Classic Bow Tie Inlay Acrylic Router Template - Butterfly Template 1
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Create flawless butterfly / bow tie inlays into wood with ease using our collection of bow tie inlay router templates.
Wood bow ties and butterfly's are used not only for decorative detailing into wood furniture or serving boards, but can also be used as a structural component to stabilize cracks and imperfections in wood.
Available in a handful of styles and designs, these 1/4" thick 7.75x7.75" acrylic templates feature five different sizes of the same shape so you can choose what size best fits your project. Sizes include 4.5x2.25", 3.5x1.75", 3x1.5", 2.5x1.25" and 2x1". The interior corner radii of the template inlays are 1/16" and therefore will work best with a 1/8" end router bit.
For Backfilled Resin Inlays:
If you simply want to create a decorative epoxy resin inlay in your material, use any standard flush trim or inlay router bit. Hollow out your pocket to the desired depth with your handheld router, backfill with resin, then sand or plane flush.
For Creating Wood Inlays (Male / Female):
Our inlay templates are compatible with most router inlay bit kits. Our favorite inlay bit kit is the Whiteside Machine 9500 1/8" solid brass inlay kit, but nearly any inlay specific router bit can be used. The unique design of these kits allows you to use the same bit, with an offset bearing, to cut the pocket (the female part to receive the wood inlay), then remove the bearing, shape the insert (male part) out of a different piece, then mate them together for a perfect (or near perfect) fit. Highland Woodworking has a great YouTube video demonstrating on how this inlay router bit works with inlay templates here.
Crafted Elements Acrylic Router Templates
The Crafted Elements line of laser cut acrylic router templates are precision cut templates designed especially for woodworkers. Unless you have access to a CNC machine in your shop these templates are the easiest, most accurate and most repeatable way to shape wood and wood+resin pieces into things like charcuterie boards, serving trays, handles, functional art and more.
Like our line of maker molds, we designed these templates to save you time and boost production efficiency. These take the guesswork out of shaping and fabricating. By simply pulling one of these clear templates off the shelf and lining it up on your material you’ll instantly know how your final piece will look before you even start cutting and shaping.
We laser cut all of our templates out of long lasting and durable 1/4” thick cast acrylic to ensure the bearing on your router bit has enough surface area to glide on. These templates can be used over and over and will quickly become a go-to tool in your shop.
Reduce errors, inaccuracy and problems with making complex shapes perfectly symmetrical. We even have templates to match many of our awkwardly shaped silicone molds, so you can cut and shape pieces of wood to fit perfectly snug within our molds before you pour your resin.
All you need is a template, flush trim router bit (like this one) and a router table. Even the most basic routers are capable of shaping materials up to 1.5” thick.
Using our templates is easy:
- Place the template over your material (usually wood or wood & epoxy resin). Trace the shape of the template onto your piece.
- Using a jig saw, scroll saw or a band saw (where appropriate) cut out the rough shape you traced onto your material, leaving between 1/16” and ¼” outside of the perimeter.
- Affix the template to your material using two sided tape or hot glue.
- Install your appropriately sized flush trim bit into the router in your router table such as the Crafted Elements 1/4" High Performance Spiral Down Cut Flush Trim Bit. Be sure your router bit has a blade long enough for the height of your material. Line up the bearing of your router bit with the acrylic template.
- Turn on your router and glide the template along the bearing of your router bit, allowing the router to remove the excess material on your piece, effectively duplicating the shape of the router template.
- Carefully remove the template from your material. Remove the two sided tape or hot glue. Sand any leftover residue off of your project. You can use goo-gone or other adhesive remover on the acrylic templates for any stubborn or sticky residue.
We also have a full tutorial on our YouTube channel which you can find posted below: