al heeley Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I have a platic laminate ctrl plate cover, its a sort of half-egg shape. I'm having difficulties cutting an accurate template for it to rout out the lip where the plate will sit into, flush with the body. I can rout straight lines ok, but odd shapes like compound curves has me beat. Is there a method or is it just patience and a steady hand routing along a pencil line by eye? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Hand cut a template and then use a bearing guided router Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 MDF and sand paper are your friend in this. MDF is perfect meterial to work with in relation to templates. Sand MDF template to desired shape. 1/4" MDF is perfect for this. Then use template bit to follow the template and cut out the plastic cover or the actual cover route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted September 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Thanks, that was pretty straightforward in the end, just good to get confirmation from you more experienced people here. I managed to cut most of the MDF shape with a Stanley knife, then smoothed it off with a file. My next problem then is that the MDF is only 6mm thick, and the router bit with the top bearing is 25mm long. As I only needed a 3mm recessed lip in the body I then had to jack up the template about 25mm with spare bits of wood stuck underneath. Then when the template is 25mm above the body, it's hard aligning it well with the eye. Maybe I need to find a template-following top-bearing router bit with a shorter (10-12mm) shank. Anyway, the ctrl plate cover fits nice and snug and it looks pretty neat. Thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I did a template for a control plate in about 5 minutes earlier. electric fretsaws are your friend and can be quite cheap i have one of these: http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_...le=1&jump=4 It does all my templates, scratchplates and stuff like that Do it with 3/4" mdf or ply and the router thing is no longer an issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted September 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 That's a very neat tool, I was expecting £120-£150 for that, pretty good at £40. This looks ideal for effortlessly turning out high quality templates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurits Posted September 24, 2006 Report Share Posted September 24, 2006 Because of alligning problems, yesterday I made a template for the lip by simply glueing a couple of sheets on top of each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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