Template guidance system for a router

A pantograph-type woodworking router guide template and template holder combination, comprising:

• a template holder comprising a plurality of post members having at least one keyed slot defined along and extending at least a portion of the length of each said post member and adapted for interconnection with a pantograph carriage, said template holder further comprising at least one cross member adjustably interconnecting said plurality of post members, said template holder cross member further comprising at least one slot adapted for removeably retaining at least one template, wherein said template holder further comprises a plurality of clamps for adjustably fixing said cross member relative to said posts;
• and
• a template having a base portion and a top portion, said template further comprising exterior and interior continuous surfaces interconnecting the base and top portions of said template along an outer periphery and an inner periphery of said template, respectively, to facilitate joinery cuts and carves with a single template, the base portion being adapted for removable and adjustable interconnection with the cross member of said template holder, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the exterior continuous surface and the interior continuous surface is tapered from the base portion to the top portion, and wherein the interior surface further comprises a stepped interior surface having a larger circumference upper interior surface and a smaller circumference lower interior surface.

A pantograph-type woodworking router guide template and template holder combination, comprising:

• a template holder comprising a plurality of post members having at least one keyed slot defined along and extending at least a portion of the length of each said post member and adapted for interconnection with a pantograph carriage, said template holder further comprising at least one cross member adjustably interconnecting said plurality of post members, said template holder cross member further comprising at least one slot adapted for removeably retaining at least one template, wherein said template holder further comprises a plurality of clamps for adjustably fixing said cross member relative to said posts;
• and
• a template having a base portion and a top portion, said template further comprising exterior and interior continuous surfaces interconnecting the base and top portions of said template along an outer periphery and an inner periphery of said template, respectively, to facilitate joinery cuts and carves with a single template, the base portion being adapted for removable and adjustable interconnection with the cross member of said template holder, wherein both the exterior continuous surface and the interior continuous surface are tapered, wherein the exterior continuous surface is tapered inwardly from the base portion to the top portion, wherein the interior continuous surface is tapered outwardly from the base portion to the top portion, and wherein the taper of each of the continuously-tapered exterior and interior surfaces extends around the entire exterior and interior peripheries, respectively, of said template.

A pantograph-type woodworking router guide template holder adapted for holding a template centered on the template holder by aligning a hole of the template with a hole of the template holder, comprising:

• a plurality of post members having at least one keyed slot defined along and extending at least a portion of the length of each said post member and adapted for interconnection with a pantograph carriage;
• at least one cross member having first and second ends and adjustably interconnecting said plurality of post members, said template holder cross member further comprising at least one linear keyed slot, said template holder cross member defining a hole centered midway between the first and second ends of said template holder cross member and adapted for enabling centering a template by aligning a central hole of the template with the hole centered midway;
• and
• a plurality of clamps for adjustably fixing said cross member relative to said posts.

An improved method of horizontally centering templates on a template holder cross member comprising the steps:

• inserting a keyed template tenon into a slot of the template holder;
• sliding the template in the slot to near the horizontal center of the template holder;
• pinning with one of a pin and a shaft a center hole of the template to a corresponding center hole in the template holder so as to locate the template at a centered location on the template holder;
• and
• tightening a locking mechanism of each key associated with the template to fix the template in place at the centered location on the template holder.