Woodcraft PantoRouter User manual
www.PantoRouter.com
Info@PantoRouter.com
+1-877-333-7150
Copyright 2020 WoodCra Solutions LLC
Assembly Guide
S:
Woodworking is inherently dangerous. ere are hazards inherent to using the PantoRouterTM and many oth-
er tools in the shop, whether operated by hand or electric power. Some of these hazards are discussed below.
Use common sense when operating the PantoRouterTM and all woodworking tools, and use this tool in accor-
dance with the instructions. Y .
Read and understand the Assembly Guide, the How-To Guide and the Warning Label on the PantoRouterTM.
Failure to follow instructions or heed warnings may result in electric shock, re, serious personal injury or
property damage. Save these instructions and refer to them whenever necessary.
Warning: is product can expose you to chemicals including wood dust, which is known to the State of
California to cause cancer. e exposure can come from drilling, sawing, sanding or machining wood prod-
ucts. For more information go to wwwP65Warnings.ca.gov/wood. In addition, some types of dust created by
sawing, sanding, grinding, milling, drilling and other construction and woodworking activities also contain
chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. In addition, wood dust has been
listed as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. Government. e risk from exposure to these chemicals
and to dust varies depending on how oen you do this type of work. To reduce your exposure, work in a well
ventilated area and work with approved safety equipment including dust collection, properly tted dust masks
or respirators designed to lter out such dust and chemicals.
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1. Table
2. Centering Scale Fence
3. T-Slot Lever Clamps
4. Template Holder
5. ickness Gauge
6. Template Holder Locking Lever
7. Template Holder Support Frame
8. Depth Stops
9. Pantograph Carriage
10. Pantograph
Basic Components of the PantoRouter™
3
General Assembly Diagram
4
e KITS box contains the hardware, small parts and hex wrenches needed to assemble the PantoRouterTM. Yo u
will also need an accurate square for checking alignment and a 5/16” or 8mm end wrench, socket or nut driver.
A digital or analog caliper will help to dial-in the ickness Gauge for ultimate precision. We recommend not
using a battery-operated drill or impact driver for assembling the PantoRouterTM.
5
You’ll notice we use mostly recycled
and recyclable cardboard for pack-
aging and we ask that you re-use or
recycle when you’re nished with
your assembly. We’re always avail-
able by phone or email if we can
help in any way!
PantoRouter™Assembly Guide
©WoodCra Solutions LLC, December 2020
We thank you for your PantoRouter™ purchase and we
hope you nd great pleasure in creating all kinds of
traditional and innovative joinery. ere’s no better
jig for mortise and tenons, box joints and machine-cut
dovetails, but this is just the beginning of the tasks you
can master with the PantoRouter™.
Your PantoRouter™ experience starts with a few min-
utes of assembly then grab our How-To Guide for basic
instruction and some ideas to help you get started.
First, open the KITS box where you’ll nd all of
the fasteners and hex wrenches. Together with this
guide, you should be up and PantoRouting in short
order.
Kits K-1 and K-6 contain the screws for mount-
ing the template holder frame to the pantograph
carriage, and K-2 contains the screws to secure the
carriage to the glide-sha bearings.
Open K-1, K-2, K-6 and K-9; the hex wrenches
you’ll need for assembly.
We recommend using the supplied hex wrenches or similar hand-held wrenches. Using a drill or impact
driver for assembly can over-drive screws or strip threads.
6
Inspect the pieces for any possible shipping damage then lay them out and refer to the diagram to get a good
idea of how they’ll all t together.
Cut the straps holding the padding material but don’t
cut the nylon tie straps holding the pantograph to the
carriage base yet.
Check the machined surfaces to make sure they’re
clean and smooth. If needed, remove paint but don’t
use sand cloth. A sharp blade will clean the surface in
a few seconds.
Loosely thread the K-6 cap screws into the nut plates
on both sides.
Slide the template holder frame (B) into place with the
nut plates in the slots on both sides then snug but don’t
tighten the cap screws.
Hand-thread the eight K-1 cap screws
through the pantograph carriage (A) and
into the template holder support frame (B).
Tighten the cap screws using the hex
wrench provided.
7
Leave for now.
Relocate the depth stop angles to the ends of their
track for the depth stop scale-holder post to clear.
Position the pantograph carriage on the glide-sha
bearings and align the screw holes.
Using the hex wrench provided in Kit-9 tighten the
cap screws to the plate nuts to secure the template
holder frame. Clip the wire ties to access these cap
screws.
Clean the machined landing pads from the under-
side of the pantograph carriage if needed.
Install the rubber feet to the bottom of the base frame
without over-compressing the rubber.
Hand-thread the 16 screws through the pantograph
carriage into the glide-sha bearings but leave them
loose.
Move the carriage forward until the carriage con-
tacts the glide sha mounts. Press forward to align
the pantograph carriage, then tighten all 16 screws
to secure the pantograph carriage to the glidesha
bearings.
e carriage should now move freely on the glide
shas.
8
Insert pin K-5 through the plunge lever bracket as
shown with a washer on both sides. Secure with lock-
ing clip. Note the K-5 pin is shorter than K-4.
Insert K-4 through the plunge lever arms and tem-
plate holder support post using a washer on both
sides and lock with the clip.
Check the two table supports to be sure they’re clean
and no debris is between the table and the support
then hand-tighten all four table mounting cap screws
(K-3) Next, secure the table to the protractor by tight-
ening the four screws.
You can now loosen both protractor lever knobs and
test the tilting table.
e Porter Cable 8902 router supplied with our
Pro-Pack and All-In packages has a rack gear that is
not used with the PantoRouterTM. To remove the two
small screws and the gear, place the router on a solid
surface and use signicant downward pressure while
removing the screws. A well-tting screwdriver is
also very important. If the screw heads are stripped
they will need to be drilled out to free the rack gear.
Do not remove the two pins pressed into the side of
the router. e router mounts have notches to allow
the router to pass through with the pins in place.
9
Install both table supports from Box-F. e Le and
Right supports are not interchangeable and both have
locating pins to align the support to the base frame.
Loosen the two router mount cap screws but don’t remove them. Align the pin with one of the slots in the
rst router mount and slide the router through both router mounts. ere are slots in the router mount
closest to the table, but the router pins will not go that far.
Push the router forward until the base of the bevel on the router is aligned with the front face of the router
mount.
Rotate the router so the rotor lock button is aligned with the “m” in www.pantorouter.com¨ cast into the
router mount. Tighten both router mount cap screws and locking nuts.
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Base of router bevel even
with the router mount.
e dust collector hood attaches using two dier-
ent screws. e countersunk screw goes on the
discharge port side of the router mount. Use a
hex driver through the access hole to tighten it.
e round head machine screw (hex) secures
the other end as shown. If the router is mounted
correctly the operator can access the router rotor
lock button through the opening for
single-wrench bit changes.
We recommend using a hose that ts over the
discharge port, not inside it. It sometimes helps
to soen the hose cu by holding it under hot tap
water. It should slip right on to the dust collec-
tion hood and as it cools it will grip tenaciously.
You can now remove the cardboard cushions
from the pantograph assembly.
Now that the basic assembly of the PantoRouterTM is complete, continue on for directions to:
1. Calibrate the Template Holder
2. Setup and use the ickness Gauge
3. Scribe the Centerline on the table
4. Assemble the Centering-Scale Fence. Happy PantoRouting!
11
Choose the inch or metric side of the depth stop scale then mount it on the depth stop using a business
card or four thicknesses of paper for clearance over the depth stop angle.
Calibrate the Template Holder
e template holder frame assembly is aligned at the
factory but can shi slightly in transit so the following
procedure might be necessary to bring it back into
perfect alignment. Check alignment using a square
before loosening the screws to see if adjustment is
needed.
Many people can feel variation of about a thousandth
of an inch (0.025mm), so aligning by touch is oen
adequate.
If adjustment is needed, loosen the screws holding the
template holder frame cross rail to the frame posts.
ere are two holes on each side to access these
screws.
Flush the top, front and back of the cross rail to the
post and be sure the assembly is square. Re-tighten
the screws on both sides.
Alignment of the template to the pantograph and
table is critical for accurate joinery. e template
holder must be perfectly square to the frame and
must slide freely on the posts. Adjusting it is quick
and easy using the following method.
Inspect the template holder, checking for any sharp
edges. Relieve edges with very ne sand cloth or a
diamond le if necessary and you can wax the surfac-
es to lubricate.
Mount the template holder with the four screws on
the sliders loosened. Tighten the lever knobs when
the sliders are ush with the top of the posts.
Align the template holder to the top of the posts
then tighten the four screws. e small cap nuts can
be held with either an 8mm or 5/16” wrench or nut
driver.
e template holder should now slide up and down
freely and it should stay aligned to the template hold-
er support frame.
12
e template and template holder must be coplanar to the table and the workpiece in order to produce high
quality joinery. is can be quickly checked aer the template holder support frame and template holder have
been squared and trued.
Cut a setup block from a piece of ne grain wood so it’s
square on the end then stand it up on the operator’s side of
the table. A piece about 1.5” X 1.5” X 3” works well.
Mount your centering jig (full-round pointer) in the router
and lock a guide bearing so it rides the top of the template
holder. Lock the template holder on both sides with the
centering jig about an inch (25mm) above the table.
Scribe a small line (1/2” long or so) in the setup block as
shown. We highlighted the line with pencil for clarity. It’s
easiest to see the line when you’re scribing across the side
grain.
Move the guide bearing to the far side of the template hold-
er, which moves the centering jig across the table. Scribe a
second line next to the rst.
e two scribe marks should be identical or very nearly
so. If they are o by more than the width of the scribe line,
shims will be required under the glide sha mounts on the
low side.
Shims are provided in the Kits box (K-14). If additional
shims are needed for perfect alignment, let us know and we
can send you some, or you can use standard machine tool
shims. Always shim under both glide-sha mounts on the
glide-sha needing to be raised.
13
If your centering jig test indicates a dierence from one side of the table to
the other, please follow the procedure here to calibrate your PantoRouterTM
for precision operation every time. is only needs to be done once.
Please go back to the rst assembly steps to be sure the paint was removed
if there was any. Paint between the machined surfaces could li them
slightly.
Next, recheck the alignment of the template holder and template holder
support frame. e frame ends are milled to very close tolerance so again,
if all of the milled surfaces are mating well, they should be aligned and
square.
Provided the machined surfaces are mating correctly, there are two com-
mon reasons the PantoRouterTM might need to be adjusted when rst
assembled.
1- e table could be slightly high on one side
2- e router motor is not perfectly concentric
Loosen all four cap screws on the table and loosen the locking knobs and
the protractor bearing screws. Make sure there’s nothing between the table
and the two side supports, then carefully re-tighten all of the screws and
locking knobs. It’s good practice to go around the table snugging all screws
half way then go around again to tighten them fully.
Router motors do not need to be perfectly concentric for normal router
functions so it’s not a high priority for the manufacturer. For our use, we
need to keep it centered to the table and templates so there’s an easy way to
x it.
Loosen the Glide Sha Mounts on the low side and slip a shim under each
mount. Always use the same number under each mount to be sure the panto-
graph is raised evenly. Retest and it should be dead-on! We have provided a set of stainless steel shims (K-14)
but if more are needed, brass or any other durable material can work. It’s best to avoid plastic shims that could
compress.
C T PR™ F U P
C WC S LLC
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Setting the ickness Gauge
Insert one of the non-tapered 6mm guide bear-
ing shas into the center hole of the template
holder. You can use a template, as long as the
sha goes all the way through the template into
the center hole of the template holder.
15
Cut a test piece about 1-1/2” square and about
18’ long. Make sure the sides are parallel and
there is no snipe on the ends. Mark one side
“TOP”. Cut a 1” long section and about a 4”
long section that we’ll use later for clamping.
Mark the same side of the 1” piece top also.
Mark the center of the workpiece then set the
pointer at the center mark by adjusting the tem-
plate holder up and down. Lock the template
holder on both sides.
Hold either the workpiece or the 1” represen-
tative sample of the workpiece up against the
template holder then move the thickness gauge
up to the piece and tighten the thickness gauge.
Using the 1-1/2” template and a 1/2” bit, cut a mortise about 3/4” deep.
Measure the shoulders of the workpiece and note which is higher, the top or bottom shoulder. e thickness
gauge needs to be moved the full dierence between the two measurements. In this case it’s 0.46 mm.
16
T
T
Raise the thickness gauge reference angle on the back of the support post and insert feeler gauge(s) as close to
the desired move amount as possible. Lock the reference gauge (top angle).
Loosen and move the thickness gauge up to the refer-
ence angle and lock it. Loosen the template holder and move it up. Insert
the workpiece or the representative sample then
lower the template holder to squeeze the workpiece
against the thickness gauge then lock the template
holder.
ickness Gauge
Reference Gauge
17
Cut another mortise using this new setting. Remeasure and adjust as necessary until you are
satised with the result. We can typically get it
within a hundredth of a millimeter or less than a
thousandth of an inch.
It’s rare that you would need to move your thickness gauge, but if you do it will be downward to get it out of the
way of a low cut on a dovetail or box joint array. If you do move the thickness gauge, don’t move the reference
gauge so when you’re done with the unusual operation, you can slide the thickness gauge back up to the refer-
ence gauge and lock it without needing to recalibrate.
Finding and Marking the Table Centerline
C
e PantoRouter™ transfers the shape of the template mounted on the template holder to the workpiece locat-
ed on the table. Aligning the template, router bit and workpiece are essential to accurate joinery, and this is
made fast and easy using the Centerline and Centering Scale Fence.
Insert the non-tapered 6mm guide bearing sha through the center hole of a template and into the centering
hole in the template holder then mount either centering jig (full-round pointer or split-sha) in the router
collet. Plunge the pantograph carriage forward and lower the template holder so the tip of the centering jig
rests gently on the top edge of the table.
Lock the pantograph carriage using the two depth
stops on the operator’s side.
18
is is dead center of the table relative to the center of the template and router, so carefully mark this position
and use a square to draw a line from this point across the center of the table. is mark can be in pencil for now
until you’re condent in your setup then you can scribe it into the aluminum.
19
Setting up the Centering Scale Fence
Setting up the centering scale fence is super easy and due to the precision-machined centering pins, the fence
will be dead-on 90° without any adjustment.
Before assembly you’ll need to decide which scale to use. We recommend using the metric (CM) scale since you
don’t really care the size when centering (the size was determined when you milled your wood), you just want to
nd the middle. It’s way easier to measure 8.7cm or 87mm than 3-⁄ inches.
To center your workpiece on the table, rst measure the width using the outer scale then set that value on the
inner scale at the centerline. Lock the fence and Boom....You’re Centered!
M T G B B S
F C C T:
(T T + B D) - G B
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Note: Use a 12mm Guide Bearing and 1/2” bit to make 5/16” tenons
Other manuals for PantoRouter
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