Reverse Routing Plate ~ Luthiery Laboratories

Reverse Routing Plate

The plate is an old piece of phenolic I had lying around - very stiff stuff. The 'legs' are pine scrap, in whatever width works.

The Reverse Routing Jig holds a router above the workpiece, which is secured to a flat smooth surface below. I use an old piece of countertop, not a carpet, as in the picture. By sliding the router over the workpiece, you can mill the face of the piece. Height is adjustable by changing the legs. This jig is very useful for milling Fender-style headstocks. It is also possible to cut angled headstocks by blocking-up the workpiece and using the longer legs. This jig is basically an upside-down router table, with one great advantage - you can see what you are doing.

This is such a versatile jig that StewMac actually copied it. I had my original version posted online well over a year before they came out with theirs. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Routing & Shaping

I have several jigs I made to fit my full-sized DeWalt router. That machine is a beast for building furniture and stuff, but it is clumsy overkill for routing neck pockets and truss rods. So I got the idea to make a base plate that will adapt the little router to the jigs I made. Simple - just a 6" square; there it is on the left. The material is a piece of 1/4" phenolic that I had laying around for years. Phenolic resin is a plastic that is so hard and stiff it is more like metal. It is perfect for router bases and other fixtures, but somewhat hard to work. To drill the big hole in the center, I had to shift the drill press to its lowest gear, and cool the bit with water.

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Audiovox Batch Builds

Mar 9, 2016

I have several of these necks and bodies roughed-out, and they feel much better than my first one, much better balanced. I knew that banjo neck would never play well, which is why I used a standard Fender profile on my first one. Banjos are made for picking. Intonation is one of those things where close is good enough, and with only 16 frets, I doubt it will ever be a problem. You'll be forever wiping smudges off that copper pickguard. I would shine it up and clear-coat it. Make a brass headstock tag and print out a waterslide decal to put on it. I posted the graphic above.

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