Carving has traditionally been the exclusive domain of artisans wielding hand tools. But, armed with a router and one of the jigs shown in this section, you can produce carvings similar to hand-wrought works. Although most plunge bits can be used in router-caning, some cutters have specific applications. With their capacity for removing large quantities […]
Category: ADVANCED ROUTING
ROUTING DECORATIVE ACCENTS
Carved accents and ornamentation have been a feature of fine furniture for centuries. Traditionally, these details were etched with painstaking skill by master carvers wielding a battery of gouges, chisels and files. While a router cannot duplicate the finely detailed work of a skilled carver, it can still produce impressive results with far less effort […]
DOWELS AND WOODEN THREADS
Making your own dowels provides for a great deal more flexibility in your woodworking projects than if you rely solely on commercial dowel stock. The principal advantage of custom-made dowels is that you can use any species—one that matches the surrounding wood or one that contrasts. Another benefit is that you can size the dowels […]
DECORATIVE TECHNIQUES
Fastened to a box-like jig that rides along the bed of a lathe, the router shown at left plows a flute in a quarter column. For instructions on building and using this jig, refer to page 120. COMMERCIAL JIGS AND ACCESSORIES Laminate trimmer Lightweight enough to be used in freehand routing (page 134) Turning jig […]
DOVETAIL JOINTS
(Combining enduring strength with an attractive apperance, the through dovetail is often used in fine furniture to join carcase corners. The half-blind version of the joint shown starting on page 108 is a good choice for assembling drawers because the drawer front conceals the end grain of the sides. Traditionally, the joint was cut using […]
POCKET HOLES
Л laminate trimmer slides along a shop – built jig to rout a recess, or “pocket,” for a screw in the face frame rail shown at right. Pocket holes are commonly used with screws for joining face frame members or attaching a tabletop to its supporting rails. Because they recess the fasteners below the surface […]
LOCK MITER JOINT
ROUTING A LOCK MITER Making the cuts Install a lock miter bit in your router and mount the tool in a table. Attach a notched auxiliary fence (page 90) and screw an extension board to the miter gauge. Set the bit height so the uppermost cutter is centered on the board end with the work […]
PLATE JOINT
Fitted with a three-wing slotting cutter and mounted in a commercial biscuit joiner attachment, a router cuts semicircular slots for wood biscuits. Glued into two mating slots, the biscuits form a strong and durable plate joint—without the expense of a plate joiner. You can also cut the same joint on a router table with a […]
CORNER HALF-LAP JOINT
The corner half-lap joint is often used to assemble frames and doors. Adding dowels or screws to the joint provides an extra measure of strength. The joint can be cut on a table saw with a dado blade, but a router will do the job just as well. Do not try to make the cut […]
DOUBLE DADO JOINT
The double dado joint connects two dadoes, one dado on the inside face of one board and the other dado—with one tongue shortened—on the end of the mating piece. The joint is stronger than a standard through dado because it provides more gluing surface. It is an ideal choice for joining boards of different thicknesses, […]