Shopsmith 555970 manual How To Make Profile Fixtures, How To Use Pin Routing Fixtures

MARK V – MOUNTED OVERARM PIN ROUTER 555970

8.Save your fixture-making templates – Set your templates aside in the event you need to make more fixtures or re- place one that has been damaged.

HOW TO MAKE

PROFILE FIXTURES

Profile fixtures are used for shaping the out- side edges of workpieces only. In our picket fence example (See Fig. 12), the protruding screw or nail tips and sides hold the workpiece in position during operations.

Here’s the simple, three-step process:

1.Cut the profile shape – In our example, we selected a piece of 3/4" thick, lami- nate-covered sink cut-out for our fixture base that was the same, exact width as our fence pickets. Make it a minimum of 18" long, if possible to provide ad- equate support for the workpiece. We used a bandsaw to cut out the profiled shape on one end of our fixture . . . then sanded the edges smooth with a drum sander.

2.Attach fixture sides, if practical – Since our fence pickets will have straight sides, we were then able to attach 8" long side pieces to the fixture, being sure to keep them away from the shaped area so they won’t interfere with the router bit while we’re making our cuts. Make the sides out of an appropriate hard- wood such as oak, maple, hickory or ash.

3.Install holding points – Use 8-penny nails or 1" long drywall screws with sharp points...driven up through the bottom of the fixture, so they protrude no more than about 1/4" above the sur- face. We prefer screws because they won’t drive back out when you tap the workpiece down onto the fixture.

If you’re able to include sides on your fixture to help hold your workpiece, you should only need two or three holding points. If your workpiece is odd-shaped and sides are not an option, you may need more holding points. Be sure screw or nail heads are countersunk below the surface of the fixture bottom.

NOTE

If you’re planning to make a large quantity of any project, it’s often a good idea to make several identical fixtures. This is especially true if you’ll be using different shaped router bits to cut out your shape, form decorative edges and cut sliding dovetails, grooves, da- does or rabbets using different bits.

This way, you can have several components mounted in their fixtures and make a num- ber of cuts with the same profile bit, in- stead of frequently changing from bit-to- bit.

HOW TO USE PIN

ROUTING FIXTURES

Routing over a pin with a screw-down fixture

As we’ve explained, with a screw-down fix- ture (See Fig 16), your workpiece is secured to the non-grooved (particleboard) side of the fixture with screws. The fixture is then flipped over and the grooves (in the shape of your intended finished piece) in the lami- nate side of the fixture are traced over the Guide Pin.

This process transfers your design exactly to the workpiece you’ve mounted to the oppo- site (or particleboard) side of the fixture.

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