How have I survived this long in life, without a router?

Some things are just obvious.

Like the first time I used a kitchen scale for mixing epoxy... I couldn't believe that I hadn't been using one all along.

This router is amazing.

After just a few passes, practicing on an old 2x4 scrap & learning how to use the depth adjustment, I was ready to work on my mahogany dashboard.

First time around, with a Bosch 3/8" round-over bit. I couldn't believe it was that easy.

The next day, I bought a 3/8" rabbeting bit (also Bosch). Again, just a few minutes practicing on a 2x4 scrap, and I cut this recess in the back of my dash beam. This is where the inlay for the instrument cluster will fit.

With the router being so easy to use, I made progress much faster than I expected. So, I started working on a plywood template for my instrument inlay.

Once again, I printed out my design template and transferred it onto the plywood.

After a little sanding, the plywood template fit into the rabbet beautifully.

Once I had drilled out the hole centers with a 1" spade bit, I was ready to cut the 3-3/8" hole for the tachometer. 

The Faria instructions say to cut a 3-3/8" hole for the tachometer. I drew the circle slightly undersized, using a cheap compass from the grocery store. For the cutout, I used a Rockwell BladeRunner... which is basically like a jigsaw set up as a table saw. After the cutout was done, I sanded the inner diameter of the hole with my Dremel until the tachometer fit.