Replies

1. 
   cuttoff | Jun 12, 2002 09:15pm | #1

   If I can assume that you are routing through a curve and the leading edge does not follow the curve then yes, your only alternative is to increase the thickness of your template. If it is a straight cut and the leading edge is straight and parallel to the grove then use a straight cut bit and an edge guide if you have them. I suspect that the later is not the case or you would not have gone to the template in the first place.

   John

1. 
   mtidaho1 | Jun 12, 2002 11:58pm | #2

   yes you are correct...I am going to try to route a U-shaped path in the plywood for the tongues on the tambour doors to follow.

   thanks

   ron b

1. 
   SgianDubh | Jun 13, 2002 01:23am | #3

   mt, this is a job well suited to using a guide bush. These are circular collars that fit into the base of the router, and through which the cutter passes. They can be bought at woodworking machinery suppliers, and online at places like Rockler. The centre of the bush is (i.e., or should be if all is engineered properly) automatically centred vertically below on the collet centre. It means you need to make your template offset from the desired path of the tambour groove- or any other pattern cutting operation for that matter. The calculation to determine the offset is to deduct the router cutter diameter (CD) of the bit from the outside diameter (OD) of the guide bush, and divide the result by half. Let's plug in some numbers, and here you'll have to bear with me because I'm hopeless with fractions and I'm all metric. 

   OD of guide bush= 25 mm.

   CD of router cutter= 10mm.

   Sum is 25 minus 10 divided by 2 = 7.5mm. Therefore the offset of your pattern from the desired path of the groove = 7.5mm. Mostly I find plunge routers work best with guide bushes. There are other methods that can be used, one of which has already been mentioned, but the guide bush option is a good one. Slainte, RJ.

   RJFurniture

   Edited 6/12/2002 6:26:09 PM ET by Sgian Dubh

1. 
   cuttoff | Jun 13, 2002 06:14pm | #4

   Of Course ! The inlay set on the shelf has all the bushings that would work perfect to resolve his problem. Jeeze, see what happens when you have to many tools in your shop, you forget the simplest things. I am such a goof ball.John