40mm Bushing Router Guide Rail

[rmwarren]

So it was 60 degrees this afternoon, the boss was having dinner with her girlfriends and UPS showed up with a box from Woodpeckers - Party Time!!!  [big grin] [thumbs up] [thumbs up]

Anyway, this idea has been brewing for a while, I basically wanted a guide that could be adapted to various routing needs.

The basic router guide looks like this:

[attachthumb=#]

Rather than using an edge guide I wanted to make use of the 40mm guide bushing and run it between 2 parallel tracks, to do this I made a couple of spacers that fit the Woodpeckers track. The tricky part is getting the spacing right, the guide bushing is right at 40mm, the spacers are about 0.05mm wider, just enough to prevent binding.

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

In one iteration I plan to to mount it to a material-holding jig using several of Pete Pedisich's ideas from Mortising Jig for Festool OF1400. This guide would replace the 8020 extrusions and the edge guide that Pete used.

I also wanted to be able to clamp the guide to material to be cut. I was not sure if the Festool clamps would fit the t-slots so I bought some of Woodpeckers clamps, which are really nice.

[attachthumb=#]

I did get the Festool clamps to fit by sanding off a tiny bit on each side, probably less than 0.25mm overall.

[attachthumb=#]

[attachthumb=#]

The final result is a very flexible guide that will fit most diameter bits (anything under about 1.5" diameter) and I can get a pretty good depth of cut. Shown here I have the full cutting depth of a 1/2" carbide end mill with about 1.5" flutes.

[attachthumb=#]

I used 30" tracks, which lets me route a 24" wide groove after accounting for the spacers and the guide bushing.

My next project is to make a platform for this to sit on that I can clamp material to, similar to the mortise jig Pete made. I also plan to modify the spacers so I can attach a 40mm wide strip of 1/4" MDF between them, inside the space between the tracks. This will serve as a sacrificial template that is routed through, which will then give me a reference point for the edge of the bit that I can align to a line on the material to be routed.

Comments or suggestions are welcome.

RMW

 

[Jay Evans]

RMW-
Brilliant-
I may steal your idea for my own use.  I like the way you pocketed the cap screws to access the T-nuts.
I would make a fence to fit the "set-up" that would allow me to clamp it square to a board or workpiece.
I would scribe center marks on the inside and outside edges of the spacers for aligning during layout work.
This could also be used as a router sled for flattening boards and surfaces-
Great idea.
Jay

 

[rmwarren]

RMW-
Brilliant-
I may steal your idea for my own use.  I like the way you pocketed the cap screws to access the T-nuts.
I would make a fence to fit the "set-up" that would allow me to clamp it square to a board or workpiece.
I would scribe center marks on the inside and outside edges of the spacers for aligning during layout work.
This could also be used as a router sled for flattening boards and surfaces-
Great idea.
Jay

Bingo - those improvements are on my to-do list, I am going to make a couple fences from AL angle so I can align it perpendicular to a panel to route dadoes for shelves, etc. Also planned to scribe a center-line and darken it somehow, and make some adjustable stops to limit the router travel.

This rendering shows v2.0, the ledge on the right hand side is .250" so I can attach a piece of ply to into the 40MM recess (it is shown upside-down), then route through it and it will act as an edge-guide. I also extended the screw pocket clear through to make it easier to access the screws, and added a through-hole for a knob/t-nut to let me attach to perpendicular tracks.

[attachthumb=#]

Still trying to figure out how to convert it into a mortise-type jig similar to the thread referenced below. I am envisioning a couple of t-track parallel "arms" at 90 degrees with scales built in and a vertical surface to clamp stock or other fixtures to that is zeroed in to the scale somehow. Then slide the guide to whatever distance on the scale and route away. I don't quite see it all in my head yet but that is the general idea.

Thanks Jay.

RMW

 

[Jay Evans]

RMW-
I really like your ideas a lot- the square though hole for the screw heads is a good idea, and I like the "rabbits" for the 1/4 filler/guide-
Here is another idea-  these "spacers" would be excellent also if made to fit festool standard MFS profiles- Makes the MFS stuff more versatile, but I understand that you went with the woodpecker alum for a reason.  Not a criticism, just another idea. 
Also, if you made a block that was 40.25mm wide, that had the profile of a "House" with the roof ridge right on the center of the 40mm, you could use that as an insertable centering pointer, and move, align and remove it as needed- I've made centering guides like that before and they work very well, fast and easy.
I just love woodworking, because you can do so much of it with just careful layout and cutting to / working to crisp pencil lines.
Keep the juices flowing......
Jay