Milescraft 1207 Router Design Inlay Kit

I purchased the Milescraft 1207 Router Design Inlay Kit because a friend wants me to inlay the Wisconsin “Running W” logo into a lid for him.

The kit comes complete with everything that you need to get started routing inlays. I had to make a trip to the hardware store for M4×12 pan head screws to mount the universal base plate to my Freud router. It comes with 7” Universal Base Plate with the Turnlock system, three guide bushing, 4 templates with multiple cutouts, a center pin, an 1/8” Downcut Spiral for inlays, a “V” grove bit, extra base plate mounting screws (imperial thread I believe), a pencil and guide bushing for the pencil.

The quality of the plastic pieces is pretty good although there where a couple burs that had to be removed. The kit is easy to use that’s for sure. I’ve never done anything like this before and it only took me a couple of minutes to figure the system out.

How it works is you clamp the template guide holder to your workpiece and then place the template guide into the holder. Next you route around the template. Next, remove the template and rotate it to the next position depending on the design your making.. Wash, rinse and repeat until you’ve gotten all of the way around.

I haven’t tried an inlay yet but the design part of it is simple as it gets.

The universal base plate didn’t fit up to my router all that great. I could only find two holes that lined up. Although it seems to be fine and the instructions say that you may only find two, I would prefer to have all 4 screws securing the base plate to the router. Also, this is more for crafts type of work which is fine, but not my type cup tea.

I’m giving it 4 stars for the following “issues”

1) The alignment pin. I don’t get why the alignment pin isn’t the same size as the inside diameter of the bushing?? You have to sort of guess where the center is and then tighten down the base plate. Sort of defeats the purpose of an “alignment” pin. If you have a lath, I would suggest taking a few minutes and turning your own alignment pin that actually aligns the base plate to the center of the router.

2) It’s all plastic. It’s made from the good type of plastic, glass reinforced plastic is what it reminds me of. I would have like to seen nice brass guide bushings.

$39.50 from Amazon

-- Chunk's Workshop pictures: http://spadfest.rcspads.com/thumbnails.php?album=135