
BUT...if you decide to proceed, *Router Magic* has a ton of plans and info on machining plastic bases, amongst a bunch of other goodies.

http://www.amazon.com/Router-Magic-...437459810&sr=1-4&refinements=p_27:Bill+Hylton
http://www.amazon.ca/Router-Magic-Fixtures-Unleash-Potential/dp/0762101857


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## Lappa (Feb 5, 2015)

OPG3 said:


> @Lappa, I think someone swapped product labels or maybe the "dealer" was recently promoted from "French Fries". Here in my area (US - State of Georgia) Lexan is darn near impossible to scratch - whilst most acrylics (i.e. Plexiglas) are lucky if they can get from the store to your home or shop without scratches. Perspex is one I have never used. Lexan is expensive and well worth the price. Many people call Plexiglas "Lexan", but real honest-to-goodness Lexan is some very fine material!
> 
> Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


Rang him to recheck. He still reckons Lexan (polycarbonate) scratches/scuffs more easily that acrylic but is a lot stronger. A search seems to back him up. I can't post URLs yet but check "coloradoplastics.com" for polycarbonate (Lexan) vs Acrylic (lucite)


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Lappa said:


> Rang him to recheck. He still reckons Lexan (polycarbonate) scratches/scuffs more easily that acrylic but is a lot stronger. A search seems to back him up. I can't post URLs yet but check "coloradoplastics.com" for polycarbonate (Lexan) vs Acrylic (lucite)


I agree with this. I worked in the sign industry for many years. If you make windows out of both acrylic (plexi) and polycarbonate (lexan) the acrylic resists scratches much better. Acrylic can crack though, especially if it has a nick in it. Lexan is nearly impossible to crack. You can bend thin lexan at room temperature... acrylic you need to heat.

When cutting or drilling plexi be careful not to leave any nicks. Go nice and slow when the drill is coming through the other side. In thinner plexi I used to use a stepper bit and never had an issue. A sharp bit (especially in a hand drill) can snag and leave a poor hole with chips. My old boss used to first drill concrete with a new bit to make it better for drilling plexi 

Both types have their uses. I would think that Lexan might be a little saggy for a router table plate, unless it's thick enough to overcome its softness or the span is pretty small. For a base plate it should be better than plexi except that it might get scuffed up faster.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

gelbaugh said:


> I am wanting to make a clear base for my router to do some template routing with. I am thinking about 3/8 thick Lexan but have never worked with any of this material. Wondering about drilling etc. Anyone have any personal experience with this type of project or any ideas would be appreciated.


FWIW Most of the after-market plates appear to be acrylic. You don't mention what size plate you were planning to make but there is a selection here Router Plates - Universal Template Guide Plates - and available with the countersunk hole for the PC template guide already machined so it's just a matter of centering your router on the bushing, marking the holes and drilling them. Using a template guide, you need the ability to adjust the location of the plate relative to the router so that the spindle and bushing are concentric. Through holes with a slight clearance, counterbores of the appropriated size and a truss head/button head screw of the correct size are what's needed https://www.boltdepot.com/Socket_button_head_Alloy_steel_black_oil_finish.aspx https://www.boltdepot.com/Machine_screws_Phillips_truss_head_Stainless_steel_18-8.aspx - just be careful not to overtighten the screws and crack the baseplate.

With the tight fit needed to accurately locate the bushing in the plate - the hole to accept the flange of the bushing needs to be held to pretty tight tolerances to prevent movement of the bushing - buying one with the center holes already in place makes sense. Buying a quality part already finished is worth the additional cost - I have some plates that I bought from Pat Warner many years ago, still as accurate as they were then. Every time that I've checked the concentricity of the bushing to the router spindle, it's been spot on and I've never had to adjust it.

Tom


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## gelbaugh (Sep 23, 2014)

I made my router base this past weekend. I had no problems drilling the lexan. I used a hole saw for the center and a forstner bit and regular split point bit for the mounting holes. No cracks or any other issues. Time will tell how scratch resistant the material is. Thanks for all the great help and ideas.


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## neville (Oct 20, 2014)

Discovering I could make my own router bases; whether with mdf or perspex has opened a whole new world of routing.
Having pin holes at different distances enables me to cut holes or cylinders of any size.
Just made some 40mm diameter hifi knobs with a router.
And being able to have a "long" base for my palm router has given me the stability I need.

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk


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## mikelawson113 (Sep 25, 2015)

I was advised years ago that when you drill a hole in plexi you should break the edge of the hole where it enters and exits the surface of the material. This is supposed to help alleviate cracking that originates at the drilled hole - similar to radiusing any sharp corner. 

I also agree that things can go wrong fast when working with plastics. Secure the workpiece and spend a bit of extra time planning your operations. Bandsaw works well for cutting.


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## MegN&Co. (May 25, 2017)

Yes. Highly recommend. Has helped tremendously with templates and freehand use.


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

there is a whole set of router bits designed for use with plastics. These bits have "O-flute" cutters. Two sources come to mind, Onsrud and Amana. A quick look shows that edge work requires reduced speed and a high feed rate. Stay tuned for more.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I have one of the Onsrud bits but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I made a table plate earlier this year using a milling machine and metal cutting bits and it turned out beautifully. I have no idea exactly which plastic itis as it is from a sheet that my SIL brought home from the Kohler bath products plant near Armstrong, BC. I would agree with an earlier post by Paul suggesting that tooling with an aggressive hook on them will cause you grief. The milling cutters worked just fine but the worst job I did was cutting the screw holes to mount the router. As Paul said, a standard twist drill is too aggressive for drilling plastic.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> ...I have no idea exactly which plastic itis as it is from a sheet that my SIL brought home from the Kohler bath products plant near Armstrong, BC. ...


Chuck, lexan's edge looks very dark compared to plexi. That's how I used to distinguish them.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

If it's from the plumbing industry, Charles, it may simply be acrylic ie Plexiglas.
Plexiglass - Plexiglass Sheets, Rods and Tubes - Order Online.


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

Dan, if it came from the plumbing industry it is almost certainly not polycarbonate (Lexan, Markakon,et,) because ppolycarbonate is a polymer of bis-phenol A (BpA) which leaches out into the water. BpA is an estrogen mimic. Many fish species living in water containing BpA have testes developing eggs, not sperm! 
Rick (@Rainman 2.0) has also pointed out some of the dangers of working with polycarbonate.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Based on what (Paul and Dan) you are saying I believe you are right that is just plexi. I considered it in my way for a few years as I thought it was just a project part that either the SIL or my son had left behind in my shop. Turns out my SIL had picked it up from Kohler, as it was going in the dumpster otherwise, so he brought it home for me to use. 3/8" thick and about 3' x 3' big so enough for quite a few bases or plates. 

I had drilled a Grizzley plate and without thinking I oriented the router the wrong way and then it wouldn't fit in the newest table I made. So rather than drilling another set of holes which would look ugly and make it obvious that I screwed up, I decided to make a new plate out of that sheet. I still wanted to be able to use the reduction rings from the Grizzley plate. I marked the center of the rectangle as close as I could (perfection is not required here) and then drilled a 1/4" hole there. I needed to mill out a circle that was as deep and as wide as the largest Grizzley ring and for this it had to be pretty precise. I am lucky to have a milling machine but the only differences between a milling machine and a drill press is the ability to lock the quill at any height and the cross slide table under the quill. Solve those two issues and a drill press will also work.

I started making the recess about 1/2" smaller than it needed to be by sticking a router guide bushing centering pin in the milling vise and pushing the plate down on it. I put another point in the chuck of the mill and lined up the two points. Once lined up I locked the x axis on the table so that it couldn't move. Then I adjusted the y axis to start milling.This gave me the concentricity that I needed by just spinning the plate by hand on the centering pin then. Once I was close to the finished diameter it was a matter of doing very small increments until I had it right. The setup is this is fairly rigid so the plate can be removed and reinstalled without affecting anything. Once I had the rabbet for the reduction rings made then I started milling out the center part so as to leave about a 1/8" lip for the reduction rings to sit on. I milled the inner circle down about 1/8" per pass and at the end I left a couple of tabs to hold it in and plunged through between the tabs and milled those arcs all the way through, parting the inner circle out by hand after.

I don't know how many this might have been helpful to but it is a fairly simple albeit somewhat time consuming process for making a plate but it turned out perfectly and it was very satisfying to do so I considered it worthwhile.


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## Job and Knock (Dec 18, 2016)

I have to say that my own preference for sub-bases, jigs, etc is tufnol, a type of phenolic resin based plastic. It can chip or cack if dropped heavily, but it is very durable and wears extremely well. But it isn't see through - although neither are polycarbonate or acrylic after a few moinths use in my experience. I'll echo comments by others on the subject of machining - many plastics are best machined at high feed speed with lowered revolutions - the aim is to try to produce a constant stream of small, curled chips coming off the cutter (and falling away) rather than dust or "hairs" which will be charged with static and tend to either melt back onto the surface or jam-up the cutter. This dust/hairs is partially the result of "churning" where material is cut off the stock and recut several times before being ejected from the cutter. It is best avoided as it quickly overheats the cutter which in turn makes the problems of melt back much worse.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

A glass drill works best, meaning that it is designed to cut glass, and not made from glass. It is a kind of flat blade that comes to a point shaped something like the bottom of the heart symbol, and it scrapes the hole rather than cutting it, so it won't break through like a regular drill bit will. Flattening the cutting edge of a drill bit helps, but usually does not work as good. In either case, run the bit slow so there is no melting.

I would also caution against using Plexi for any kind of router base or template work, because it shatters very easily. Clear Lexan is a much better, and safer choice. It won't shatter. In fact, they make bullet proof windows from thick pieces of it. Do yourself a big favor and make your clear router bases and templates,and even machine tool safety covers, from clear Lexan. At the very least, you won't have to remake it after your Plexi version shatters and, hopefully, it won't injure anyone when it does.

Lexan is available almost everywhere that Plexi is sold, but it's a little more expensive and you have to remember to ask for it instead of Plexi. Even the Big Box stores have it in 1/16 and 1/8" thickness. If you want thicker pieces than about 1/8", all plastics distributors sell it, and most will cut and sell smaller pieces, so you don't have to buy whole sheets. I try to keep several pieces of 1/4" around for making jigs. Most of my templates are made with 1/4" smoky Lexan because I was given a bunch of it. I don't care what color it is when it's free.

Charley


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