The jig I patterned mine after was designed for a full size router. I don't have one of those but I have been looking at them at Home Depot and Lowe's. Next to the routers I've seen laminate trimmers - essentially light duty routers. After a bit of research I decided a laminate trimmer would be effective for making the scarf cuts in the western red cedar I am using for the gunwales and inwales on the boat.
Today when I was out running errands I went past Harbor Freight and decided to stop there to see what they offer for routers or laminate trimmers. I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent looking laminate trimmer on sale for $21. Yes, this is Harbor Freight and, yes, they are notorious for cheap tools that do not last forever. But, I thought, $21 is a lot less than the $80 (minimum) for a similar tool at the big box stores. So, living on the edge, I bought the trimmer.
Here is the Scarf Cutting Jig complete with the laminate trimmer.
I will make the first test cuts tomorrow after work (It is Sunday late afternoon and I'd rather not disturb the neighbors' quiet weekend). I suspect I will have to make some adjustments to get the jig tuned to make accurate cuts for good straight joints.
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