Does anyone have experience mounting finbox templates for a pre-lamination install? I’ve got a homemade template using masonite (thanks for the how to shwuz.) This isn’t for lokbox. I need to do a pre-lamination install into the foam for another system. I don’t want to use spray adhesive on the eps since i feel that would contaminate it and mess with the epoxy/glass bond. But I’m cautious about clamping the foam- don’t want to leave indentations.
Hmmm…
how about thin packing tape?
Pat
Hey Pat,
I was watching a guy install Futures in foam only at the Surfer Divas gig at Cerritos a couple weeks ago. He used an official Futures aluminum template which was held in place by friction only. I think the connection to the foam can be made the same way with any template.
The template was backed by a soft foam that gripped the board. I use it all the time when routing wood to keep the work from sliding on the bench. I bet if you get some and spray glue it to the back of your template, it should keep it from walking. You may not even have to glue it, I just use my loose. I like that because that way I can rinse it with water which improves the grippiness.
I just use the stuff form Target or Home Depot. They sell it as kitchen drawer lining or placemats.
Did a quick search. Here’s the stuff I’m talking about. It comes in different thickness’. Give it a try on some scrap without glueing it to your template. It’s cheap and it might work fine.
And here’s a picture of me using it to keep a makeshift guide from slipping on a break/finbox repair.
Oh yah, with the Futures template, he just held it in place with one hand and operate the laminate trimmer with the other. Since I have a two handed router, I tend to rig up bungee cords to apply down force. The means I make the template a little bigger to have a place for the bungees with out interfereing with the router base.
Man, you do take care of your tools! That Porter Cable router shines… Not one particle of dust on it…
Here a post I put up a while back. Used the exact same thing. Just put pressure down while routing.
http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?post=288042;#288042
A clean, dry air supply does wonders. Use it regular after each use and the dust won’t stick and the motor lasts much longer. Also keep the tools in a box instead of laying out. I like my tools.
Thanks for the responses. I’m going to have to try that kitchen mat idea.
Since I’ve been off line all afternoon, didn’t get so see these ideas before attacking the foam. I used some clear packing tape to hold the masonite template in place. It worked pretty well, I just had to use a lot to make sure there wasn’t any wiggle left in the template. The downsides are that I wasted quite a bit of tape and it took a long time. I think the rubber mat thing may be quite a time saver, and it’s reusable.
Ryan,
that router looks just like mine, but much cleaner.
Pat
A clean, dry air supply does wonders. Use it regular after each use and the dust won’t stick and the motor lasts much longer. Also keep the tools in a box instead of laying out. I like my tools.
Ryan, I was just kidding. I do the same with mine. All power tools get blown after use untill no more dust comes out the vents. But all tools get dirty from other things than dust: my sander has spray glue spots everywhere (but no dust inside). Your router looks immaculate. Congrats.
I use inner tubes from the bike shop
cut in strips
banding appendages
that stick off the sides
of the masonite template
additional corresponding braces
under the boardhold template firmly in place.
on foam the black on the innertube
rubber would stain the foam
perhaps surgical tubing would be better
the more simular the apps are
from job to job
the more accurate the jig
could afford to be
tape too can re adjust spotaneously
the clamping of the jig is quite important as
spotaneous adjusting of the jig
makes for in accurate instalations
the use of e pox as I have done for the last few bords
risks of over heating the foam and
compromising by melting it
has become a concern.
put me down for clamping
to secure the jig.
…ambrose…
all my tools have dust
my compressor isnt hooked up
my 30 year old router still goes
and so does the skill 100
although I blew it out
a month or two ago
and found dinassaur
fecum… it was dry.
and so does the skill 100
although I blew it out
a month or two ago
and found dinassaur
fecum… it was dry.
LMAO!!!ambrose,I am curious as to how you know what kind it was?
Good call with the non-skid stuff there. We had some of that on all the countertop surfaces on our boat, and the coffee cups would stay planted far longer than the coffee would stay in them.
Glad the technique is working for you, just be careful with those spiral downcut bits. They’re brittle.
I’m right in the middle of making my center-box templates right now. After having such great luck with the lokbox jig, I broke two of those spiral cutting bits right in a row. Wouldn’t you know it, there aren’t any available at homedepot/lowes/etc… So I’m sitting with 7 boards hotcoated and ready to sand, with three needing center boxes before I continue. Doh!
Here’s my first centerfin template I made and used two weeks ago. You can see I used bungees. I used the padding between the template and board to hold it in place. Some paddin is still laying on the board at the top of the pic. I inserted the plank underneath to increase the bungee pressure. It was pretty skid-free.
In case anyone is looking to make a template, I included a pic of the dimensions for the bit and bushing combo I used. I don’t know if you can tell but I made it from 1/8" mdf and 1/4" mdf glued together. I cut a slightly oversized opening in the 1/8 then I cut a fill strip of 1/4" to set the width of the opening for the top two pieces of 1/4". That seemed like the simplest way to set the width without building a jig to build the template. It seemd to work out well. The extra 1/8" bottom piece does take that much away from the depth the router can reach. I had enough reach but not a lot of extra.
