How to Make a Keyhole Slot

Mark the location for the keyhole slot on the back of the piece of a decorative wooden plaque. Measure the location of the keyhole slot so that the slot is centered on the wooden plaque. If cutting two keyhole slots into the plaque, mark their locations so that each slot is at the same distance from the top edge of the plaque.

Clamp a wood or metal straightedge onto the top of the plaque. It works this way: when the router is pressing on the edge of the straightedge, the router bit is centered on the keyhole slot position. In other words, if the distance from the edge of the router base to the center of the key hole bit is two inches, clamp the straight edge exactly two inches away from the center line of the keyhole slot. This straightedge must run parallel to the keyhole slot's center line.

Insert the key hole router bit into the router and tighten the collet. Set the depth of the router bit so that the wider portion of the bit and the cutting flutes on the bit's shaft are both visible. Turn on the router.

Press the edge of the router against the straightedge guide clamped to the work piece. Plunge the router bit into the wood at the bottom most end of the keyhole slot location, as if you were using a drill bit to make a hole. Once the bit is cutting into the wood, and the router base is firmly against the work surface, slide the router along the straightedge, upward toward the top of the wooden plaque. Move the router a distance of 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Slide the router back towards the bottom of the hole, and once the router bit reaches the point at which it entered the wood, lift the router upward, removing the bit from the wood's surface. Turn off the router and carefully set it aside.

Using a can of compressed air, blow any wood shavings out of the keyhole slot which were left behind.