How to not screw up your nice oak faceplate (click on the pics for the larger versions):
I happened to have a template bushing for my Dremel tool plunge router attachment. I'll be using a fresh multi-purpose spiral bit on the highest speed setting.
The offset for the guide is exactly 1/4"...I traced the outline, added a quarter inch, and also took the opportunity to adjust the curves a bit. I cut the outline with a jigsaw and spent some time cleaning up the contours with medium-grit sandpaper. Don't skip this step--the guide will follow whatever silly bumps that happen to be on the template, no matter how small they seem!
The top of the front and back panels will be held to the case with a pair of threaded rods. Since I'm planning to take multiple passes, I figured the bushings would make good locating pins to make sure the template doesn't move from the work over time. I went ahead and drilled the holes for the bushings and made holes in the template to match. The holes on the template are countersunk so the plunge-router base can move smoothly over them.
3M "Extreme" double-sided tape will hold the template in place and the faceplate itself to a backing board so I can easily clamp the work.
All clamped down and ready to go...
Plunge router. You could do this with just a standard router but getting the cut started is a bit tougher.
First cut. I take my time, letting the bit do the work, and made multiple passes only increasing the depth about 1/8" to 3/16" at a time. The bit should cut forward against the good edge (in this case the outside edge). If you get turned around it's a lot easier to let the bit drift. Don't ask me how I know.
I used a brush at first but then just kept the shop vac handy to clean out the grooves between passes. Too much sawdust can clump up and force your bit to drift (note the larger gap on the lower right corner of the tube cutout), or get between the bushing and the template, forcing the cut towards the inside of the work.
Okay....maybe that 3M tape is a little
too "extreme." Fortunately the mdf broke away more readily than the oak!
I got out my big router and used a 3/4" bit to round the edges. All ready for sanding!
All in all I'm pretty pleased so far. In hindsight, I would have spent even more time on sanding the mdf template, and might have tried my Craftsman router, even if it meant having to hand-start each cut. The Dremel tool worked allright, but there is some flex in the setup that you wouldn't get with the big "Manly-Router."