Shop Tips

Use drill bits to set routing depth

Drill bits come in standard sizes and can take the place of gauge blocks as spacers.

#305-SEP/OCT 2023 Issue

To set routing depth precisely, you can zero out the bit with the base of the router, and then place a dimensioned spacer under the router’s depth stop, as Bob Van Dyke did in FWW #299 (p. 38). Rather than buy a set of gauge blocks to use as spacers, however, most woodworkers can find a better option in their shops already: a big box of drills, sized in 1/64-in. (or 0.5mm) increments. Just be aware that the shanks on larger or cheaper bits can be a little smaller than the bore size, so double-check them with your dial calipers.

—BOB HULLEY, Sonning on Thames, England

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #305

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