Spice Rack  7                                                10-2023

 

Making A Router Fixture Continued

 

These are some attachments that go to my T-track system which is on my mobile work bench. I drilled a hole in two of them so I could add a screw that will fasten to the router fixture so it won't move. This is just a precautionary measure because I know how things slide around when you don't want them to.
 

 

 

I have one of these on both sides so it traps my fixture.
 

 

 

Here is my sighting system to make sure things line-up.
 

 

 

Okay, what you see here is just about everything I need to work on the shelf pieces now.

After doing some testing I found out that I needed to clear the waste after every cut. My shop-vac made quick work of those wood chips, which I have to do four times, once for each depth of cut. Also note the air hose. This works great to clear out any residue that remains once my work piece is removed. And to make life easier, I've got the cord to my router plugged in above my head to the right of me so it's out of the way.
 

 

 

I set my plunge router so I end on the red dot. Each step is 1/8" deep but my first cut is slightly deeper than that.
 

 

 

Here is what it looks like after my first cut. Now you can see why I needed my shop-vac.
 

 

 

This is what it looks like once I've made all four cuts. The dark wood is my work piece.
 

 

 

Working With Wood....Again!

 

Well, it took awhile to get here but I think you'll agree that it was worth it. The consistency of each slot is exact and the distance between each one is almost on the money. That means my layout lines and my sighting system worked out good too. I'm very happy with the results, but then again, this is what I was aiming for from the beginning.
 

 

 

As you can see I've added a stand for my router to sit on, making that much easier for me to work with. It takes four depth of cuts to make my slot. And note the nut-driver, flashlight, magnifying glass and a piece of wood that I used to push the short shelves through my fixture.

Here is the procedure to make each depth of cut: move the router on top of my fixture, plunge to my depth in the area that I showed you earlier away from my work piece, turn on my router, make a roughing pass that doesn't make contact with the sides of the fixture, then make a second pass with the template bearing making contact with the fixture, turn off the router, release the plunge feature of the router, move it to the stand out of the way, turn on my shop-vac and remove the waste and then turn off, rotate my depth stop one notch, place it back on my fixture and repeat this three more times.

Yes, it took awhile but it worked out great and I don't regret making this fixture one bit. The work piece that you see below is one of the longer shelves that will hold eight bottles.
 

 

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