Clamp Guide Pro Track
This is the most sophisticated of
these three guide systems. Although
similar in construction and materials
to the other guides, the Pro Track has
a 125mm (5 inch) wide extrusion to
make it extremely rigid and is
available in jaw opening capacities of
610mm (24 inches), 1220mm (48
inches) and 2440mm (96 inches).
Both edges of the Pro Track
extrusion have a T-slot that engages
the machined edge of one or two
alternative carriage plates, allowing
them to slide along the guide edge
over the face of the workpiece.
One plate is designed to take a
router, the other a circular saw. This
allows straight cuts to be made
across the work face with no risk of
wandering away from the guide edge.
Power Tool Mounting
The carriage plates are made of nylon
machined along one edge to fit into
the T-slot as well as to extend over
the top face of the extrusion. A
second T-slot in the top face of the
extrusion accepts a tee-bolt and
thumb knob, fitted through the plate
extension to stop the plate and
power tool from tipping. This
arrangement allows open frames as
well as flush panels to be cut or
routed, the power tool being
supported on the plate as it is fed
across the workpiece.
Both carriage plates are 19mm (3/4
inch) thick, the router plate having a
circular recess of 190mm (7.5 inches)
large enough to take most popular
routers. To locate the router, the
plate is pre-drilled to suit the table
mounting holes in the router base on
the Trend T9 & T5 routers. For other
routers, both the router and carriage
plate can be drilled to take
countersunk machine screws
(ensuring that the screw heads do
not protrude below the plate).
Alternatively, the router plate recess
has a 30mm diameter centre hole
26
that takes a 30mm outside diameter
guide bush. With this size guide bush
fitted, the router can be simply
dropped into the recess, allowing the
guide bush to both centre and locate
it allowing the normal down force to
hold it in place while routing.
The carriage plate for the saw
measures approximately 355 x
240mm (14 x 9.5 inches) with the
same thickness as the router plate
but no recess. The saw can be either
fitted to the edge of the plate by
drilling both and using countersunk
screws, or by cutting a central slot
with a router cutter wide enough to
take the blade and blade guard
(always fit the saw in such a way that
the blade guard continues to operate
as before). When fitting jigsaws, a
small hole can be drilled to take the
blade and the base plate either
screwed or clamped (with home
made clamps) to the plate.
Length Stops
In order to limit the length or
position of the cut, stop blocks to fit
the Pro Track are available as an
optional accessory. These simply
engage in the tracks T-slot and can be
locked with a T-nut as on the carriage
plates. IP
Autumn 1999