M-Power Dowel and Edge Router Trimmer Kit
Please note this is the plate with the bearing. This does not include the router.
The problems of flush trimming hardwood, Iron-on lippings and dowel heads are well documented. Many techniques have been developed and even specialized tools manufactured to try to make this tricky task easier. The CRB7 Edge Trim Kit might just be the simplest and quickest solution to achieving a beautiful fault free finish. Fitted in seconds and simple to set up. Flat-panel flushing tasks can be performed consistently accurate for the making of a one-off piece of furniture to batch production manufacture.
- Creating a stable router platform - The obvious issue to trimming the protruding head of a dowel or lipping. Is that the base of the router hits the dowel even before the router cutter gets to it. The Edge Trim Kit Riser clips onto the underside of the CRB7 and acts as a 7mm (1/4") platform. The platform has greater router to work surface contact area much more than the base of a regular router which ensures stability throughout the routing pass.
- Maintaining a consistent cutter height - Critically The CRB7 Trim Kit Riser maintains a consistent distance between the bottom of the cutter and the work surface. The requirement of the woodworker is to do as little work to completely flush the dowel head as possible; So the router cutter needs to be all but touching the surrounding work surface. At such close proximity even a small variation in cutter height could see the work surface inadvertently routed and as dowels are fitted after the wood is machined. Damage as this point could be almost impossible to rectify. The CRB7 Trim Kit allows a single routing pass to flush the dowel head or edge lipping requiring just light abrasive to finish.
How to use the Router Trimmer's myriad of uses
- Increasing the speed of the routing pass with the Tracer Racer - The Edge Trim Kit includes a bearing race and mounting post. when fitted this removes the need for the woodworker to visually guide the router along the path of the lipping. The tracer bearing runs along the edge of the board keeping the cutter directly over the lipping ensuring the routing pass flushes the lipping in one go.
- Flushing dowel heads and real wood plugs - Dowels are an especially decorative way to joint panels, usually the woodworker chooses a different wood type for the dowel to provide a contrast between panel and dowel head. Alternatively straight grain and end grain wood plugs are used to the same end but to hide screws which are performing the same task as the dowels. Both Dowels and Plugs are left proud of the work surface after fitting. Both need to be flushed to the board surface before finishing the piece. There are flexible dowel trimming saws available; However for the less experienced craftsman it's easy to damage the work surface with the saw blade if the dowel head is trimmed too close to the surface. After trim sawing then paring with a sharp chisel to remove the remaining dowel waste is another opportunity for mistakes to occur. Alternatively Flush trimming dowel heads with a router and CRB7 Trim kit is very quick and consistent. The router is ideal for this as it's very high cutter speed combined with a sharp TCT (Tungsten Carbide Tipped) cutter ensures that a flushing pass trims the remains of a dowel head without the risk of break out or damaging the work surface itself.
- Flushing hardwood lipping - Either copying an existing architectural molding on a kick board/skirting board or putting the finishing touches to a piece of furniture. Edge molding is an essential task in most woodworking projects in everything but rough stud work, framing and perhaps woodturning.
- The CRB7 fitted with an Edge guide is one of the simplest set ups with which to perform a quick and easily repeatable edge mold. The CRB's Micro Adjuster precisely controls how much of the cutter is presented to the board edge to be molded and with the false facepieces fitted the cutter is couched into the edge guide to create a seamless support either side of the cutter. Keeping the routing pass smooth and reducing the chance of burn marks and deviations in the molding.
- Trimming Iron on edging - Iron on edging is an easier alternative to hardwood lipping. A slightly oversized pre-glued backed roll of veneer or melamine edging is applied using a domestic iron. It's much quicker but less durable than a solid glued edge. However the same issues remain with how to remove the excess edging so it lies flat with the core sheeting. The edging trim kit fits quickly onto the CRB Setup is as easy ensuring that the cutter removes just the waste edging. Leaving a tiny lip to be flushed by a light sanding.
- Tracer Racer - It's especially useful in a batch production situation, where a series of boards are being lipped all at once. It'll guide the cutter along the lipping ensuring only one pass will be needed.