Router Templates

[jander3]

Anyone have some basic plans and or photos of router templates that can be used for cutting housings?  Cutting a chamfer on timbers?  etc?

Just purchased a router for a flooring project, I plan to use it for some of my timber frame work and need to make up some templates and/or guides.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Hi Jon,

(I've also sent you an email... ;D)

Router template work, on our production frames that we do, the template and router are the go to tool.  You design the frame, then make a template to meet the needs for housing each type of joint.  Works really well with the "Green and Green," style production frames we often do.

As for how, there are so many ways, and each can be unique to the template and router used.  I would just go out and look at some generic "router template" info on the web and adapt your needs to that.  We have a couple "router jig" books and that is what we used to design our templates.  We also use traditional Asian "line rule" and templating joinery methods, which really lend themselves to later using a router template, as you have a line to register the template off of on both planes.  Box jigs, that fit over and around the beam are really useful for this method, as they can register of several faces and once.  When we make some new ones, I will do a better job of documenting that.

Regards,

jay

[swampfox]

Pardon me, but the whine of an adulterated router is enough to make me spin.

Forstner the corners, plunge the small circ, and take the slick to it.  The big edge tool will even give you a slight slope.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Swampfox,

I'm with you, I can't stand the routers, and hand the production frame work off when ever I can to the young "power tool," oriented folks in the group.  However, when it comes to speed and accuracy for certain types of framing, it is unbeatable.  If you have to produce frames for a living, particularly in certain styles, it is the only way to be competitive and productive.  I still go back through and clean up by hand,  ;D 

[swampfox]

point taken.

However its pretty quick with the right mass of the mallet in the corners to shear the fibers and the slick to get em out.  Afterall, you still need to kerf and hammer blow right?

by the way, I just noticed I am a two tree now.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Afterall, you still need to kerf and hammer blow right?

Nope, for say, the "Greene and Greene" style or similar frame types, you can do it with almost all power tools really fast.  Power saw, big router w/ templates, and chain mortiser, little hand work with plane and chisel, beginning and end, your done.  If you have three in a shop you can blow out a simple full house frame in less than 30 days, without a sweat.  Some of these designs are cost competitive with "stick build" or faster, if all aspects are considered.

by the way, I just noticed I am a two tree now.

??? :

;D

[S.Hyland]

Hi Jander,
  There was a pretty good thread on the TF Guild forum a bit back. http://forums.tfguild.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=29614
I am actually working on implementing some router jigs right now in my own shop. I can agree with swampfox, I hate the sound of a router too, but in a production set up I think they definitely have their place.  In the past I have cut housings with multiple saw kerfs followed by the slick. Pretty noisy either way, the router just replaces the circular saw. I would add that I don't really look at the router as being a finish tool here, just a roughing tool. The housing is still going to need some attention from the slick.

[S.Hyland]

Hi Jay,
  What would you consider a Greene and Greene or similar style frame? Any pics? Just curious...

[Jay C. White Cloud]

http://www.timelesstimberworks.com/horsebarn.html

http://www.timelesstimberworks.com/arcoliohouse.html

http://www.timelesstimberworks.com/luikartcabin.html

;D

[S.Hyland]

Woot! 8) Nice pics Jay! Very clean and to the point. I can see where router jigs come into play much more readily with planed frames rather than rough cut.  I think when I use templates with rough frames I will just spend a bit more time cleaning them up to account for discrepencies in the timber.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Hey Sean,

Thanks, yes for the the style shown, it is the way to go and very fast.  Also.  the line layout method and the type of router jig template has much to do with it.  You can even use it on rough, out of square or even round/live edge timbers, and achieve perfect accuracy.  You just can't do it effectively with edge rule methods, and the templates design for that system of layout.  It just doesn't work and/or isn't time/cost effective.

Regards,

jay

[John S]

Jay,
Beautiful work!
John Snyder

[WmFritz]

The more I read about timber framing, the more respect I have for the work you folks do.

Jay, thanks for those photo's. That is some real artwork.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Thank you so much. As I have said before, I take more pride in my students, (they are like family to me,) than in the work I do.  I do most of the stone, and much of the live edge, but they are all capable of replacing me skill wise, (well I think they are, they may not.)  The work you see is all facilitated by me, in one way or another, but all cut by my apprentices.  I am there but as the quote at the bottom of my post entry states, "when it is all said and done they will have said they did it themselves."  I love the work I do, but I love seeing it come alive in those I teach even more.  I have been truly blessed.  Thank's again, and I will pass it along.