Tips For Template Routing?

[schnarf]

I've been practicing routing my humbucker cavities on scrap wood and have been having some trouble. I'm using a handheld router and the stewmac template bit and humbucker template. Somehow I sometimes have a problem where the bit or bearing eats through the template, causing the route to get screwed up and making me need a new template. Any tips on not doing this? I tried making sure the teflon tube which holds the bearing in place was cut flush, and using some 3 in 1 oil on the template.

[WezV]

i prefer these bits for routing with thin templates like the stew-mac ones:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-CMT-Mil...aring-33382.htm

because they are quite short you dont need to raise the templates up off the guitar body and the router will contact the template within the second pass. the bearing is also right neck to the cutter and secured with an allen bolt rather than teflon tubing - much more secure

[GA Bert]

I've been practicing routing my humbucker cavities on scrap wood and have been having some trouble. I'm using a handheld router and the stewmac template bit and humbucker template. Somehow I sometimes have a problem where the bit or bearing eats through the template, causing the route to get screwed up and making me need a new template. Any tips on not doing this? I tried making sure the teflon tube which holds the bearing in place was cut flush, and using some 3 in 1 oil on the template.

I believe that you are not using a forsner bit (Flat bottom bit) to hog out most of the wood inside of the perimeter of the template. That template it designed to allow the bearing to follow quickly around the perimeter only cleaning up the wood left from the forsner bit.

If you try to plunge the router bit in and take all of wood within the template at once your bit will over heat and melt the template. Once you get the perimeter routed to a depth where there is a clean edge you can remove the template and use the edge of that routed lip to finish up the hole without the template.

Do not use oil on the bearing because that combined with the heat will turn the template to goo.

[Prostheta]

+1 on all previous comments.

I use bought templates as "master templates" from which I will make a thicker 1/2" template out of MDF. Wood doesn't melt like acrylic! Plus you can use two bearings on thicker templates in case one binds up with dust or whatever.

[black_labb]

try putting some loctite on the bearing to shaft contact. should rettymuch lock it in place.

[schnarf]

Thanks so much for the help!

[Drak]

If your router bit is melting into your template, 99% of the time it's because the bearing is binding up and turning with the bit. This cannot be allowed to happen and if it is, you need to find out why.

If you are using a plunge router and the router is not maintaining height, then that is another issue, but if that's the case, the template is not melting, it is being cut up, or cut away, by the router bit, so let's start with some clarification of exactly what is happening, then we can move to the fix.

Is your bit melting into the template or cutting it up? Melting= bearing problem, cutting up = router problem.

[Mattia]

Melting can also be an overload/feed rate problem. Those StewMac templates are so thin I've burned through them with bearings that turn/move perfectly smoothly and evenly, no problem at all. Hell, not having sufficiently positive contact can cause spinning and friction and - thus - melting.

Make MDF or plywood masters, use those. Better.

[Drak]

A router bit bearing should come to a complete and dead stop (and easily too) as soon as it touches the template (if it's in good shape), so how could you burn thru a template via a quick feed rate when the bearing isn't even moving?

I mean, I understand bit chatter and bearing skip and all that, but for just doing a pkp route, the bearing really shouldn't be skipping and chattering, I'm trying to keep the answer specific to the problem asked about and not unnecessarily broaden the scope of the response.

[Mattia]

A router bit bearing should come to a complete and dead stop (and easily too) as soon as it touches the template (if it's in good shape), so how could you burn thru a template via a quick feed rate when the bearing isn't even moving?

I mean, I understand bit chatter and bearing skip and all that, but for just doing a pkp route, the bearing really shouldn't be skipping and chattering, I'm trying to keep the answer specific to the problem asked about and not unnecessarily broaden the scope of the response.

No, you're right, I'm overcomplicating things, but I have destroyed bearings and burned through templates before (been a few years since the last one, mind, but still). Usually routing maple, probably taking too big a bite, but all I'm saying it doesn't take much to generate enough heat to burn through the plexi. Ergo, I prefer a thicker, wood template.