You can also align by eye. For greater accuracy, keep the same edge of the guide against the template throughout the entire process. Edge Trimming With your woodworking router, you can make all sorts of creative projects. From bowls and trays to cabinet doors to signs, inlays, and project accents, Infinity Cutting Tools has all of the router accessories you need. Tray Making Templates Our bowl and tray templates make it easy to create party trays for those that like to entertain friends and family. Infinity Cutting Tools has a wide variety of designs available for tray-making templates. We feature several classic bowl and tray design templates as well as holiday-themed and sports-related tray templates. Cabinet Door Templates To ensure your guide is centered on the bit, use an alignment pin. Insert it into the router and screw the guide onto the router base. Loosen the router-base screws slightly and move the tip up so it’s snug in the guide opening. Ensure the guide is centered and tighten the router-base screws. Remove the pin.

The thing to keep in mind when using a guide bushing is that it will create an offset between the template and the workpiece. This means you'll need to account for the distance from the edge of the bushing to the cutting edge of the bit in your template design.

Inlays can add an attractive element to your work, and using a guide makes the process easy. Create your pattern as described previously and rout the inlay recess with the inlay bushing installed on the guide. Then, remove the bushing and rout the inlay using the same template. The bushing automatically accounts for the offset when routing the recess and the inlay, allowing you to use a single template to cut a perfect-fitting inlay. ROUTING THE RECESS. After selecting a template for your design, start by positioning the template on the workpiece and securing it with double-sided tape. Then, with the sleeve on the bushing, simply rout the outline of the recess and the remainder of the waste by following the template. If necessary, square up the corners with a chisel. The clear acrylic material allows you to easily see the wood grain or resin pattern underneath, helping you make informed decisions when it comes to selecting the perfect design. This feature is particularly useful for those who want to showcase the natural beauty of the wood or the striking patterns created by resin.

Often mistakenly called a flush trim bit, a pattern bit has the bearing on the shank of the bit instead of at the tip. This allows you to secure a template on top of a workpiece and clamp them both to your bench to rout the shape. And pattern-style bits aren't limited to straight cutters. The bowl-routing bit shown below is simply a different profile with a bearing on the shank to follow a template. Infinity Cutting Tools makes it easy for you to create your own signs, inlays, and accents. We offer a wide range of accessories for signmaking and creating your own wood inlays. One of my favorite ways to spice up a project is to add a decorative inlay made from contrasting woods. A specialized guide bushing with a removable sleeve makes this an easy operation. With the bushing installed, you can cut both the recess and the inlay piece using a single template. But in some instances, when using a template with a hand-held router, you'll need to attach the template to the top of the workpiece. For this situation you have a couple of options. Usually, I turn to a pattern bit, also shown in the photo above.With a little imagination, you can make a template for just about any shape you need for your projects. Whatever the application, you'll find that learning to make and use templates with your router will guarantee top-notch results.