Furniture Design Ideas

The router is by far the most adaptable joint-making tool in the workshop. Numbers of com­mercial jigs and router bits have been developed over the years that enable the tool to produce many common joints, such as dovetails, box joints, and mortise-and-tenons, and perform other, not so common, operations. The jig shown in the photo […]

1 Building the jig The jig shown at left is ideal for routing rectangular grooves; it can also be fitted with templates for curved cuts. Rather than following the pattern with a piloted bit or a non-piloted bit and a template guide, you feed the router base plate along the jig’s inside edges. Saw the […]

Vacuum damping is a reliable and simple way to fasten templates and workpieces together. The systems shown in this section of the chapter offer as much holding power as mechanical clamps and greater convenience with­ out risk of damage to the stock. The only requirement is that mating surfaces be flat and smooth. There are […]

1 Building the jig A jig like the one shown at left will allow your router to cut hinge mortises quickly and accurately. To make the cuts, you will need to equip your router with a straight bit and a template guide. Build the template from a piece of ‘/t-inch plywood. Size it wide enough […]

F 1 itted with a straight bit, a template guide, and a snap-on bushing, and guided by a shop-made template, a plunge router can plow a recess for an inlay quickly and accurately. The same setup can be used to trim the inlay to fit the recess perfectly. A wide range of inlays is available, […]

BASIC PATTERN ROUTING Using a template guide in a hand-held router Remove the base plate from the router, insert the threaded part of the template guide through the opening in the middle of the sub-base (above, left), and screw on the locking ring to hold the two together. Choose a template guide whose diameter is […]

Pattern routing is a precise and efficient method of creating multiple copies of a single contoured shape. The concept is easy to understand and the technique simple to execute: Once a template of the desired pattern is shaped and fastened to the workpiece, the router is guided by the cutout shape to replicate the design […]

A router table’s versatility is limited only by your creativity and the selection of bits in your shop. Many complex shapes and profiles can be molded on a router table by using two or more cutters in succession. As shown below, you can shape a handrail using two different bits. With a panel-raising bit (page […]

Turning at speeds of up to 20,000 rpm, a router can be an intimi­dating tool—and a dangerous one, if it is used carelessly. This section will show you how to build and use several devices that can make your router table work safer. Spinning router bits look deceptive­ly harmless. Because their outside edges are almost […]

ASSEMBLING THE FRAME AND ADDING THE TOP 1 Gluing the plastic laminate to the top Start the project by building the leg-and-rail assembly, referring to the anatomy illustrations on pages 38 and 39 for suggested dimensions and joinery. Then, cut the top to size and set it on the assembly. Cut two sheets of ‘/6-inch […]