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Another router question
Brax:
Of course you still have to cut out your jig perfectly in the first place......... to cut two joystick recesses.
Do your hands shake like a crack addict? No? Then you can freehand router. Just don't go over your line. It's that easy. I can probably stay within 1/64" freehand. If you're not so good at it maybe you'll be within 1/8". More than good enough for that application.
ErikRuud:
The frame does not need to be perfect in this application, but if you don't want to risk freehanding it, then frame will keep the router inside the lines.
I have used a router many times for many different things. Just last week I almost ruined a piece that I was working on because the bit caught the grain and tried to pull the router out of my hands.
Brax:
........and if he's using MDF, luckily it doesn't have grain.
;)
OSCAR:
I may have an unorthodox approach, but this is what I do when using MDF...
Trace the the joystick base to make an outline on the underside of the control panel, and then freehand router the recess just staying to the inside of the line. Then I go back and use a sharp wood chisel to cut the recess back to the line.
This is actually quite a quick process and gives you a straight & sharp recess without making a template. MDF cuts great with a sharp chisel, and it really isn't as manually intensive as it may sound. I just hate dinking around making templates... :)