5 Ways to make a groove with your router! 

Here's my score card: Commentary in English (5), Clear instructions (5), Camera work and Editing (5), Demonstrating Techniques (5), Value for money (5).

Excellent instructional video. I've bought some of your China tool recommendations. Appreciate the attention to detail in the reviews. Thanks.

That’s a brilliant jig Dennis. Many thanks. All the best for the summer. 👍🏻

Thank you for another great video. I learn every time I watch one. New subscriber and notifications are on all.

So informative and well presented. I'm making one of those templates now....time to get on the web for the bits. Thanks Dennis.

Very good shots. Fantastic all round, as usual.

Excellent job Dennis, just what I was looking for. Thank you for your great videos.

Hi Dennis, thanks for your videos, I really enjoy watching them and have learned a lot. Regarding the jig, you mention T Track screws. Are these special screws (besides the t head)? Unfortunately the link doesn’t help as they seem to be sold out. Many thanks, merry Christmas and all the best for 2024!

Very well presented Love that jig Must make my own

Super Dennis , Tumb 👍 up for you . Greetings from the best Country of Europe - Austria

Thanks for the video, very helpful. Where do you purchase a template? Thanks!

Awesome tutorial! 😊

Hi Dennis, hope your Holidays are going well and you are having some good quality time with your family. When you are back in the shop could you answer one quick question which I am confused about before I build the Template. I have just watched your video again and when using a Router Bit with a Bearing, how do you prevent the Bearing from running into the Groove in the T-Track, which would really mess things up ? I can only presume you have to use a Router Bit that closely matches the depth of the T-Track so that the Bearing will run along the bottom outer edge of the T-Track and you have to make the cut in One Pass at full depth?

I love your videos.

This is exactly what I need. Thank you for the tutorial!

As Dennis says, "thank you for a nice fideo" ;-)

Dennis, Your router base has two flat sides and two rounded sides. Yet you are using the rounded sides in stead of the flat sides to follow your jig or guide rail. Do you do that on purpose? To me it seems obvious to use the flat sides to ride against the jig or guide rail in order to prevent wobbling (which you can see fairly good in your video). Anyway, thanks for the clear and very usefull explanation!!

Dennis, I love that T-track jig. Do you have a video or plans on that?

Great jig for a router. I’m loving your channel. I was wondering have you ever worked with Japanese plans and I would love to know your thoughts on them.

Hi Dennis, thanks for this great video! A question about the router template: in practice, doesn't it bother you that the tracks stick out by 1mm over the thickness of the plywood? If you run your router base on top of the template (for example with a bushing) the router bit will hit the material at an angle other than 90 degrees, right? If there were any T-tracks 18mm wide, would you choose these? Or 19mm plywood? Hypothetically of course; neither of these are available off the shelf to my knowledge.

Fantastic, Dennis! 😃 Thanks a lot for all the tips! And thanks for the jig! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Do I need a plunge base ?

Hi Dennis. I assume you meant 100 centimeter sand 50 centimeters (and not millimeters) for the lengths of the template pieces.

Hello Dennis, is there a video for making your router guide? If yes i’d appreciate the link. Cheers & love your work. Tony

Saludos maestro de Aguascalientes México Francisco gamez un abrazo muy fuerte y saludos cordiales bendiciones para usted y toda su familia es usted genial 😀👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Brilliant video. I enjoy your "China Tools" videos but, I "REALLY" enjoy watching your build and demonstration videos. Keep 'er lit Bro!

Hi Dennis, zou je mij de referentie kunnen geven van de boor die je gebruikt om de gaten in de T-tracks te maken? Deze lijkt me super handig! Thanks! grtn Glenn

Appriciate the woork put into to your excellent videos. I am looking forward to when you test the bushing as I will interesterd to see which routers they would be adaptable for ie I have the triton TRA001. Once again thank you.

Hey Dennis, I see you are also using the Matchfit clamping system. Do you reckon it would be possible to replace the T-tracks on by a dovetail grove? Or is 18mm ply a little too thin to route the dovetail track in?

Awesome and simple template. Extremely versatile. You can, easily, make one large enough, to make an eight foot assembly table. No more fiddling and fumbling with, single, edge guides, trying to keep them straight. P.S.: I love how you label your projects. Looks great.

Nice video Dennis. Just used one of your links ;) Thx for entertaining and teaching again and again =)

Hi Dennis, yet another very interesting and detailed video and comes at just the right time for me as I am going to be cutting some T-Track Slots very soon. Just a couple of questions which might have already been asked but will ask them again and the answers may be useful to others that watch your channel. 1) Can you tell me if you use the Curved Edge of your Makita Router base for any particular reason rather than the Flat Edge which I would have thought would be easier to control and not wander around the curved edge ?. 2) In your video, you mentioned the sizes of your pieces of 18mm Plywood for the Router Template as 2 Off at 100mm and 2 Off at 50 mm, did you actually mean 100cm and 50cm ? Enjoy your Holidays with the family, hope the weather is as good as it is in the U.K. at the moment apart from it is a little too Hot, 30 Degrees Centigrade today. It is 9 Days to go to my Daughters Wedding so starting to panic now hope I have remembered everything :-)

I'm used to larger, corded routers ru-vid.comUgkxfQ5_mgwq6PcudJvAH25t-I4D-3cTPz4z so this was a different experience for me. Basically, this is an incredibly sweet machine, fits well in the hand, etc. It has slightly less power than I'm used to, but that's understandable. Maneuvering freehand takes some practice. These days, it's especially nice to be able to avoid power cords. This is above the level of a hobbyist but below a pro level.

Dennis, your videos or such high quality and always a pleasure to watch. Very informative content on this channel. So glad I'm "hooked"!

Hi Dennis, I am a new subscriber and wow, great videos. I just recently retired from military service and decided woodworking as my hobby until eternity. I never thought wood working to be so much fun and indeed peaceful and rewarding when finally see what was created with our own hands. Love it. I am indeed interested on the correct plans to build this router template. I visited your website but was unable to find it. Do you have the link to it? Again, thanks for your amazing videos. By the way, I just bought my first Hongdui Precision Miter Gauge you reviewed a while ago, from Banggood, wow what a beauty and solid elegant build. Thanks. I can't wait to learn more and continue on my new path of wood working and hopefully one day, become a Wood Master Jedi like youself. Blessings🙂

Thank you. Learned a great deal...rr Normandy, Fra.

Great video it answered all of the questions I had at the start, hope you enjoy your holiday and family time.

Hi. Did you make this template? If so have you produced any plans for this?

Dennis, could you use your black MDF to make the frame? The forescolour equivalent sold by IDS here in the UK (roughly £64 per sheet including VAT) is 19mm thick, the same width as the T-track or would it be dimensionally weak as it is not laminated like plywood.

Again a beautiful meaningful video, thanks Dennis for all your work !! The t-track is 19mm and the plywood is 18mm thick, so 1mm difference in thickness at the top of the template, the router tilts over that. Ask; how did you solve this?? Greatings Ad (Woerden, Netherlands)

Dennis is awesome. Thank you kind Sir for sharing your talents from Heaven. Praise Jesus.

I SUPPORT

This video saved my life, sir. I started getting headaches about cutting t-track grooves for my router table build. I have a small Makita router as well, but i don't have an adapter or clamps for my guide rail and I don't want to spend extra money on additional tools for this job. Btw, your workshop is absolutely stunning - I'm amazed by your taste and the beaty and elegance of your furniture. I aspire to become 5% as competent as you are in terms of woodworking skills. Thank you!

Hello Dennis, great viedeo. Can you put a link where to buy the T tracks you use.

Can you use a 3/4 in straight bit?

Magic hammer @ 12:18

See notification from Dennis,hit view. Press like ,sit back and enjoy. Good work as ever. Thank you

Thank you so much, this has revolutionised my way of measuring. Thank you

Nl ?

Apart from the fact I didn't even know a corner chisel existed and that I NEED one for squaring off the rounded routered channels I'm cutting, this video was just what I needed to be able to learn about accurately insetting t-track. And I also have acquired just a little bit of workshop envy, too.

Great video and so easy to create a jig like that... now all I have to do is make a grooved track to make your jig to make my grooves accurate! 😂😂 Have a good time with your family if you are not back yet off your holiday!

Hoi Dennis, bedankt voor deze instructie. Helpt erg veel. Ik heb nu mijn werkbank klaar en wil nu een t-track erin frezen. IK heb een frees van 30 mm gekocht maar zit het steeds uit te stellen omdat ik bang ben dat ik het mooie nieuwe oppervlak van mijn werkbank onherstelbaar beschadig. Ik ga wel een proef doen natuurlijk en hoop dat het lukt. Wat zou de snelheid van de frees moeten zijn: het is er een met een 8 mm schacht.

A very informative video Dennis - Thank you. It’s just what I need as I just bought a router and am keen on using it. I’ve never owned a router so this template will be a great help for a novice like me.......

Very nice tutorial. I will build this jig for myself. Have a nice time with your family.

Amazing.

The one thing that amazed me most about this video was - sawdust in Dennis’s workshop!!! He is human after all! 😀

Hm, have you done any adjustments to your Makita router plunge base so the depth stop will remain at the set depth? Not matter how much I tighten the screw the threaded rod will always come lose after a while and mess with my depth of cut which is kind of annoying. Maybe the corded version has so much power that it can't keep up with the vibration?

Another great video, Dennis. Very helpful. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for showing us how to make simple but lovely tools, plus thank you for showing a telling us about the tools you use and how you rate them I have found this very very useful.

When discussing how to make the template gadget, you said you cut 4 pieces of 18mm plywood " 2 at 100mm, and 2 at 50mm". You meant CENTIMETERS, right? The boards look to be 50-60mm wide. Is that about right? Love your videos!

Hi Dennis, thanks for the video, I'm going to try to build the template, is it advisable to use MDF to build it? The MDF I can find locally is 19mm that is just the height of the T-track, the plywood is either 18mm or 20mm. Thank you also for your great and motivating work!

I like your jig l was reading somebody’s else’s comments about the T Track is 19 mm and we have 18 mm ply how about laminating the 18 mm ply or if you know how to use a belt sander just sand off the T track it’s just aluminium l am going to make this jig as l do like useing routers stay safe and thanks for your video 👏👏👍

great skills, this template will save me wasting a lot of scrap wood. Great Work

Wow! 753 thumbs up and 0 down. That's unheard of. Congratulations. Cutting some slots, the dust pickup seemed not to work at all. Was the vacuum not on?

I searched your video's on your channel but couldn't see any that referenced making the template you used, is there one? Great Video, thanks for the handy tips.

Hi Dennis, what a cool jig/template. The plywood is 18 mm thick, the t-track is 19 mm. On the top of the jig the t-track thus is 1 mm higher than the surface of the wood. This will cause the router to wobble because it is not flat on the jig isn’t it? And the angle of the bit will not be 90 degrees to the material. It’s not much but still. Or am I wrong?

Hey Dennis, another great video. Can you inform us which router bit you use with the Makita at 1:45? I know that most of the time you use CMT bits, do you have experience with router bits from Banggood? Thnx for the feedback and your videos. Wim

Top mijn lijstje voor Banggood is weer klaar

Thank you for this information and greets from Bavaria

Great video on a simple idea which is not always so simple to execute. Well done and more like this.

Great video. I alway enjoy your videos and how detailed they are.

Wow, how did I miss this episode!? Another great idea Dennis!

as always a great video. thanks for making it and sharing it.

Nice upgrade to Festool tools Dennis. Good tutorials thx!

If you're always going to be using the bushing with the guide, just offset the tape to cancel the offset. No more math every time you use the guide.

Great video very useful information

Great video, thanks. I plan to make the router template. That said, I'd be interested in knowing the make of self-centering or vix drill bits you used in this video. Mine are junk.

As always. Well done! I will be making one of these very soon. Thank you and enjoy your family holiday! Cheers from the US!

Great Video Denis! Simple an make routing grooves so much better. Have you reviewed any china router bits yet ?

2:12 Why do you use such a narrow bit? 10mm isn't really suitable.

Great video. Now I will make one.

I love it, easy to make and very portable.

Dag Dennis. Ik zag je een spiraalbit gebruiken als ik het goed heb. Is dat een spiral up of down. Tweede vraag waar heb je de self centering boor vandaan. Bedankt voor de weer een prachtige video.

IMHO, Option 2, first cut, you could also use three or four short scrap wood pieces of 20 mm. If the guide bends, so it must do with the paper, but it seem not happened. Long pieces of offset wood are becoming expensive.

Hi Dennis, did you mean 2 x 50cm and 2 x 100cm? Because you said for template 2 @ 100mm amd 2 @ 50mm

Excellent video Dennis. Loved the use of subtle explanatory graphics. Very sharp and professional presentation. Can’t wait to make that template, looks awesome.

Goe bezig venke! Big fan!

I'm a little confused. For Option 3 - The Smart Way (at minute 5) how did you avoid having the router bit ride against the miter track bars? Did you use a bushing or a top bearing trim bit that was sized in such a way that the bearing rode against the bottom rail of the template track?

These are my favourite sort of videos , showing a project demonstrating a product in action just makes it easier to understand. Happy holidays Dennis and family looking forward to that new workshop build .

Fantastic. As with all your video's so beautifully explained verbally and visually. Great work keep it up

Not wanting to state the obvious, but why cut a bit of wood the thickness of the T track? Just use a bit of T track.

Good job Bro 🇩🇿

Can you give link about drill at 12:55 ?

nice use of the baptist noteblock haha

Exellent1

👍

3:25 Why do you use the curved side of the router base rather than the flat side? The curved side would result in a positional mistake if you move the router incorrectly. Using the flat side of the base wouldn't involve this risk. You just stand at the side and move the router across, sliding against the flat side, rather than pushing from either end.

Great video, I always appreciate the time you take👍 I have the same Makita router and just recently found the plunge base for it. Both are wonderful for what I do.

Nice tutorial!

I made my router template from the aluminum extrusions. and it was quite expensive, but of course it is waterproof, and because I live in tropics at 90% or more humidity, the plywood jigs wouldn't survive a week. but I really like the simplicity of your template design. and I need to buy that corner cutter. looks so cool and easy to use it comparing to chiseling the corners out.