With Rockler’s corner radius routing templates, forget searching for the right sized can, cup, or other curved object to trace every time you want to round off a corner.
To use one of Rockler’s corner radius routing template, first select the proper radius and snap the template into the handle. Hold the template on your workpeice and transfer the radius. You can even use the template for cutting the radius on your router table.
Each template has 4 different radius sizes, 1 at each corner.
The template set gives you radii from 1/8″ to 2″, for a total of 12 different sizes among 3 different templates:
- First template — 1/8″, 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″
- Second template — 5/8″, 3/4″, 7/8″, and 1″
- Third template — 1-1/4″, 1-1/2″, 1-3/4″, and 2″
The handle is made from glass-filled ABS and the templates are 1/4″ thick ABS. The templates have three rubber strips on the bottom, to grip the workpiece. The slots allow you to snap the handle into place for any of the four radii on each template.
With the handle in place, the pins and tabs on the handle extend past the template and overlap the edge of the wood to perfectly align the radius template.
You’re going to need a flush trim bit for your router, as the bit’s bearing rides on the template when you’re trimming the corner.
For $50, you get the handle/template fence, and three templates. Like many of Rockler’s new products, these templates seem to be priced pretty high, but we’ve also seen Rockler drop the introductory price after a few months. Or you can wait until a 15% or better coupon comes your way.
Price: $50
First Thoughts
I can imagine you’re thinking: “enough with the Rockler posts already Ben!” I have to admit it’s really easy to write about their products because I can drive 15 minutes to a nearby store to inspect them, but in my defense Rockler really does crank out the new products pretty fast.
I would never have posted about this product if I hadn’t gotten my hands on it in the store. I was really impressed with the way the handle locked into the template and how well thought out this product was.
When you pull on the grip in the handle with your fingers, it locks the template into place with the pins and tabs against the edges of the workpeice. The template also sticks well to the board on its own due to the sticky rubber strips on the bottom of the templates.
I’m thinking that if you round over a lot of edges in many different radii, it might be worth it to buy a set of templates like this rather stumble around the shop looking for something the right radius to use. Or you make your own set, as shown in this video by Toolify.
At least the Rockler corner radius routing templates are still available and a whole lot cheaper than the ones Woodpeckers sold. Woodpeckers’ radius templates are made from aluminum and can be used independently without having to switch back and forth with a handle, but you would have to do a lot of corner radiusing to justify the price of the set.
Woodpeckers’ QuickJig templates were $40 for each 2-radius templates, or $240 for a set of 6. Before that, they also had a similar template-and-handle system that was $280 for 12 radius sizes.