Farp
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Messages
- 131
- Reaction score
- 4
Wanting to do inlays, but not enthused about spending $100 or more for the router and precision router base, I decided to see if I could build my own. I first tried to make one out of plywood. It worked okay, but it was difficult to get enough light in to see the fine lines. Still, it demonstrated that a satisfactory home-built was possible. I had started with a flex-shaft Dremel tool I had bought at an auction last summer for $12.
I purchased some .22-inch plexiglass from the local big box store and used a friend’s router base as a pattern. I drilled out a place for the ½-inch X 20 nut and glued it in place—see photo—on the upper brace. A ¾-inch drill bit took out most of the area needed for the nut. Careful filing with a triangle file did the rest. I glued the nut into place with epoxy, temporarily threading a 6-inch bolt into the nut to use in seeing that the nut was set on plane properly.
For the base, I drilled a ½-inch hole and then halved that hole in sawing out the base. The brass screws were inset into the base from the bottom. As the plexiglass is only .22-inch, I ground off some of the screw heads so they would fit flush in the insets. Small router bits were purchased on the ‘bay.
The outcome is pretty self-explanatory in the photo. It works even better than it looks. If price has been keeping you from having a nice precision router base, build your own.
I purchased some .22-inch plexiglass from the local big box store and used a friend’s router base as a pattern. I drilled out a place for the ½-inch X 20 nut and glued it in place—see photo—on the upper brace. A ¾-inch drill bit took out most of the area needed for the nut. Careful filing with a triangle file did the rest. I glued the nut into place with epoxy, temporarily threading a 6-inch bolt into the nut to use in seeing that the nut was set on plane properly.
For the base, I drilled a ½-inch hole and then halved that hole in sawing out the base. The brass screws were inset into the base from the bottom. As the plexiglass is only .22-inch, I ground off some of the screw heads so they would fit flush in the insets. Small router bits were purchased on the ‘bay.
The outcome is pretty self-explanatory in the photo. It works even better than it looks. If price has been keeping you from having a nice precision router base, build your own.
Last edited: