Trim routers with top-bearing pattern bits make short work of routing out wood around a template, perfect for making multiples of the same item.
OK, Chris, you really just mean template-routing, right? Yep, good old garden variety template work isn’t just for mid- or full-sized routers. Think about it: it doesn’t take 2hp to shave off 1/16″ of material to bring 1x or thinner stock flush with the edge of a template. A trim router equipped with a top-bearing pattern bit will do this job just fine. Or, mount your template below the workpiece and use a long flush-trim bit instead. It works so well you might wonder why you need a bigger, heavier machine to do it — especially on smaller or narrow parts.
