# Router thickness jig



## Fiddler (19 Feb 2012)

I'm getting into woodwork through my desire to build an electric guitar. This is the jig I made today to use a router to plane the body down from 2" to 1 3/4" thick. In the foreground you can see a bandsaw box being glued.


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## Eric The Viking (21 Feb 2012)

Funny that. The subject came up recently. 

I've got the cutter but not yet used it that way. Do you find it works nicely?

The angle iron looks like a good idea - nice and flat and straight and reasonably smooth.

Regards,

E.


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## Fiddler (21 Feb 2012)

As yet I've only done a test piece and need to slightly modify my design. I was going to use a template guide on the router to follow the slot in the top rail, but I discovered that if I use the largest cutter I have and the depth of cut is not deep enough, I end up routing the slot in the rail bigger and bigger. I intend to add two wooden rails to the top rail to guide the router body instead of relying on the template guide. Hope that made sense! 8-[


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## Sportique (21 Feb 2012)

Hi Fiddler,

I have used a similar method to produce thin stock. However, my router is fixed to the "support-board" (i.e. does not slide left-right across the support board.) Thus you could do away with the routed slot in the support-board.

The support-board then needs to be much longer so that the router bit can traverse the width of your workpiece.

There also needs to be end stops on the support-board to limit the left-right travel.

I have found that there is a limiting width - depending on the material used - because the support-board may flex up/down slightly

Does all that make any sense whatsoever?? :roll: :roll: 

HTH

Dave


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## Fiddler (21 Feb 2012)

Yes Dave, that makes perfect sense! I opted for the short board with the slot because I am limited for space.


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## sparkus88 (3 Mar 2012)

hi how do you stop the wood moving as its being routed?

Mark


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## Fiddler (3 Mar 2012)

I placed the wood in the middle of the jig with a spacer strip on two sides. Then I used two pairs of wedges on the other two sides. I also thought about just screwing the wood down onto the jig or making brackets to hold it down. The piece I thinned down was mahogany and was quite heavy, I think a non slip mat may have been sufficient.


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## sparkus88 (3 Mar 2012)

I was thinking of a non slip mat as well but there might be some movements, albeit small. I suppose spacers would work well but might be a bit more difficult with thinner stock. How about double sided tape?


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## Fiddler (3 Mar 2012)

sparkus88":16lx6t6b said:


> I was thinking of a non slip mat as well but there might be some movements, albeit small. I suppose spacers would work well but might be a bit more difficult with thinner stock. How about double sided tape?



Good thinking Sparkus, I like that idea!


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## Sportique (4 Mar 2012)

Yes - in my experience double-sided tape works well

Dave


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## Jiroma (16 Mar 2012)

Just a thought, would the fact that a non slip mat is a bit spongy not effect the finished thickness of your workpiece.


Jiroma


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## monkeybiter (17 Mar 2012)

One thing you've got to make sure is that the base is flat and rigid, i.e. it can't twist along it's length, which would make your workpiece unstable and the milled surface would not be flat.


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## Lord Kitchener (18 Mar 2012)

I found this post by accident, but it's interesting because I used to do a bit of electric guitar making, and started off with a jig very much like that one. The cutter I used was made by Trend, but I don't think they make it anymore, it was called, IIRC, a 3 wing face cutter, and had a cut width of 25mm. could only take off a small amout at a time.

I found the best way to use it was to test to see which face it rocked on, then put that face downward and pack up the voids to stop it rocking, then skim til I had a decent flat area, then turn it and do the other side, repeating until I got to the required thickness.


I'm guessing the idea is to find wide stock and thickness that, rather than have two join 2 or 3 pieces to get the width? If so, I expect you realise that even if you are careful to take the same amount off each face it will still probably distort a bit. Hopefully that won't be a problem if you are routing the cavities with a router mounted on the body itself.


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