Reddit mentions of Freud 1/2" (Dia.) Top Bearing Flush Trim Bit with 1/4" Shank (50-102),Red

Take a piece of MDF, cut a circle in it with a hole-saw or a jig-saw. Use this type of bit in the router. The bearing follows your template.

The challenge for buying something for someone that likes woodworking is that you don't know what kind of tools they want/need. Not to mention tools tend to be quite a bit more expensive than the price point you mentioned.

You could consider purchasing them something that will come in handy, if not immediately so. Router bits, saw blades, drill bits, or wood project packs are all something that would see mileage.

Here's a couple ideas from browsing Amazon.

Rosewood Cutting Guage

[Crown Marking Knife] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V9KOTQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XH9ERR8QY3ND&coliid=ILFECPNG7H6C1)

[Router Radi Guide] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040BNLRO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XH9ERR8QY3ND&coliid=I1EHDP8Y8SGNEO)

[A Flush Trim Bit for Patterns] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000225XQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1XH9ERR8QY3ND&coliid=I1TEA98C23FQ2D&psc=1)


Edit: I should point out that not everyone may agree with this list. This is just stuff that, in my experience, is either a Quality of Life type item or something that people have to buy as bits tend to wear out, etc.

Yes, that's what that description means. I wouldn't get that router bit though. What you want is a top-bearing pattern bit. [Something like this, though it doesn't have to be this exact one.] (http://www.amazon.com/Dia-Top-Bearing-Flush-Trim/dp/B0000225XQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457217370&sr=8-1&keywords=router+pattern+bit+top+bearing) As far a brands, I like Whiteside, Amana, or Freud. It's fine to go with something cheaper, you'll just get less life out of the cutters.

You need to make yourself a template the exact size of your mortise and plunge in with the router. The template will look roughly like this. The cleat on the bottom of the template in that image is not strictly necessary; it's fine to just clamp your template to your work piece. Any scrap piece of plywood is fine for a template. MDF works well too, but is softer, so I wouldn't recommend it if you want to use this template a whole bunch of times. It can also be a good idea to make two templates - that way if you mess up and run your router into the edge (which can be pretty easy to do), you have a back up.

I've been trying to find a video of someone doing this, but all i'm seeing are people doing things that are way over-complicated. If you're interested in proceeding like this and you want more help feel free to message me with questions. Good luck!

It depends on the router bit you have, and where the bearing is: top or bottom, there are also some that have a bearing in both places. Beyond that, it depends on the direction of the grain on what you're cutting. A lot of times, you'll want to cut it one way on one side, then flip it over on the other, to reduce tear out.

Gladly. I bought 1"x4"x8' clear-heart redwood boards. I also borrowed a router and router bench and bought a [tongue and groove set] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KZM2AIS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and ran all of my boards through the router. You can definitely buy wood already tongue and grooved which is a lot easier, but I was really specific about the wood I wanted to use so I had to do it myself. If you're going to do it yourself and haven't done it before, definitely test it out on some throwaway wood to practice before you start cutting into your stock.

Once they were all t&g'd I started mounting them against the plywood walls and they just stack on top of each other. I cleaned off all the wood sticking out past the walls with a router template bit. I used Lexel to seal the edges between the redwood siding and the plywood, then cut some 1/8" plywood as trim to cover the gap, you can see me clamping the trim on here. I also had to cut out my doors/windows, etc.

For the outer roof and hatch, I used 1/8in Marine grade plywood. It's super durable, and bent easily over the frame. For the inner roof I used 1/8in maple plywood, and in-between both those layers I filled it with insulation. You can kinda see the process here.

I finished the siding and redwood with Waterlox Sealer & Finish. It's a tung oil sealer, and the finish is marine spar varnish that protects against water, UV...etc. The best part is if it ever needs a new coat you don't need to sand, you just add on a new layer and it kinda 'burns' in.

As for cost....I'm not sure, I stopped keeping track :P - Redwood can get expensive, but I really liked it so I splurged. You can get just as beautiful a finish with pine, which is much easier to find already tongue and grooved. Pine is great as long as you seal it.

Here's some photos of the process and the finish. Please let me know what other questions you have!

You could use a flush trim bit with a bottom bearing, like this one.

I'm struggling with setting up a jib for cutting dados with a router.

I'm using 3/4" ply and want to cut a 3/8" deep dado. I followed this guide and bought this router bit, but it seems way too deep. What bit should I buy to make this work?

I ordered these straight bits lastnight as they were cheap and the reviews are decent. At $20 I'm not going to be too upset if they end up being garbage, but at least I'll have something to practice on and get familiar with the router. I have this bit in my cart for order later today- this is the bit I'll actually need for the project I posted about. Is this one decent for the price? Mind you, as of now I won't be using these a bunch so I don't think I really need contractor quality bits that would see daily wear as it's not really in the budget currently.

http://www.amazon.com/Dia-Top-Bearing-Flush-Trim/dp/B0000225XQ?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER