3D Pantograph Router Jig Review
A pantograph jig for copying and scaling carvings with a router. What it does well, what it cannot do, and what to buy.
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The original page under this URL covered a pantograph routing attachment. The brand attribution on the old article was not something I could verify, so this page covers the mechanism and points at a current jig that works the same way.
How a pantograph works
Four links pivoting on a fixed point. A stylus traces the template; the router, mounted at a different point on the linkage, reproduces the movement at a ratio set by where the pivots sit. Move the pivot, change the ratio — the same template gives you a copy at half size or double size.
The mechanism is centuries old and it is exact in theory. In practice the accuracy depends entirely on how much play there is in each pivot, and there are several of them in series.
What that means in use
Detail is lost. Every joint in the linkage adds a little slop, and the slop accumulates at the cutter. A crisp serif in the template comes out softened. Below a few millimetres of detail, it is not reproduced at all.
It is slow. You are tracing every line by hand, then usually going round again at a different depth. A nameplate is an afternoon.
Bit choice does most of the work. A V-groove bit produces the classic incised lettering and is far more forgiving than a straight bit, because the width of the cut changes with depth rather than being fixed. Start with a 60-degree V-bit and shallow passes.
The honest comparison
A desktop CNC router does this job faster, more accurately and repeatably, and costs many times more plus the time to learn the software. A pantograph is the right answer when you want one sign, once, and already own a router.
Hand carving is the other answer, and it produces better work than either.
What to buy
The Milescraft PantographPRO, linked below, is the current jig of this type: it takes a compact router, offers several copy ratios, and comes with templates to get started. Expect to spend the first hour learning to move the stylus at a steady rate — the finish quality is almost entirely down to feed speed.
Clamp the whole jig to a solid bench, not to the workpiece. Any movement of the base transfers directly into the cut.
What works
- Copies and scales a pattern in one operation, so one template produces several sizes
- Uses a compact trim router you probably already own rather than a dedicated machine
- Cheap enough to justify for a single sign or nameplate job
What doesn't
- Linkage flex means the copy is never quite as crisp as the template, and detail below a few millimetres is lost