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. MDF. Templates can be made from many kinds of material. MDF is a readily available option, and it's usually my first choice. 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 A woodworking router is one of the most useful and versatile tools in the workshop. With our router tools and accessories you can turn your router into a precision, multifunction machine. Router Project Templates and Aids

When joining boards to make a wider surface, you can add some interest to the final piece by using different woods and by joining them using a wavy shape instead of a straight edge. Simply make one pattern and then use it to create a mirror image. Use an inlay bushing to ensure perfect alignment. This will account for the offset; otherwise, you would need to make two separate templates. Routing a Cavity or Mortise 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. As woodworkers, we appreciate how having the right tool for the job can take your project to the next level. Our selection of woodworking router jigs, guides, and accessories provide professional results. Circle and Corner CuttingAnother primary task for your router is to create the joinery for your woodworking projects. Our selection of joinery guides provides the ultimate in precision for tight-fitting woodworking joints using your hand-held router or router table. From dadoes to dovetails and box joints, you can't beat the ease and precision of our joinery systems. You might already be familiar with the idea of template routing from using a dovetail jig. In this application, a router equipped with a guide bushing follows the fingers of a dovetail template to cut perfectly spaced, tightfitting dovetails in minutes. This same concept opens up a lot of possibilities for creating matching inlays. Once you learn to make pieces, tight-fitting joints, or seam your own templates and choose the right router bit for the task at hand, there are almost no limits.

SELECTING ROUTER BITS. Chances are, you already have at least one of the most common template routing bits. A flush trim bit, like one shown in the photo above, is the perfect choice for templates designed to fit beneath the workpiece. With a bearing at the tip riding against the template, a flush trim bit levels the edge of the workpiece to match.

Worth a Look: Router Inlay Kit

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 When creating a template, make your template either smaller or larger by the offset amount, depending on whether you’re routing outside or inside the template (for example, when doing inlays or mortises). Aligning Your Template Guide 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. 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. Creating an interesting edge on tables, cabinet sides or other projects is easy to do with a jigsaw or bandsaw, but you’ll be left with saw marks to sand off. By cutting the shape close to the final size, and then using a template and a router to finish the job you get a consistent, smooth edge, which requires little additional work.

OTHER OPTIONS. Hardboard is another commonly used material. And occasionally I use acrylic, especially for those applications where I need to see more of the workpiece to orient the template to the grain of the wood. This same combination works in a router table as well. Only at the router table, you can have the template on top of the workpiece instead of below. A good example of this is routing matching top rails for "tombstone" cabinet doors. 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. 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 reason I prefer MDF is that it's perfectly flat and very easy to shape with files and sandpaper. The template I use for making curved rails for cabinet doors shown in the photo above is a good example. To make it, I simply laid out the curve with a compass, cut out the shape at the band saw, and smoothed the curve, first with a file and then with a simple, shop-made sanding strip, seen below.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. Our templates are laser-cut for optimal precision, ensuring clean and crisp lines every time. Whether you're a professional woodworker or a DIY enthusiast, our templates will make your projects stand out and impress everyone who sees them.