How to Make Large Wood Letters Using a Router
- 1). Draw out the letters on the sheet of hardboard. Drill a 3/8-inch hole through each letter with a cordless drill. Insert the blade of a jigsaw through each letter. Cut out the letter and discard it; you will be using the opening that the letters came from as the template.
- 2). File and smooth the inside perimeter of the letters. Cut the individual letters from the sheet of hardboard with the jigsaw, leaving at least 2 inches on all sides. Using a 1/32-inch drill bit and cordless drill, drill one hole through the top of the template and one through the bottom.
- 3). Lay one of the templates down on a piece of 3/4-inch plywood. Insert a 3/4-inch brad into each hole. Tap the brads down with a hammer, securing the template to the plywood.
- 4). Insert a 3/8-inch cutter bit into the router. Place a 1/4-inch bushing into the router base. Use a Phillips screwdriver and two 1/4-inch screws to secure the bushing to the base. The bit should extend out the bottom of the bushing 3/4 inch.
- 5). Grab the router with both hands. Position it directly above the template. Pull the trigger to turn on the router. Lower the cutter bit into the template, allowing the bit to burrow down into the plywood. When the router base is flat against the template, begin sliding the router along the inside perimeter of the template. The bushing will guide the cutter as it cuts the letter out. When the letter comes loose, lift the router out and release the trigger.
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