The Router Carriage is as essential as a table saw sled in any modern workshop.

By Josh Brower 

The goal of the router carriage is to give you complete control of the router as a surfacing tool.  It works on the same principal as a carriage for the lathe except for that your piece is clamped onto a flat surface.  (See photo)

The main reason I came about this carriage is that I couldn’t think of a better tool or jig to accomplish the same task.  Nothing I came up with was quite as fast or gave as good a result.  I don’t think it will be long before some form of carriage is commercially available.  The carriage I came up with is safe because both your hands are on the router, and not near the piece or spinning bit. 

            I have adapted my carriage for two main uses.  Instead of using a scorp to scoop out chair seats which often require meticulous hand clean up, I use a large 2”cove bit from MLCS in a heavy duty variable speed plunge router.  (See photo)  Secondly I find it very useful to do most of the rough out work on linenfold  carvings.  If done properly by design almost the entire linenfold can be achieved with the router.  (See photo)  I prefer to use clamps attached to the rails for the starting and stopping points.

Surfacing large pieces when the piece is too large for a jointer (or you don’t own one…see photo)  or scooping out pieces of large blocks of figured wood is also a great use.  Many purists will be upset that I don’t clamp the board down and then spend a few hours handplaning the piece flat. (see photo)  They think that hand tools are the only good tool for high end work.  I agree with the last statement, except when a power tool won’t do the same job faster or better.

            I’m showing the jig I built with off the shelf parts from my local home store.  I use ¼ in polycarbonate (show photo) for my base plate so I can see through it to the piece I’m working on.  I take my current router base off from the factory  (show photo) and transfer the holes to it then drill it out and attach the plate as a large square or rectangle.  (show photo)   After I have my plate attached I take aluminum channel which is also from the home store and attach it to a board to match the width of the base I’ve created (show photo).  I measure out the length of the piece to be surfaced, and then attach the board at the other end one inch away from my piece. (photo)  I leave the inch space to use as a clamping area for wedges on both ends of the pieces. (photo)  I usually give myself one half inch clearance over the piece I’m working on when I attach the carriage legs.

            Once I’m set up with the router and the jig attached  and sliding smoothly back and forth I set the router for the slowest speed and put it a large 2 inch coving bit available from MLCS woodworking.  I prefer this bit for the valleys between the linenfolds, and for scooping out seated areas.  I suggest using different coving bits based on the width and size of your linenfold.  To make sure I don’t build up any friction from dust and wood chips I coat both the plate edges and aluminum guides with paraffin wax (photo).   Any shop lubricant will work though.

            For chair seats I draw out the design for my cuts broadly with a pencil, and then slowly plunge the router to the depth I’m working for.  I start with the deepest area first as most microadjustments on routers will make the bit plunge less, and it allows for small adjustments on the edges of my piece as I work toward it. 

            After scooping and smoothing the piece (photo) I move in with a random orbit sander and clean up the demarcations between height cuts. 

            For surfacing large figured pieces (photo) I use the same set up, but I don’t adjust for the depth.  I light take off the high spots first, and then gradually work my way down until there are no low spots.  You will find the surface finish excellent, and ready for some final touch up with hand tools and sanders.

            The possibilities for this carriage are many …stopped dovetails, dados…and more than I can think of.  I encourage you to build a jig and send in photos of what you are doing with yoursJ.