Inside Phil's Bunker

Aligning your template

 

We have included 2 ways to align the template in your positioner.  Incra recommends setting the fence so the bit is centered on your board. To do that, they recommend you make two cuts in a thicker piece of the same width wood and use that to visually find the center. The template includes a center line (or points out the cut that is at the center) so you can continue to use that approach. Follow the instructions in the Incra LS Positioner System’s documentation for center alignment.

 

However, because pyRouterJig knows your board width there is a faster, easier and more accurate way to align your template. You will notice there is a mark to right of the template labeled “align”.  This is 1/2 the bit width from the right end of the board. You just make the positioner fence flush with the bit and then move the template’s align mark under the cursor. Now you are perfectly aligned.  If you are using a straight fluted bit, you will want to rotate it so a cutting edge is pointing directly away from the positioner base before making the fence flush with the bit. A spiral bit needs no special orientation.

 

Using the micropositioning capability of the Incra product, you can get very accurate alignment with this technique.  The steps to follow:

• Install your router bit, set the desired height (in this case board thickness + 1/32”).

• If needed, rotate your bit so a cutting edge is farthest from the fence.

• Position the LS Fence so it is flush with the cutting edge of the bit. Use a straight edge piece of wood against the fence and the micropositioning knob to do this.

• Lock the fence.

• Move the template so the align mark is directly under the Incra LS cursor.

This way you avoid having to cut the extra piece of thicker wood and the two router passes of the centering scheme described above. In addition, this approach can be more accurate than the centering scheme because it doesn’t rely on visually finding the center.