Vacuum-clamped Skirt Board Router Jig

Router Guide for Skirt Board Cutouts with 3 clamping options including vacuum clamping

You want to move a piece of furniture to wall but the skirt board is preventing you to push it against wall? In that case you can cut out the rear of your furniture socket to provide a gap. Of course this can be done with a jigsaw but the most professional look comes from routing it using a special routing template.

Normally these templates are either held by hand or via a metal clamp. Both of the options are not perfect - it is never nice to have the hand close to the router bit and clamps take some time to mount and might make dents if fastened too tight. So on top of the 2 standard options this jig also can be mounted via vacuum quickly and safely.

In the meantime the trilogy of vacuum-clamped routing jigs is complete to cover all the major use cases. And if you are interested in further vacuum-powered tools & jigs please see this collection.

Vacuum-clamped handle router jig	Vacuum-clamped corner radius & chamfer router jig (metric / imperial)	Vacuum-clamped skirt board router jig

Features

• 2 different versions available as separate print profiles
  • Cutout size 15 x 75 mm (with a 15 mm radius)
  • Cutout size 20 x 100 mm (with a 13 mm radius)
  • In case you need other dimensions, please leave a comment! Happy to add more over time!
• 3 clamping options
  • Vacuum
  • C-Clamp (2 cutouts with opening dimensions of 15 x 5 mm)
  • Manually (via the integrated handle)

Usage Instructions

Instructions

• Print
• Screw in the fitting
  • Be gentle, no need for extra force, not needed to screw in entirely, ideally use an Allen key instead of a wrench to for better alignment
  • Optionally soften the material with a heat gun or torch prior to screwing in the fitting to reduce the risk of layer separation
• Mount the seals (cut to length and glue with PA glue; I recommend cutting in 45°)
• Attach a vacuum pump and you are ready to go

Additional hardware required

• 5 mm foam seal, e.g.,
  • https://amzn.eu/d/dGv3wjv as a cost efficient version (works perfectly well but a bit harder to mount)
  • https://amzn.eu/d/6fLlTmm a bit more expensive but easier to mount
• PC6-02 pneumatic fittings (e.g., https://amzn.eu/d/fyI9GFa)
• Useful starter set including pneumatic fittings and tubes (e.g., https://amzn.eu/d/br2hIfl)
• CA glue for closing the foam seal
• Vacuum pump
  • I would recommend a strong version with 500+ Watts if you are planning serious work like clamping for sanding or routing. I am the using this one.
  • If you want to try it out and have a fun project, you can build the smaller Filament Vacuum Pump (I would not recommend it for this use case as it might be too weak but is great to create a filament vacuum for storage)

Changelog

May 29, 2025

• Added second version (20x100 mm, radius 13 mm)
• Minor improvements to geometries: longer and slightly thicker run-outs, added size inscription