WOOD Magazine – October 01, 2019

woodmagazine.com 67

Cut circles hassle-free

With a typical circle-cutting jig, the router’s

cord wraps around the tool as you work, and

at some point during the cut you must let go

of the tool to reposition your hands. But cut-

ting circles using a guide bushing and this

trammel [Photo G] eliminates those issues.

Drill a hole near one end of the jig to

match the O.D. of the bushing barrel. Install

the bushing in your router and slip the

bushing into the hole with the bit extended

beyond the jig. Measure from the cutting

edge of the bit to the desired radius, and drill

a hole through the jig at that point to accept

a pivot pin. (A cut-off finish nail works well.)

Slip the jig over the pivot pin, and rout the

circle [Photo H].

Perfectly place sliding

dovetails

The easiest way to create dovetail sockets for

sliding dovetails, such as when connecting

dust panels or dividers to case sides, is to

pair a^3 ⁄ 4 " O.D. guide bushing and^3 ⁄ 4 " dovetail

router bit. When run against a straightedge,

the bottom edge of the bit cuts in-line with

the outside edge of the bushing [Photo I]. Sim-

ply align the straightedge at half the bit

diameter (^3 ⁄ 8 " in this case) from the center-

line of the desired slot. Because the widest

portion of the bit sits below the bushing, the

bit never contacts the bushing. But this also

limits your height adjustments, so create a

template of appropriate thickness.

Size the hole to accept the bushing barrel yet
allowing the bushing to rotate within it.

Rout deep passes in successively deeper cuts. If routing through a workpiece, secure it to a spoilboard

with double-faced tape.

When the O.D. of the bushing matches the cutting diameter of the dovetail bit,

you can create sliding dovetail sockets precisely aligned with the guide.

G H

I

Case side

Straightedge

guide

Tip! Use a spiral

downcut bit for the

cleanest cut, especially

across the end grain.