Duck Crossing Signs: Making Custom Router Templates With The Scrollsaw

[Scrolling Days]

Although this project is now complete, I decided to post it in the WIP forum, because of the nature of the thread.

Here is a project I took on last Fall, which I found both enjoyable and rewarding.

My brother is buried at a local cemetery nearby a beautiful small lake. When he was alive, he always enjoyed walking there, and watching the numerous ducks which populate it. Despite the reputation that Western New York has, we really do have gorgeous seasons, and some of the landscaping (and architecture) is really fantastic.

Here are some pictures of the lake, full of our many feathered friends.

[Scrolling Days]

The technique I used to achieve this, and which I think may be of interest to members of the Forum, was to create custom templates cut from my scrollsaw, which could be used to accurately guide the cuts made with my router.

[Scrolling Days]

Finding and preparing the stock:Creating the templates:

[Scrolling Days]

A Quick Tip:A Bit About Bits

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Routing out the letters:

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Cutting the "Duck" out of the duck:

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Final finishing:

[lkbraa]

WOW Shawn...what a beautifully executed project and very, very imformative! I really like the new duck-xing sign...those duckies are just too dang cute. Also, what a beautiful tribute to the memory of your brother. Thanx so much for sharing!

[JimSawyer]

Wow Shawn...
thanks for the journey...
It was a blast...And I love to see folks doing this in the name of benevolence and love...
Great stuff Buddy...!!
<Pats on the back>

[DukeNukem]

Way to help out there and a beautiful job on the piece of art work.Jerry

[Wood Dog]

Your brother must have one big smile..............excellent "tutorial", photos, and sweeeeet cuts.

[Bill Wilson]

Nicely done Shawn! Good job.

You mentioned being momentarily stymied by the problem of finding a bearing guided bit small enough to use for your project. Have you ever used guilde bushings, mounted in the hole of your router base? These serve a similar purpose, but rather than the bit contacting the edge of your template, the guide bushing does. This allows you to use thinner material for the templates, but does force you to compensate for the thickness of the bushing when laying out the template. Your solution worked well and turned out great. Congrats!

[Jan]

Beautiful work, Shawn, and a beautiful tribute for your brother.

Jan

[wood-n-things]

Nicely done and once again very well explained in story format. I'm sure your brother is smiling down at you. Bill beat me with his suggestion of the guide bushings. For future reference.

Online Extras - Woodsmith Magazine

Here is one set.

Template Guide Bushings - Woodcraft.com

Your workaround worked great.

[Scrolling Days]

Thanks, guys!

Bill and Mike, I did consider using bushings, but my understanding with that approach is that I would have had to calculate and cut much larger templates for the bushings to contact, since there is no longer a 1:1 size ratio. I could have done that, and it would have been a solution if allowing the shank of the bit to spin on the MDF did not work. I got lucky that it did!