Hey guys, I have a gfk600 fixed palm router ... rather than use the plunge base could I just predrill the end of the truss slot down to max depth (about 10mm), set the depth for 2mm on the router and work from that hole?
The reason I ask is because the fence guide that comes with the gfk600 can’t be used in conjunction with the plunge base - the latter requires its own £75 (!) guide.
The only way for me to cut straight (short of making complex jigs) would be to pre drill and use the standard fence guide.
Hey Frank - I am not sure exactly what you mean? You can drill the hole first then route the slot if it is easier for you...
Try it on a piece of scrap to see if it works....or maybe Santa will bring you a more suitable router?
Measure twice, cut once...
I'm guessing here ...
@frank1985 - do you mean that you'd drill a hole in the blank, at the end of the truss rod slot, down to the depth that the truss rod slot has to be, and then use the depth of that hole as your guide to make sure that you rout down to the correct depth?
*IF* that's what you mean ... then you could drill a hole in any piece of scrap wood, and use that to test the depth on your router cutter.
*BUT*
Wouldn't it be easier to just measure?
It looks like that router has got a depth indicator built into it. Or, if you don't trust that, can't you check the depth of cut that you're going to get by just measuring how far the cutter is extending out from the base of the router? The first few passes it won't be an issue - you'll be making ~2mm cuts each pass of the router, so you can do that a few times before having to measure really carefully.
Once you get down close to desired depth, then perhaps use your test hole in the piece of scrap to double check the measurements and make sure you don't go too deep in the final pass?
The plunge base is really just an easy way of adjusting the depth of cut of the router. You can do the same with your router, just that it's a bit more hassle to adjust where the router sits in the base - ie the depth that it will cut to.
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The only way for me to cut straight (short of making complex jigs) would be to pre drill and use the standard fence guide.
Hi Frank. I struggled to route a straight truss rod slot using the guide on my router. I made a jig to guarantee a straight even slot. It's fairly simple, not complex at all. My router base sits between the side rails, so guided on both sides, the end stops fix the start/stop positions. Its just a case of clamping the jig to the neck blank in the correct position.
