Using the Baseplate

Using a trammel seems pretty intuitive. It's like using a compass, isn't it? Set the compass for the desired radius, stick its pivot into the work, and spin it. But we don't usually have to account for the thickness of the pencil line a compass makes, or protect the surface beneath the work. Make a mistake with a compass, and you can erase the arc and redraw it. Make a mistake with a router and trammel, and you pretty much have to toss the work and start over

1. Chuck a bit in the collet. My instinct is to talk in straight-bit terms. But you may be muling a decorative profile with an unpilotcd profile cutter. So choose your bit and fit it in the router.

If you are routing a hole or m iking a disk, I'd recommend a spiral upcut bit. It will run cooler because it tends to auger the chips up and out of the cut.

While you are setting up the router, adjust the plunge depth if you are using a plunge reuter. If you are routing completely through the stock, set the plunge depth to the stock thickness plus no more than inch.

2. Set the slide position for the desired cutting radius. Loosen the thumbscrew, move the slide, and tighten the thumbscrew.

Here's where you account for the diameter of the bit. If cutting a disk, exclude the bit from the radius; measure from the center of the pivot to the closest point on thr hit If rut-

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Set the cutting radius by measuring from bit to pivot. Use a metal ruler for this. Turn the bit by hand to ensure that you are measuring from the cutting edge, and not the body of the bit. Measure from the center of the pivot.

ling a hole, include the bit in the radius: measure from the pivot center to the farthest point of the bit. See the drawing Setting the Cutting Radius.

For best accuracy, use a metal rule, rather than a tape measure, to set the slide.

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Woodworking Tools and Installation Tips

Woodworking Tools and Installation Tips


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