Inlay kit recommendation

[Joe Unni]

Hey all,

I will have a need (very soon) to do some inlay work (brass into wood) and I've never done it before. I've got the "DEWALT DW618B3 2-1/4 HP 3-Base Router Kit" and am looking for a recommendation on which kit/bit to use/buy. I received the Dewalt bushing kit when I bought the router, but I'm not sure if this is what I need.

The application is a brass plate will be "let" into a recess in a panel of wood. I sign company want me to make some plaques for them. My thought (correct me if I'm wrong) is to use something similar to what Norm uses to make dutchmen.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
-joe

[Andrew Ault]

Probably the best way to do this is to make a template with the exact shape of the recess and then use a pattern bit to cut the workpiece. You will not need a collar on your router. The pattern bit has a bearing that follows the template. (You could do this with a collar, but you then need to deal with offsets and centering the collar with the collet of your router.)

Make the template out of a piece of 3/4" MDF or other sheet material with a jigsaw or your router with an edge guide. File the edges until the brass piece fits exactly within the template. You can use plastic wood or other filler on any mistakes. You will need to select a pattern bit so it will work at the desired depth of cut - it sounds like you need a shallow one.

Clamp the template to the workpiece so that the pattern is exactly where you want it on the workpiece. Use your plunge router base and plunge to the desired depth and rout around the pattern and then waste the center material. Use chisels to finish the corners of the recess.

- Andy

[Andrew Ault]

By the way, Rockler sells a router pattern kit like you describe.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Probably the best way to do this is to make a template with the exact shape of the recess and then use a pattern bit to cut the workpiece. You will not need a collar on your router. The pattern bit has a bearing that follows the template. (You could do this with a collar, but you then need to deal with offsets and centering the collar with the collet of your router.)

Make the template out of a piece of 3/4" MDF or other sheet material with a jigsaw or your router with an edge guide. File the edges until the brass piece fits exactly within the template. You can use plastic wood or other filler on any mistakes. You will need to select a pattern bit so it will work at the desired depth of cut - it sounds like you need a shallow one.

Clamp the template to the workpiece so that the pattern is exactly where you want it on the workpiece. Use your plunge router base and plunge to the desired depth and rout around the pattern and then waste the center material. Use chisels to finish the corners of the recess.

- Andy

Andy, the shortest flush trim bit I saw on rocklers site had a 1" long cutter. If you use 3/4 material for the template, your recess will be at least 1/4" deep which is too deep for most inlay work. Am I missing something or is there another bit with a shorter cutter?

Dennis

[Andrew Ault]

You could either use another supplier or a thicker template.

Pat Warner has shallower pattern bits. www.patwarner.com

Here are some Whiteside pattern bits:

www.woodpeck.com/whitesidetemplatebits.html

-Andy

[Richard Wolf]

Sounds like you maybe looking for a inlay kit from Infinity Tools; www.infinitytools.com/departments.asp?dept=1087

Richard

[Doug Shepard]

Eagle also has quite a few shorter sized bits
http://eagleamerica.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_102-0552B

[Jim Becker]

Mine is from Lee Valley...there are so many choices!!

[Dev Emch]

This is a very difficult task to do. This is a very easy task to do.

Several companies make "INLAY" kits which is similar to what Norm uses to do dutchmen. In fact, I have used this approach to make dutchmen.

The problem is simple but the issue is precision alignment. The kit I have used and one that I recommend is the whiteside router inlay kit which you can get from a few sources including woodcraft.

What makes these kits slick and easy is the bushing and its unique stubbie bit. By mounting the bit in the collet, your forcing the bushing to precisely align itself to the centerline of your router collet. The bushing hole on your baseplate is loose as a goose and you need something to force it into alignment. Sadly, every time you monkey with this bushing, you have to go through the alignment dance.

Once the bushing is on, you can mount up the real router bit. Now this bushing has two settings. There is a tiny donut that goes over this bushing to cut out the inlay recess and when you remove this donut, it moves the router bit out by the width or so of the bit. Now you can cut out the actual item intended for inlay. Note that I have not used this item much and its been almost two years since I last used it. So i think I have the order of the donut correct. If I dont, please correct me. Often, I have to check the dirty paper one more time when I have not flown the beast in a while. This is the problem when using fancy, unique, propriatary router solutions.

Now if your making a precision square hole for a brass plate, there may be one other solution. You can make up a jig that guides the baseplate of your router. This will have four fences forming a box that holds your router. You need to take some precise measurements of your router base and the bit you intend to use and the size of the hole you intend to make. It may take some some tinkering to get this to work. Such a jig will often only work for one size plaque. Fine woodworking covered the making of such a jig a while back but its intended use was for cutting precision mortises. Sorry but I cannot remember the exact issue it was in. Hopefully, someone else will remember this issue.

Good Luck.

[Norman Hitt]

This is a very difficult task to do. This is a very easy task to do.
By mounting the bit in the collet, your forcing the bushing to precisely align itself to the centerline of your router collet.

"The bushing hole on your baseplate is loose as a goose and you need something to force it into alignment".

"Sadly, every time you monkey with this bushing, you have to go through the alignment dance".


Good Luck.

Dev, there is a way to make the Bushing "Set UP" real quick, (That is....AFTER you initially tune up your router's baseplate to DEAD CENTER).

I don't want to hijack this thread, so I'll try to keep this as short as Possible. ............

1. When you install the "Inlay Bushing" into the Base plate, if it doesn't fit completely snug, (with no sideplay/slop), then remove it and lay 1, 2, OR more, (if needed) small sheets of newspaper, (or paper towels...ie; soft paper), over the bushing hole in the Baseplate, (but ONLY enough to take out the slop but still let the bushing seat fully in the hole as the ring nut is tightened).

2. Now, gently press the bushing into the hole, and install the ring nut. AS you tighten the bushing, the paper will automatically center the bushing in the hole, and then you can tear the paper off that is covering the bushing on the backside, and also the excess on the front of the baseplate as well.

Now you are ready to reset your Base Plate to Dead Center in Ref to the Collet.

3. Loosen, (Or Remove), the Screws holding the Base Plate to the router.

4. Install and tighten the Centering Pin that comes with the Inlay Kit, into the collet, AND protruding through the hole in the Inlay Bushing.

5. Gently start to retighten the Baseplate screws, (and "IF" you are LUCKY), the holes will be drilled correctly to let the Base Plate fit snugly to the router WITHOUT putting any sideload on the centering pin.

6. Now retract the alignment pin so it completely clears the Guide bushing, and then gently try to adjust it back through the bushing. "If the centering pin will extend into, and through the guide bushing with NO Drag or Resistance as it enters the bushing, then it is set to DEAD CENTER. If it bumps the guide bushing ANY as it enters, then it is NOT yet centered, and readjustment, (and most likely a little elongating of the screw mounting holes in the base plate will be required), and check again. Continue this process until the centering pin will go in and out of the guide bushing without bumping/catching on the bushing.

At this point, Both the Router's Baseplate, AND the Inlay Guide bushing is Set on DEAD CENTER with the collet, and the Next time you want to use it, you only have to repeat Steps 1, and 2, which only takes about a minute to do.

If for some reason you need/want to make your own NEW base plate, see my post at; http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=24308 for that procedure.


Note: I spent most of an afternoon, one day, tuning three of my routers, and my DW-625 took nearly two hours to finally complete steps 3 thru 6, with lots of filing, sanding, etc., , BUT, it was well worth it, as I haven't had to readjust any of the baseplates again, (and it also corrected all the other minor problems using the other guide bushings for different operations).

I don't have to worry about holding the router in one orientation all around a cut anymore, Even cutting circles using a 1" guide bushing in a 1" hole in a board nailed at the proper radius to the circle's center, I can hold the router with BOTH hands all the way around the circle. "Life is GREAT, when a tool is FINALLY,truly aligned".

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

It's amazing to me they can build a router that'll spin a bit with no viration at 12,000 RPM, but they can't make a factory baseplate that's centers on their own router.

KC

[Norman Hitt]

It's amazing to me they can build a router that'll spin a bit with no viration at 12,000 RPM, but they can't make a factory baseplate that's centers on their own router.

KC

You're right KC, and it doesn't seem to make any difference which brand you get, as they all have problems. I know that a plus tolerance on one part, and a minus tolerance on another part, (even though they are both within the mfr's tolerance for the individual parts), can present these problems, but from some I've seen, I think they were making parts from two totally different sets of plans.

When I mounted my buddy's M-12V to the new Woodpecker Plunge Lift Plate, (that was made for the M-12V), I had to elongate the holes in the plate to get it centered, using an inlay kit to get it Dead Center, and just for curiosity, I took his router off the PL and installed MY M-12V on the same plate, and Guess What..............it would not Center unless I filed out the holes in the PL in slightly different directions, Which Meant.........that the plate mounting holes in two identically Same Model Routers, (built about 2 years apart), were not even the same.

I'm firmly convinced that ANYONE mounting a router to a Table Insert Plate or Router Lift of any kind, should check the centering, by using the inlay kit procedure, if they want consistantly repeatable results from their router tables with all different fence locations and guide bushings.

[john whittaker]

Norman...good directions. I've brushed up against this idea a few times but your description makes it clearer to me. Just purchased the Whiteside inlay kit (on sale @ my local Woodcraft this month) and planned on tinkering with it later today. So you can see how timely this post is. Glad I checked SMC before heading to the shop.

If my factory base plate proves too contrary to center, I'll just make a dedicated base with slightly elongated mounting holes, and countersink for flat head machine screws, and use it for precision inlay work.
THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT

[Joe Unni]

Some really great information here. Thanks very much.

Are the aformentioned inlay kits interchangeable from router manufacturer to manufacturer?

-joe

[john whittaker]

Hi Joe,

The kits will fit MOST routers. P/C seemed to be the lead dog in the router accessories market so most common routers use the same size opening to fit P/C guides. I've got the DW 618 like yours and it fit mine.

FYI - I just tried the centering method Norman posted and it worked very well.