Your router can do this too

In this video, you’ll see how easy it can be to make bowls and trays using a router. With the right router bits, like a bowl bit, your router can do this too! You can carve any shape or size serving tray or dish. I’ll walk you through all the bits you need to make router trays. Plus, show you how to make a custom router base plate for your router using a sheet of acrylic. Want to make the exact same 4 compartment serving tray that I did? Grab the template through the link below!
►GET THE ROUTER TEMPLATE:
www.diymontreal.com/product/4...
All my router templates: www.diymontreal.com/product-c...
►TOOLS & MATERIALS USED (affiliate links):
· Template tape amzn.to/3rzCkcf
· Acrylic sheet for router base amzn.to/4446dPq
· Bosch router amzn.to/3rP7H2I
· Cutting board oil amzn.to/3KBWMA0
· Butcher block conditioner amzn.to/3OvLtui
· Drill sanding attachment amzn.to/3PbUrOS
Router bits:
· Bowl & tray bit amzn.to/3DP4Zgk
· Shallow flush trim plunge bit amzn.to/44vCv7b
· Spiral flush trim bit for template routing amzn.to/3OgGcX8
· Roundover bit amzn.to/3Odvr8j
· Spiral bit amzn.to/3OMZWDn
· Guide bushing set amzn.to/44HNVEM
· Router collet extender amzn.to/45layPp
►ALL MY TOOLS & GEAR
www.diymontreal.com/my-tools-...
►PLANS & ONLINE STORE
www.diymontreal.com/shop/
►Sign up for my NEWSLETTER: project updates, plans, woodworking book of the month and more!
eepurl.com/gVbt21
►Follow me on SOCIAL MEDIA
· Instagram / diymontreal
· TikTok / diymontreal
· Pinterest www.pinterest.ca/diymontreal
· Facebook / diymtl
· KZbin kzbin.info...
►CHAPTERS
0:00 Router template & Template tape
0:41 All the bits you’ll need
1:38 Guide bushings
2:36 Carving the bowl/tray - start here
3:47 Custom router base plate (clear acrylic)
5:26 Remove the waste with a plunge flush trim bit
6:47 Refine the inner shape with a bowl bit
7:29 Sanding inside the tray
8:08 Cut the outer circle
8:30 Flush trim the outer circle
9:28 Round over all the edges
9:56 Finishing the serving tray
10:38 Get the template

[@DIYMontreal]

Get the template here: www.diymontreal.com/product/4-compartment-round-serving-tray-router-template/

[@homewurks1]

Sadly us here in the UK cannot make the most of your template

[@WoodworkingTop535]

good job

[@mattl9704]

You are an incredible instructor!! So happy I found your series.

[@MCsCreations]

Stunning piece, Marie! Really beautiful work! 😃 Thanks a bunch for all the tips! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@Tweogan]

You're a godsend for letting me know about router bit extension rods! I was at a loss how to carve deep pockets. That small mention of an uncommon tool saved a lot of headache for me. Thank you!

[@marcuspullan1142]

Love your videos! No crazy Festool or expensive tools, just average folk’s work shop.

[@V081WLBlue]

lol is this sarcasm?

[@Andi.Mitchell.Designs]

Beautiful work! I’m always excited to see your process and finished products. Very inspiring. Keep it up!

[@mindyhall4638]

Loving your content Marie; thanks!!!

[@guyh.4553]

Good for you ma'am! You are the very 1st person that takes PPE seriously! And you've answered questions I've had about roughing out pieces that I do. Plus you can use this piece not only as a condiment tray (pickles/olives/etc) you can turn it over and use it as a cutting board. Brilliant. Great job and great piece!

[@billm4560]

That turned out beautiful Marie! 👍🏻I’ll be picking up one of those templates for sure! 👌Thank you for sharing!

[@Damon_Barber]

That’s great! And you make it look so easy and effortless!

[@Lutzboater]

Really nice serving tray very well explained. Thanks for sharing.

[@israelbarron-xd3zg]

I love your videos, the way you describe each process, each tool and the recommendations, thanks for sharing

[@therealpinktea4284]

i dont have tools. i like watching ppl make stuff. good on you.

[@user-ef1ts7py2s]

You are a good instructor-clear and concise.

[@rlk3535]

Marie I was inspired by your very clear step-by-step video. So I got a template and ordered all the router bits. Like you, I was impressed with my results. The acrylic base makes such a difference for removing all the material. Thank you so much for sharing your process. I look forward to more inspiring videos. Also I wanted to let you know that I tried a different finish that came out beautiful. After sanding I used Watco Danish Natural Oil and when it dried I put on two coat of General Finishes Wood Bowl Finish.

[@barryroberts6470]

Brilliant Marie a lot of hard work went into that and it finishes off looking Fantastic. Take Care and Stay Safe, Barry (UK) 👍

[@johnford7847]

Really nice project. Thank you.

[@johnconklin9039]

Love those stripes! Another thing that you can do, especially helpful on deeper router bowls, is use a large forstner bit to remove the majority of the waste before routing.

[@jamescullins2709]

Awesome job, it looks great!

[@thomasbrovarone7136]

I started making trays today and made the plexiglass router plate. Very important to use the centering cone.

[@ifell3]

OMG, that is beautiful! I'm so glad you used a corded router too, I hate seeing all this cordless stuff lol

[@MASI_forging]

Love your work. It became a piece of art 👏👏

[@fs6622]

I love your work!!! Thanks so much!!

[@DIYMontreal]

Thank you!

[@homerphoneby8450]

Love it! I know what I'm making for Christmas gifts this year!!!

[@markraisner9000]

Very nice project!

[@markduggan3451]

Looks awesome.

[@klaushoeg8358]

Love this project. Have a blank ready to route out already. Really like the idea of making a larger base plate for the router. So I got the acrylic sheet as you recommended and made one for my router. I modified mine slightly by adding a counterbored hole to fit my guide bushing. Worked out really well. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@standishwoodstory]

Thank you, this info was exactly what I was looking for!

[@canadiangemstones7636]

This is superb! Thanks!

[@videogalore]

Really good project, thank you!

[@nore8141]

Great video and commentary thanks

[@vernsteinbrecker3759]

Very nice, think I will be ordering the template down the road for some winter projects

[@johnmaldi]

Really nice looking piece! I always chuck those sanding pads in my drill press when I hollow stuff out

[@jonwyatt9433]

great presentation!

[@davidmeyer9204]

Thank You !

[@daleparks6978]

Another great video!

[@JimE6243]

More great content........... as usual. Keep 'um coming. Thanks. JimE

[@sreval]

Very nice....thanks for sharing.

[@Sabine-le3ko]

Einfach toll. Ich schau Deine Videos sehr gerne und hole mir so Anregungen und Inspiration. Danke dafür

[@pmdinaz]

Very nice indeed!

[@Quizfeuer]

Great value!

[@jimrosson6702]

Great video it turned out great

[@trainlens3789]

That's a nice design.

[@borislum1998]

excellent job and good narration

[@pathardage1880]

Good scoop. Thank you.

[@daveweber1331]

Sweet! You made that look entirely too easy - including making that base plate! 🙂

[@jorgefernandez8016]

It looks great

[@2old4u]

Most excellent.

[@rickpalechuk4411]

Lovely project, turned out great! Princess Auto ....my kind of store Thanks for sharing Cheers

[@williamellis8993]

Really nice, Marie. Looks great. Bill

[@DIYMontreal]

Thanks, Bill!

[@enriquerodriguez7091]

Excelente video, muy buena información, Gracias saludos

[@cristianpivato1202]

Ottimo lavoro come sempre

[@lornablewettandlee504]

Very nicely done! I can see these bowls selling at local craft fairs, as if I needed another hobby!

[@DIYMontreal]

Sorry! Enjoy 😉

[@jamiefredrickson2560]

I like the drill press sacrifice slide

[@gsilcoful]

Very nice.

[@anthonyegner1382]

very informative

[@arajalali]

You rock!

[@lawrencejohnson3259]

Awesome thanks for sharing ❤🙏🏾🤙🏾👍🏾

[@STARKYMART]

Je viens de découvrir ton channel. Très intéressant ! Merci pour tout les trucs.

[@TheHkluivert]

Really beautiful result, it’s on my list for winter projects. Could be winter 2026 😂

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

Great video.

[@louiskern1413]

Very well done. You have a knack for explaining things. One point…..nothing removes material faster and easier than a drill bit. For this job I would I would use a 1 inch or larger Forstner bit to waste out most of the material. 🤗

[@JSKmonkeywood]

Terima kasih sudah menunjukan cara membuat nampan dengan indah .. salam dari Indonesia ❤

[@rick91443]

Really great video(another,) and learned a lot...cheers...rr Normandy, Fra.

[@robertelias3431]

Very good work, design, and explanation. U dun good.

[@earlledoux9824]

You are amazing girl. Great video. ❤😊

[@harldave9850]

Superb work. Looks beautiful. Love the accent strip as well. You just got another subscriber!

[@DIYMontreal]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@mashop9595]

Very nice

[@Scarecrows2018]

Cool video

[@user-nb2hs7or6o]

سلمت يداك ربي يحفظكم

[@dan.w.hoover2556]

Cool!

[@Sebastopolmark]

GREAT video Marie. This, again, shows that we do not need all the "tools" and there are work arounds to achieve a wonderful looking product! !! !!!

[@wernercotto692]

Excelente video y excelente trabajo. Nombre del accesorios para lijar en el interior. Gracias

[@davelester1985]

useful.

[@bakerfx4968]

That’s awesome! Now I just need to buy a router

[@fredcsensits4476]

Since the sanding disc's from princess probably has a 1/4 inch shaft you can install it in the router and set the depth ti sand the bottom

[@bkwhopper115]

love the "your router can do this too!" when 10 seconds into the video you mention needing to use your CNC to cut a template.

[@hilburn-]

Could easily 3d print one too, but either way buying the template is pretty dang cheap

[@JoeTheImpaler]

Comments like this are a godsend. I miss seeing the downvotes on videos!

[@belessblind]

You can purchase templates for like $20-40. This feels like an insignificant portion of the tutorial to call out. If you're watching this kind of content, you most likely have a template in hand or have the need for one and are trying to educate yourself.

[@jamedonutts]

Have you considered taking out the bulk of the timber with a Forstner bit? Faster, less dust and less noise. Then using the router.

[@BobMuir100]

That’s is lovely! Watching you find solutions that are better than the initial idea is just wonderful. Do you mind me asking what money you would expect for such a piece? Bob England

[@DIYMontreal]

I really have no idea. I don't usually sell my work and haven't been to many craft fairs lately. I wouldn't know how to price this either... but given the amount of work I'd think anywhere from $80 up to $150 Canadian. Just my guess!

[@BobMuir100]

@@DIYMontreal thank you Bob

[@MrEcuas]

The inlay guide bushing does it need a adapter for the Bosch router

[@chrisrosenb]

Beautiful tray. Could forstner bits be used to hog out most of the material & then finish up with the router?

[@firewoodsteel]

I noticed one of my routers came with a vacuum hose adapter, could be a good idea to make sure your router comes with it when you buy one.

[@davidnleeh4]

Marie, to maintain flatness/"eveness" with the top of your work surface and the bottom of each bowl surface could you have inserted the Drill Sanding Disc's in the router collet since you have the wide acrylic base plate on your router that way there's no guess work on keeping it all even and flat?

[@DIYMontreal]

Great tip I think👍

[@hansdegroot8549]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. All routers can do this. But what about the person behind it?

[@CoachCarl]

Curious how long you let the butcher block oil soak and if you do more than one coat?

[@1952johnm]

It looks like you use the bowl bit to make a curved corner on iside of the trays, can you tell me what you used to sand that curve in the corner? Thank you John

[@Elkyri]

You have inspired me! First, kudos on the excellent editing work putting the video together. Second, asking for a bit of advice or at least input. You are using the Bosch 1.25hp palm router. I see what looks like a smokin' deal from Amazon on the 2.25hp model with plunge base - $30 less than the kit you have linked. Is there any reason to prefer the smaller palm router for this type of work?

[@johnhassan2074]

Marie Very nice work. And I appreciate the sequence of bit usage. The small sanding pads/disks; are they flexible enough to sand the contour inside ends or are they just for flat surfaces. This is my biggest challenge-sanding the contour ends. If you or any of your subscribers have any tips I would appreciate hearing them Thanks

[@DIYMontreal]

The disks are mostly for sanding flat. I did the rounded parts by hand but maybe a small Dremel type sanding attachment could do the trick.

[@johnhassan2074]

@@DIYMontreal Thanks for your response I thought so and will explore. It's the router burn marks that give me the most trouble.

[@kenhorner4023]

Great video...I've ordered the template and I am going to try to make a few of these! One thing that was not in your accessories list were those cool drill bit sanding cones you used to smooth the inside of the tray. Where can I get those??

[@DIYMontreal]

I got my sanding attachments at princess auto but here's an Amazon link: amzn.to/3PbUrOS

[@mustafanaser4099]

👏👏👏

[@glennirwin4710]

Nice video as always!

[@infazmahir7061]

What is the top coating you used for

[@adamshinbrot]

The Tesa tape is outstanding. Been using it for many years and live in fear they'll go out of business or something.

[@dgramsz2146]

Great project! One question, would it have been easier to hog out the material with a forstner bit on a drill press first instead of the 6,000 passes with the router?

[@DIYMontreal]

Maybe. I was afraid I'd go too deep and leave little divots from the tip of the Forstnner bit. Would definetly make deeper bowls that way.

[@dellsdiy]

awesome video, thanks for sharing it! Are you cutting your templates with a laser?

[@DIYMontreal]

Thanks! Yes I'm using my laser to cut the templates. I have them available for purchase on my website.

[@DanGoodchild]

Nice result! I'm curious: when you made the acrylic base, why didn't you use your laser to cut it?

[@DIYMontreal]

My laser can't cut clear acrylic.

[@boutiquepfd]

Which wood did you use to create your bowl?

[@MikeTheSith200]

Would hogging away the inner waste with a forstner bit on the drill press made this a lot easier? Genuine question. I haven't done any of this yet.

[@boutiquepfd]

Oh wow! If I buy the template. Can I create some bowl to sell or it's for personal use only? Thank you!

[@kreativekymona]

I don’t have a router table, can I use just the router to do the edges?