I like to put a radiused corner on any countertop that projects into a traffic area: The corner won’t hurt as much when you bump into it. This simple jig, used with a scrap block and a plunge router with a round base, helps me cut the corner quickly and accurately. For plastic laminate counters, I cut the corners of the core before applying the laminate.

Measure the distance from the edge of your router base to the cutting edge of a straight bit placed in the chuck. Cut an L-shaped piece of plywood with each leg the same width as the bit-to-base distance. Attach fences to the long sides of the jig so that it will butt square against the corner of the countertop.

With the jig held in place on the corner, nail or screw a scrap block to the countertop core. Remove the jig, and make light cuts with the router against the block, plunging 1/4 in. at a time to cut the radius.

John Bousfield, Cocoa, Fla.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, August 1998 No. 131

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