I have started on a project that will require some curved cuts. I have neither a band saw nor a drum sander. I plan to cut near the curve with a jigsaw and finish up with a template (maybe plexi) and a template bit on a router table.
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 use carpet tape, usually from HD. There are two kinds I am aware of...one is a thin foam, avoid it, no good; the other is a thin, white film about 2" wide. It works very well as long as both surfaces are smooth. If less than smooth, whack the stuck together pieces with a hammer, may still work.
How much? Well, it rather depends upon the size of the template. If it was, say, a foot square I'd probably use five pieces, each about 1" square...one in the center, four near the corners. Takes considerable effort to separate the template & work once you do the routing.
Tempered hardboard (masonite brand name), 1/4 " you can cut it then easily sand it. Get the stuff that's smooth on both sides if you can, it makes it easier to flip it.
Carpet tape is what I use, it's double sided, sticks tenaciously, so I cut smaller strips, just enough to do the job. Get a trim flush bit, and a pattern bit, because you may need to change which side you are routing from if it starts to tear out.. piece of cake.
BTW you can do scalloped cuts if it starts tearing out and you can't route it, then smooth them out, I found it works great.
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.
Good advice and Greg, think about it for a moment. You really aren't applying all that much force to the template or the workpiece for that matter. Think about those rubber routing /sanding mats. They hold still pretty well, don't they.
Just try a practice piece with as little tape as you think that you can get away with and see. Just make sure the tape that you DO use, bonds well. That white, filmy double-stick carpet tape should hold on all but rough sawn wood like white on rice.
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.
ither a band saw nor a drum sander. I plan to cut near the curve with a jig saw and finish up with a template (maybe plexi) and a template bit on a rou ter table. I've seen videos where people affix the template to the work wit h 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 th e 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 c onvenient, but perhaps more certain to work. --- This email is free from vi ruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www .avast.com
That raises the issue of how accurately I can make the curve in the template, especially keeping the curved edge square to the face. I'm pretty sure I can buy a plexiglas circle of the right radius at a local plastics store, which would take care of that.
Seeing your jigs, I have some other ideas. The "curve" would be an arc of a circle, so I could conceivably make a jig that pivots about a center point and holds the work on the moving part. If I wanted to be forward-thinking, I might even be able to make it adjustable for different radii.
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