# Routing with the aid of Template guides



## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

It has been some time since I began making my chairs and I am pleased to announce that they were completed today all eight chairs and all 'Carvers'. What I have to report on the construction is that at least 90% of the processes were completed with the router in the Plunge mode with the aid of template guides and constructing my own Jigs and Templates. I even applied the upholstery which was another first for me. 

I read a great deal of postings to the forum on how the router should be inserted under the table such as the Triton table, and also how others are constructing their own router table. I would just like to say once more that there is more that can be achieved with the router in the hand held position and also with the aid of the template guides. (The eight chairs are an example)

There was some interest in my article I had written on the 'Introduction to the use of the template guides' well at least I sent out a large number to those requesting the information and it is still there as a 'Sticky' for those to use.. I have not had a great response to the article so I wonder if those who received it actually tried it out. Maybe the Rectangular frame was not interesting enough to introduce the guides. Or maybe I did not explain it clearly enough in the article. (I would still like to hear from you on the matter). To this end I have produced a DVD of the same material. This can be made available to those who would email me and I can provide some information on the DVD and also the two other DVDs I have produced, I had released a number of CD-ROMs in the past and this is the same material in DVD format. 
Pics of the chairs enclosed also details of my DVDs
Tom


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

a beautiful set of chairs, Tom.

A tribute to your skill as a furniture maker. The result of your dedication to your methods

James


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## ajh359 (Jul 17, 2008)

I have been reading all you posts and I did not have any router guides. So I when and got a set, it took a while to get the right setup when using a guide and router bit with a guide. Some time I still have to read spec sheet to set it up. Thanks for the help you have been giving.

Andrew


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

ajh359 said:


> I have been reading all you posts and I did not have any router guides. So I when and got a set, it took a while to get the right setup when using a guide and router bit with a guide. Some time I still have to read spec sheet to set it up. Thanks for the help you have been giving.
> 
> Andrew


Hi Andrew

Good to hear that you are getting into the method of using template guides. Just as a matter of interest what is the size of the largest diameter guide/ and secondly are you using male or female templates? I would also be interested in what cutters you are using.
Tom


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## ajh359 (Jul 17, 2008)

Not sure what you mean by male and female guides? I have use some straight bits, I have copy a few of bob3 jigs. If I understand what you are saying, I put a guide bushing and put the guide bushing on top of jig and cut what I need.


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## template tom (Sep 18, 2004)

ajh359 said:


> Not sure what you mean by male and female guides? I have use some straight bits, I have copy a few of bob3 jigs. If I understand what you are saying, I put a guide bushing and put the guide bushing on top of jig and cut what I need.


Andrew the two photographs will explain the differrence
Tom


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Tom, I'm not sure the illustrations are clear enough for beginners to understand. Perhaps it is easier to just say you rout around the outside of a male template and around the inside of a female template. At first I did not understand why you could not substitute a pattern following bit for the template guide. I figured it out and Tom confirmed my suspicion; when plunging you have no control over the location until you have plunged far enough for the bit mounted bearing to make contact with the pattern. With a template guide you control the location from the start. (I think Tom dug out a ladder to give me a pat on the head for that one)
Season one of the Router Workshop uses methods very similar to Tom's in episode #109, the project is to make wooden wheels. As Bob Rosendahl points out it is very difficult to cut a perfect circle on a band saw, and yet it is a breeze with a router equipped with guide bushings and a template. Some circle jigs attach to the router and others are designed to fit the guide bushing and are true templates. Advanced woodworking requires the knowledge and use of guide bushings and templates for many tasks such as inlay work. I hope more members take an interest in learning Tom's methods. Learning Tom's methods expands your capabilities in what is perhaps the safest way possible.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

The simplest way is to say a female template is a hole and male template is a disk.

I had to stop using bearing cutters with my templates. Although you may not notice it if you let the cutter hit the template right under where the bearing is hitting the template, every time you use the template it gets ever so slightly smaller throwing off the system.

That reason alone convinced me the template guides were the way to go for repeated template work. 

After like ten uses or less the templates were not working and it took a long while for me to realize why. The bearing method does work, but if you want to use the template over and over nothing is better than the template guides.


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## ajh359 (Jul 17, 2008)

Ok I know what you are talking about now, I have use it both ways.


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