Page 33 - Router Boss Manual

More Dovetail Techniques
Now that you’ve got the basics down for cutting
dovetails, we’ll show you a couple of additional tech-
niques. The first is a method for cutting evenly spaced
dovetails without marking up a pattern board.
As we mentioned earlier, the Router Boss lets you
cut dovetails in any layout. There may be times when
you want to have the dovetails evenly spaced across the
width of your stock. The width of your stock might be
an uneven size if, for example, you’re making an inset
drawer slightly smaller than the opening in the cabi-
net face frame. Calculating evenly spaced dovetails on
stock that’s 3 13/16” wide would be a real headache,
not to mention trying to mark them out.

With the Router Boss, you can do it relatively eas-
ily without even drawing layout marks. You’ll use the
built in scales (or digital readout) to accurately measure
the stock and then set evenly spaced sockets and pins.

Start by orienting and marking your stock as shown
on page 21 in the previous technique. (You’ll still need
to keep the stock properly oriented when making cuts.)

Clamp a piece of scrap stock the same width as
the drawer side in position, butting the end against the
base plate with the face against the sliding bar. Mount a
centering bit or any pointed bit in the router.

Use the hand crank to position the tip of the cen-
tering bit at the left-hand edge of the stock. You can
plunge the bit to touch the wood to check the position.
If it’s not already there, move the cursor on the left hand
front scale to 0” (or reset the DRO to 0.000”).

Now, turn the hand crank to move the stock so the
centering bit is positioned over the right-hand edge.
The front scale (or DRO) will then give you an accu-
rate measurement of the width of the stock. Divide this
measurement by 2 and it will give you the centerline of
the stock. Turn the hand crank so the cursor is set at the
centerline measurement. Plunge the centering bit and
make a slight mark across the end of the stock.

Without moving the sliding bar, unclamp the stock,
rotate it so the outer face is now against the sliding bar.
Plunge the bit to check your centerline setting. If the If your scribe marks don’t

bit misses the scribed mark, make a second mark, then align after rotating the
turn the handcrank to split the difference between the stock, split the difference to
two lines. This should give you an accurate centerline get the centerline.
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