Aligning keyholes on project

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  • UPS1990
    Forum Newbie
    • May 2017
    • 36
    • Southern Cal
    • BT 3100

    Aligning keyholes on project

    Working on small indoor planters made from walnut, alder, plywood.. Will drill a 2 1/2 inch hole on top for succulents and the bottom of planter will have a couple of rare earth magnets to hold keys. I want the back to have keyholes, here is the question, how do I align both holes or should I make one long hole parallel to the top?
  • JoeyGee
    Veteran Member
    • Nov 2005
    • 1509
    • Sylvania, OH, USA.
    • BT3100-1

    #2
    I am having trouble visualizing your project. I'd love to help, but I can't picture it.
    Joe

    Comment

    • UPS1990
      Forum Newbie
      • May 2017
      • 36
      • Southern Cal
      • BT 3100

      #3
      Here are a couple of pictures of one planter I made. On the back side I routed two keyhole holes with a keyhole bit. How can I ensure the both holes are aligned perfectly to each other so as to not have the planter uneven once hanged? As one can see, the planter tilts to the right because the holes were uneven.
      Last edited by UPS1990; 07-08-2017, 01:44 PM.

      Comment

      • Pappy
        The Full Monte
        • Dec 2002
        • 10453
        • San Marcos, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 (x2)

        #4
        I use keyhole slots on picture frames and shadow boxes so they will hang tight against the wall. I have a router mounted in my BT3 so the edge is against the fence. That keeps them aligned horizontally if 2 slots are required along the top edge. If I use vertical slots on the sides I put tape on the fence and mark from the center of the bit both ways to give me a start point for the plunge and stop points. If you don't have a router table mount a temporary fence on the base of your router.
        Don, aka Pappy,

        Wise men talk because they have something to say,
        Fools because they have to say something.
        Plato

        Comment

        • mpc
          Senior Member
          • Feb 2005
          • 979
          • Cypress, CA, USA.
          • BT3000 orig 13amp model

          #5
          I'd make a "T" shaped fence. The vertical part of the "T" serves as the guide fence for a hand-held router while making the slot, the top of the "T" acts as a stop block so your resulting key slot ends are equidistant from the top of the workpiece. The top part of the "T" should hang below the vertical part (like a draftsman's T-square) to register it against the top lip of your workpiece. Position and clamp the "T" to make one key slot, then unclamp it and move it over to where the next slot needs to be & re-clamp.

          mpc

          Comment

          • LCHIEN
            Internet Fact Checker
            • Dec 2002
            • 20914
            • Katy, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 vintage 1999

            #6
            wITHOUT ANY INDICATON FROM YOU WHETHER THE SLOTS RUN VERTICALLY Or HORIZONTALLY, it's hard to tell you exactly how to do it.,
            But the general idea would be to use the fence and a couple of stops along the fence to limit travel of the piece on a router table..
            Loring in Katy, TX USA
            If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
            BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

            Comment

            • leehljp
              Just me
              • Dec 2002
              • 8429
              • Tunica, MS
              • BT3000/3100

              #7
              I have done many shelves with key holes. I measure, and measure and measure. I do NOT use a tape rule for that, nor a plastic rule. I use a very good quality metal rule such as these:
              Shop Woodworking Hand & Power Tools Collection on Lee Valley. Browse our selection of Reliable Tools for any Woodworking project.


              I measure within the 1/64 for markings.

              When I use the router, I like to see what I am routing, so I put the side to be routed up and hand hold TIGHT on the router and move SLOW. I usually mark a "T" and I stop precisely on the top of the T mark, No more than the top of the T. Again. I hold on for all my worth on the router and move slow.

              I make sure that the screws in the wall are the same measurements from the floor or ceiling. I check, double check and triple check the height from the floor. I have 4 ft and 5 ft steel rules. For higher than 5 ft, I use my steel rule and measure down from the ceiling. check, double check and triple check.

              This might be overkill but I did this with key hole mounted shelves in two house moves in Japan without a problem, and in our home here in the USA. Get a level and place on the two screw marks before screwing the screws in. Sometimes the floor or ceiling may not be 100% level at the location that you are measuring from.

              The key for me is precise measurements and a FINE leaded mechanical pencil.
              Hank Lee

              Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

              Comment

              • atgcpaul
                Veteran Member
                • Aug 2003
                • 4055
                • Maryland
                • Grizzly 1023SLX

                #8
                Despite my best efforts, I will usually get really close but not perfect. If that happens, when the thing is mounted to the wall, you can usually exert enough pressure in one direction or the other to tweak the screws just enough to make it level.

                If brute force doesn't appeal to you, you could wrap a couple of thin layers of tape around one screw neck to raise the low side.

                Comment

                • Slik Geek
                  Senior Member
                  • Dec 2006
                  • 669
                  • Lake County, Illinois
                  • Ryobi BT-3000

                  #9
                  Originally posted by atgcpaul
                  Despite my best efforts, I will usually get really close but not perfect.
                  ...you took the words right out of my mouth...

                  My attempts to create clean and aligned keyholes generally result in neither. The bit likes to meander as I plunge as well as when I slide. My solution has been to not to make keyholes anymore. I either purchase metal keyhole hangers or I use french cleats, if possible. Either of these two approaches are much easier to line up.

                  For the project posted, to use a french cleat, the cleat on the planter would have to be housed in a recessed area on the back to in order to allow the planter to flush mount onto the wall. I guess you would also have to recess the metal keyhole hanger too, but that should be easier than machining the keyholes precisely.

                  Comment

                  • LCHIEN
                    Internet Fact Checker
                    • Dec 2002
                    • 20914
                    • Katy, TX, USA.
                    • BT3000 vintage 1999

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Slik Geek

                    ...you took the words right out of my mouth...

                    My attempts to create clean and aligned keyholes generally result in neither. The bit likes to meander as I plunge as well as when I slide. My solution has been to not to make keyholes anymore. I either purchase metal keyhole hangers or I use french cleats, if possible. Either of these two approaches are much easier to line up.

                    For the project posted, to use a french cleat, the cleat on the planter would have to be housed in a recessed area on the back to in order to allow the planter to flush mount onto the wall. I guess you would also have to recess the metal keyhole hanger too, but that should be easier than machining the keyholes precisely.
                    I was thinking a french cleat would be much easier.
                    Loring in Katy, TX USA
                    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                    Comment

                    • tfischer
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jul 2003
                      • 2343
                      • Plymouth (Minneapolis), MN, USA.
                      • BT3100

                      #11
                      You can also do this with a plunge router and shop-made jig. Make a jig with a flat base and rails just large enough to accept your router base. This will ensure the keyholes are straight. Then at your starting and stopping points, affix stop blocks (depending on how nice of a jig you want to make, these could be adjustable, or you could just screw them in place temporarily) at the upper and lower limits of travel. Then start the router at one block, plunge, then move the router to the other. Spin it down completely and then exit out the original plunge hole.

                      Comment

                      • UPS1990
                        Forum Newbie
                        • May 2017
                        • 36
                        • Southern Cal
                        • BT 3100

                        #12
                        Thank you all for your wise advice.

                        Comment

                        • LCHIEN
                          Internet Fact Checker
                          • Dec 2002
                          • 20914
                          • Katy, TX, USA.
                          • BT3000 vintage 1999

                          #13
                          A couple of years late, but I just solved this problem. This will make perfectly aligned keyholes. I make them an even number of inches apart.
                          Then I take a piece of scrap lumber and drill 1/16th inch holes exactly that far apart to make a template for the new owner. All he has to do is hold the template against the wall with a level and then use a nail to mark the two places for screws. I put a keyhole in the template to test the screw depth, even.

                          https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...u-made-part-ii

                          See Post #6 in the thread.

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                          Last edited by LCHIEN; 08-31-2020, 05:11 PM.
                          Loring in Katy, TX USA
                          If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                          BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                          Comment

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