I used pretty much the same techniques to make the top plate as I used to make the bottom. The slots for the uprights, side plates and the two narrow clearance pockets on either side were all cut the same way as on the bottom plate.
To do the large pocket at the bottom I used a combination of techniques. To cut the edges I went back to the router with the guide collar and some guide blocks screwed to the plate. The cut didn’t need to go all the way to the inside edge since I was going to clean that up later.
Next I used a router freehand to plow out most of the rest of the wood. I used a block just sitting on the work bench at the outside of the plate to keep the router level.
Finally I went back to my router table jig to cut the inside edge of the pocket. There was no easy way to determine where the cut starts and ends since the plate is cut upside down, so I just made the cut slowly at either end periodically removing the plate to check how close I was.
After completing all these cuts I noticed that the plans for the plate show the slots for the side plates as being longer then they are in the template, so I ended up extending these slots about an inch more towards the back. The plans also show an optional hole in the middle of these slots. These holes, along with an optional slot on the side plates are used to align the top and bottom plates with the side plates. For the moment I have chosen not to do these, although I might add them later. I also have not cut the center out since I have not decided how I will mount the head yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment