Pathfinder instructions - The WoodRat

of the drawer (two sides and one front) need to be as far as
possible the same width. The drawer Back should be made
at the same time to the same thickness and cut down only
after it is jointed.
The Drop-pin is placed in the router plate and anchored with
the Locking Screws. Loosen the plate to change the position
of the Pin, forward and back, relative to the Bit. There are three
pairs of holes for the M6 Locking Keys.
The Drop-Pin runs around the tail islands and then the pin
pocket recesses in the Template in the same pass as the Bit
is cutting the drawer sides, and then the pin pockets, all at
the same depth. This makes it a simple operation, once it is
set up.
You may need to design the drawers to accommodate the
template to some extent, but each template has two different
pitches, for the same dovetail size, so it should not be hard to
find a pitch that’s very close to the height of drawer front you
need. The full-size diagram of the possible dovetail runs at the
end of this section should help with the layout.
2. Getting to work
Unless you are doing asymmetrical work like for cock beaded
drawers you can ensure that you make a perfectly symmetrical
arrangement. Take the centre of the board, and match it with
either the centre of the run, or exactly between two pins.
Use the Template and put it the right way round to give you
pitch A or the larger B as right for your design.
Place a piece for tails (a Side) with the inner face against the
face of the WoodRat and the corresponding Drawer Front horizontal,
up under the plates, with the inner face facing up.
The CNC-cut, Half-Blind Template allied to exactly machined
dovetail bits gives a close fit of pin to tail, that is when the
depth of the bit is just less than the full depth by 0.5mm or
less. Adjusting the depth gives just enough leeway in the fit,
provided that you use a WoodRat 1in7 dovetail bit.
The template gives exact alignment of pins to sockets, so that
the boards marry up exactly.
This only leaves the depth of the Side, after it has been cut
with tails, to the depth of the pin pocket. And this needs careful
setting, so that there is a minimum of final cleaning up.
The Half-blind Layout
Mark the centre line of your board and note whether the pins
will be odd or even in number, and camlock the board in vertically
with the inner face against the machine face.
Fit the Template with its two Locking keys in ready, and slide
it into the Bracket. Don’t tighten yet.
Track the board to line up its centre line mark with the Bit (with
its blades north/south). Then slide the Template to line it up
under the Drop-Pin, aligning the Template with either the corresponding
alley (odd number of sockets), or the middle of the
Island (even number). Tighten the Template Locking keys.
Track west and east to check that the two ends of the run look
right, with the Bit covering the two ends equally at both edges
of the Drawer Side.
The Layout
Take extra/spare pieces of Side and Front. Place them in the
Pathfinder.
Place the Side vertical, with its inner face against the machine
face.
Place the Front (inside up), up under the Half-plate. Hold it
there with the RodLock.
Follow this: making sure you can see the bit clearly.
1. Unlock the router, zero the Bit onto the end of the Drawer
Side and depth the router to the depth of the bit using the scale
on your router, and not to the depth of the wood as with through
dovetails. Set it to the blade length of the Bit, and then unscrew
the depthing foot a couple of half turns. The depthing is now
a little less than the blade length. For example depth the 12-6
bit to 12mm and give it a couple of downward turns.
28
A. Even number of sockets: Bit lined up
on the centre line of the board, and the
Template moved to position the Pin to
the middle of the island.
A
B. Odd number of sockets: Bit lined
up on the centre line of the board, and
the Template moved to position the
Pin between the islands
B