Milescraft1207 Design/Inlay Kit - Router Template Jig, Black and Red, Small

This router jig is fun and easy to use! READ the documentation that comes with it, watch the videos on their website, practice with scrap if this is your first foray into inlay work. This jig is capable of producing perfect inlays if you follow the instructions.I have other Milescraft products that I've had for well over 20 years. They're simple, inexpensive, and they do what they are supposed to do. Ignore the negative reviews from posters that have no idea what they are doing. All templates are designed to use a specific size bushing and bit! If you're new to routers and inlay work, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Routers, as with all power tools, can be dangerous. When doing cut-throughs, I suggest a quality double-stick tape to secure your work piece. Hippie Craft makes a nice 2" tape.I've used this inlay kit with Black&Decker, Ryobi, and Dremel routers. (Yes, the Dremel plunge router works well.)I suggest you use a plunge router that has a clear base, preferably a large base or an aftermarket clear router base for better control. You can do this without a plunge router if you know what you are doing. I don't recommend it. There are plenty of dual base routers in the $150 range that accept 1/4" and 1/2" bits.Have fun, be safe, make something that makes you happy.

Effective and easy to use, the imagination is the limit to creativity, we enjoyed it a lot

We got off to a rocky start but recovered. First off, all the parts were not in the package. The kit has three size bushings, 11mm, 17mm and 24mm. I got one 11mm, two 17mm and no 24mm. Went to the Milescraft website and sent a message to customer service. Didn't hear anything for a week. I was just about to get frustrated when a package showed up with the 24mm bushing. So they made it right, but an email telling me the part was on the way would have been nice. Be prepared to do battle with the baseplate, I ended up drilling holes in my router base and using my own bolts. Base is secure and the kit works great, so easy to make inlays that look really nice. Pay heed to the instructions to be gentle when clearing an inlay cavity, I popped the bit right away but haven't broken another since.

Wanted to make a heart inlay on recently crafted walnut side table top and after researching of how much heart inlay template cost itself (at least $12-20 in the Woodcraft), plus a good inlay bit and a guide ($42 for Whiteside Router Bits 9500 Solid Brass Inlay Kit) thought that this one with multiple templates and bits would be a good deal.Played with it few days, this kit introduced me to a world of things I never thought about, got me excited. I ended up buying Whiteside kit above also when found that MIlescraft would be difficult to use with my another smaller router (the large one is Bosch B1450 and smaller one DWP611, Whiteside's guide fits perfectly into DW sub-base).The heart inlay (1/8" thick made of purpleheart wood) is yet to be placed on top of the tabletop, but already put a design on one of the table "leg." I used a bit provided by Milescraft so far (cheaper and allegedly not so sharp in cut), saving Whiteside's for finishing jobs (heard that these solid carbide are brittle, many broke them in the very first project, I seem to be very careful and lucky, still have both bits even after multiple learning cuts, even in 1/8" thick hardwoods, such as bloodwood and purpleheart, also 1/4" poplar.Four templates with multiple design shapes would allow multitudes of various designs, lacework and cutouts. Definitely plan to use it in the future, but even for my single occasion it was worth to purchase, think of educational value, too.

I'm pleased with this product. I used it initially with an old Elu routed which had no holes at all in the baseplate - that was easily rectified with three nuts and bolts. I drilled through convenient holes in the Milescraft base to install it and off it went. I also used it with a new Bosch router, and again, no holes lined up exactly but some of the slots did, and it was running in minutes.I'm finding my inlays are tight-fitting - despite other reviewers saying there was 0.5mm of a gap. Maybe the baseplate wasn't perfectly centred?It's important to develop a procedure to place the bushing very carefully in the template before plunging the cutting bit -it's easy enough to nick the template with the cutter if you are not paying full attention.

I have had this for awhile now. It's easy to use does a good job and even a dummy like me makes things nice with it. This was a good buy, a real quality tool and a quality purchase. I did have to get a small trim router as it's easier than my big one but this was not a problem. I definitely recommend this.