On 2/24/2014 6:27 PM, BenignBodger wrote:

On 2/24/2014 1:07 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:

I've seen videos where people affix the template to the work with
double-stick tape. Would this work in my application? What kind of tape,
exactly? How much of it?

As another option, I was thinking I could leave the piece a little
long on
one of the non-curved sides and screw the template into the wood in the
"waste" area; cutting it off later. This seems less convenient, but
perhaps
more certain to work.

I've always used the 'make it longer' option or simply clamped the
workpiece to the template where size permitted. I guess that double
stick works (enough people swear by it) but it always seemed to be
chancy to me: either it wouldn't stick well enough and result in damage
or it would stick too well which might lead to finishing bother down the
road.

Agree totally.

I rarely use double sided tape on a routing template.

Learned long ago that if you do enough pattern routing, using a template
and pattern bit, there will be the occasional incident due to grain
direction/wood imperfections where a workpiece is subject to being
grabbed, resulting in a ruined work piece and often a ruined template,
and double sided tape is not enough of a defense when this happen as far
as safety goes.

It pays to keep in mind that Murphy is always lurking when routing, and
if safety is not reason enough over design engineer a pattern jig,
saving that last piece of expensive stock from harm is enough reason by
itself.

I do a lot of pattern routing, and always make my routing templates as a
"jig", whereby I can secure the work piece with clamps (see below) on at
least two sides, and preferably three, both for security purposes, and
for at least one side acting as a reference edge for accuracy. I also
like to have a handhold that I can grasp securely for obvious reasons.

I also make the routing "template jigs" out of MDF and/or plywood due to
the softness of the material should the worst happen and it comes into
contact with the router bit.

With curved parts, I much prefer MDF, as it is much easier to fair a
curve in that material. I will also often "edge band" the curve if I
want longevity of the curved pattern for multiple parts.

Just a couple of examples:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...6 54165813634

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...0 61482723378


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