Inside Phil's Bunker

Printing and preparing Templates

 

Printing is very simple.  Select File/Print and click on the printer icon to print. But, not all printers are accurate so you will need to verify your printout.  Print your template and then, using a known accurate ruler, measure the distance between the two gray end parts of the template. If is within 1/64” of your board width then your printer is accurate enough.  If it is not, see 

 

Note that if your template is slightly off, you can still use it but you need to be aware of how much and in what direction. As you move the Incra LS fence towards the higher numbered cuts, the error will increase and cause the cursor to not align perfectly with the cut marks. But, remember that the LS Positioner system always locks to 1/32” increments – the fence stays aligned. If the template is a bit too long, the fence will lock with the cursor slightly to the right of the cut mark and if too short it will be slightly to the left of the cut mark. This is ok because the LS system will always lock to a 1/32” boundary. So, you can tolerate some inexactness by knowing what to expect. If your printer is off by more than 1/64", pyRouterJig includes a way to increase it's accuracy. 

 

 

For the best results, you should use a heavier paper.  90 lb paper is recommended but in a pinch you can use as thin as standard 20 or 24 lb paper. In general, thicker is better for stability. After printing, do not try to correct for paper curl - paper is fairly stretchable and you can distort your template. You will need to stabilize the template quickly by using a transparent adhesive tape (AKA Scotch Tape) on both the front and back. I prefer a satin finish tape to avoid any reflections. Do not use thick tape like packing tape, you can wind up with a template that is too thick to insert in the LS Positioner.

 

Steps to making your template ready for the Incra LS Positioner.

• Tape your printed template page down so it lays flat on a clean, smooth surface. Be careful not to stretch it.

• Place tape over the full length of the template. Be careful and hold both ends of the tape, static electricity can cause attraction between the tape and paper.

• Cut the taped template out with about a ¼” boarder.

• Turn the template over and tape the ends so it lays flat.

• Tape the full length of the back of the template.

• Trim your template to the printed edge.

It’s now stable enough to insert in the LS positioner. In the following pictures, you will notice that the caul template is also present. This is enabled in the view/caul template menu item. For now, we will ignore the caul template.