Templates! Building panels and shapes with perfect lines.

[captainobvious]

Surprisingly enough, I've only recently learned about all of the various templates and kits available on the market that can help to make your installations much easier, and much cleaner. Mark (CarAudioFabrication) has some excellent videos that discus them and show how they are used. (Some links below)

What is template routing? How is it useful for us? A template is a shape that is used to aid in making a copy of, or a new shape. Templates allow you to reproduce a result accurately and repeatedly. In routing, a template is attached to your material (ply, mdf, plastics, etc)) and used to allow your router bit bearing to ride over so you can trim your material to the exact shape of the template. Here's an image that shows you how these can work. This is a Sonus EVOL kit being used to route out an opening in a piece of wood. The exact shape needed is made with the templates and the router is used with a flush trim bit to cut the exact profile of the template. It's a result you simply cannot reproduce with a jigsaw.



The basic idea is that the template kits and shapes help you to design the layout that you want (draw it out on your material) and allow you to use the them to create those perfect cuts by using simple cutting and flush trim bits to get the perfect edge. This is nothing new for experienced installers, but for weekend warriors and novices like myself, this info and these tools can take average ability and allow you to get professional quality results.


First, a little information about the current kits available on the market.

Sonus Car Audio has a kit called Evolution, or EVOL. The kit uses links to connect pieces of different shapes and sizes and is a very robust overall system. They continue to develop new pieces to add to the system. More information, details and pricing can be found on the store section of Sonus' FB page here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sonus...p_184367687735

Video on some of the Sonus EVOL lineup:




Mobile Solutions also offers template kits. Many of their options are kits with prebuilt shapes, but they also offer plenty of standalone pieces, radius, curve and cirle kits, etc. They also offer a very cool adjustable curve template. Mobile Solutions is a one stop shop for all of the templates, tape and router bits you need and it is all of very high quality. Here's a link to the Template portion of their store: http://www.mobilesolutions-usa.com/s...Templates.html

Video on Mobile Solutions templates and products (from Mark at CarAudioFabrication):




The other option is the USD templates offered by UAF Products. These templates/kits also offer a connection system between pieces, but are unique in that they also offer adjustable angle pieces. They also offer fixed angle pieces beyond a simple 90 degree. Here's a link to the template section of the UAF Products site where you can view all the USD templates. UAF also has other installation products and they are competitively priced. http://www.uafproducts.com/usd-templates/

here's an image of just one of their many template packages:








I'd HIGHLY recommend watching and subscribing to Marks videos on his youtube channel. He has a great library of videos on all things car audio related, and several which show templates in use. https://www.youtube.com/user/CarAudi...ation/featured




.

[caraudiofab]

Awesome write up! I know most people here are likely DIY guys like myself so I know the price of templates can be a little bit intimidating but like CaptainObvious said they really help you product a CNC accurate result.

If these templates interest you I would encourage you to subscribe to my YouTube channel, not to self promote or anything but I regularly convince the sellers of these items to do quick sales on the template sets that can get guys on a DIY budget in the door. I announce these sales on the YouTube page so thats the best way to hear about them. (P.S. A special offer is coming in the next few days, wink wink nudge nudge)

[captainobvious]

Thanks Mark. I'm a subscriber
I'll keep an eye on the FB page to see what comes down the wire.

[caraudiofab]

Thanks Mark. I'm a subscriber
I'll keep an eye on the FB page to see what comes down the wire.

Just in case you didn't see it the sale is ending today. Also can you swap this video in for the Mobile Solutions one? It does a better job at showing how the smart templates are used, and the design and benefit behing the 3/16" gap between each shape for accounting for wrapping materials.