Systainer drawer seats

[JimmyB1775]

So I made some drawers for my systainers and one of the things I'm trying to do is put 1/4" deep pockets for the systainer feet. I made a template out of some 1/4" MDF and I'm trying to use a template bearing. Here's my dilemma. Cutting this into melamine, the dang template won't stay in place. I've done masking tape on both pieces with double sided tape, I've used hand squeeze clamps. I'm trying to avoid clamping with big clamps because this should be a quick process and it would take longer to clamp than it would to spin out the holes. I really want it to work like a track with the black qrippy stuff on the bottom where it's magic and doesn't move. I'm also about to quit the stupid router altogether and just use my carvex.

Any suggestions?

I have not tried sandpaper on the template yet. I thought maybe 80+ grit would hold it in place with the hand clamps.

 

[RKA]

Can you take a large scrap of plywood or something and nail in stop blocks to capture the work piece and template?  This way you clamp that fixture down once and just drop your drawer and template into the fixture to do the routing.

 

[JimmyB1775]

Can you take a large scrap of plywood or something and nail in stop blocks to capture the work piece and template?  This way you clamp that fixture down once and just drop your drawer and template into the fixture to do the routing.

No, only because the drawer base (they're just bases, not drawers) are already installed, I just decided to make the recesses. So it would be different, left and right, but there's a side that won't be nailed down.

 

[elfick]

A couple screws to hold it in place?

 

[JimmyB1775]

A couple screws to hold it in place?

I'm stupid. Yeah. Screws. At this point, the cutouts for the feet already look as effed as they could but i don't care because it's hidden right? So why care about a couple holes! I'm an idiot.

I blame this lapse in common sense on woodworkings overall disdain for metal fasteners. Glue everything!

I'm using screws tonight. Thanks!

 

[Dick Mahany]

Glad you figured out a solution.  This won't help you now, but if you make more in the future here's a simple template to help the process.  The template is simply made by gluing blocks of MDF with CA glue to create the proper voids for the systainer feet, and a few registration blocks to hold the shelf to be routed.  I used a forstner bit to get rid of some of the material and then did the final routing with a bearing guided compression spiral bit. 

This worked so much better than when I hacked the first shelf with a jig saw.

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[JimmyB1775]

A couple screws to hold it in place?

I'm stupid. Yeah. Screws. At this point, the cutouts for the feet already look as effed as they could but i don't care because it's hidden right? So why care about a couple holes! I'm an idiot.

I blame this lapse in common sense on woodworkings overall disdain for metal fasteners. Glue everything!

I'm using screws tonight. Thanks!

Screws did EXACTLY what I needed.  If you look at my threads, you’ll notice a few times I asked incredibly stupid Captain Obvious type questions.