Thread: Router Pantograph build - work in progress

Hi everyone,

Shed-time is a really precious commodity. I hope that you who get plenty of it appreciate it.

In the last couple of weeks I have made some progress and taken a couple of photos to share but I really am hurting for some "me" time.

So anyway, in the brief moments I have been able to grasp to work on the project, I have managed to cut out the router mount pieces on the bandsaw and continue with drilling the holes in the arms. As I mentioned earlier, I have in my haste to make the most of my brief ventures into the shed I have managed to drill a few holes that are just not quite right. Well the good news is that I have enough flipstops on the fence to save every correct setting so that I can re-create any piece if I have to.

Anyway here are a couple of pics:

IMG070.jpgIMG069.jpg


All the router mounting arms are cut out, I have also glued the dremel mounting arms pattern to some ply, but I will have to check the dimensions of my triton rotary tool against the plan before I cut it out.

The first picture shows the router in the cutout. It is a snug fit and it fits well where it touches. It will hold the router securely enough. I had planned to cut as close as possible to the inside of the line and sand out any imperfections with the drum sander, but as Matthais says in the plan it doesn't matter if you go over the line part of the way. I actually had this bizzarre optical illusion thing happening as I rotated the workpiece because of the double parallel curves and the moving blade combined with old eyes and I found myself cutting over the line occasionally.

to complicate the matter, of course I was not using my finest 1/4" blade on the bandsaw to cut up plywood. I used the worst,oldest blade I thought I could get away with. there are some small gaps but i do not believe I have compromised utility or accuracy of the finished jig in any way. Even if I have I can make a new part.

If I am blessed with shed-time this weekend I may even get it finished.

I thank everyone for their patience over my slow progress

Cheers

Doug

Still watching, looking good

Hi to all those who have been patently waiting for an update.

I have certainly not abandoned the project but it has come to a temporary halt. I have not posted a n update for a month so I thought I had better let everyone know that the project is still alive. We have had a few far more inportant issues than shed time to deal with over the past month including one of my darling granddaughters passing away. We are also moving house at the end of this month so most shed time is spent packing up the shed, not working on projects.

Hopefully I can continue once I am in the new shed. In the mean-time thanks all for your patience. An update will be posted when I can.

The more time I have to think about it the more uses I can think of for the Router Pantograph. I can see it as being one of the workhorses of my workshop once I finally get it built.

Thanks

Doug

The best of Irish with the move...
Condolences on your family's loss, especially one so young.

sorry to hear about your grandaughter, I'll still be here when things settle and you get back to it, thx for the update

Condolences Doug, I cannot imagine how you and the family are feeling. Prayers are sent to your family.

R.I.P Condolences on your family's loss.
May God give you and your family strength

Doug. Sorry for your loss.

i too have been following woodgears and bought the plans for the pantorouter but have not yet started on building it. How did you go printing them out? Did you have to use his big print program?
his instructions seem easy to follow from what I have seen

Condolences and prayers for you and your family with such a tragic loss.

We await the next post. Yes, shed time is very therapeutic.

I have often wondered as to how long it would take to construct the pantorouter

Hey. I have also purchased the pantorouter plans but have not yet built it. I would be keen to follow your build as well. I am wondering what sort of plywood you used to try an eliminate warping. As you know some of the cheap plywood will warp when you get it home. Accuracy on this machine is paramount.

Hi Doug, sounds like you have a lot going on, hope things settle down soon.
I watch Matthius every so often and the pantorouter looked like it could be very useful, keen to see your finished setup, no hurry tho



Pete

Hi to everyone, particularly the ones who have posted in this thread recently. Thanks to everyone for their patience while life gets in the way of woodworking.

Much of my scarce and precious shed-time has gone into other projects that did not require the router pantograph, such as what I call "Project Mobile" which is getting all my machinery on mobile bases before my back gets any worse.

I did at one stage have the router pantograph in one piece and working! I gave it a few trials and in general I was pretty pleased with what it was capable of.

Then I pulled it to bits.

I believe the plan is good. I believe it will be a very valuable tool in my workshop. I don't think Mathias's videos have even begin to explore the full capabilities of the router pantograph.

So why did I pull it to bits? Because I can do better next time. I am changing very little on the mk II version other than a few procedures to improve accuracy of the drilling of holes. While I do believe I was fairly diligent in drilling the holes in mk I (and they were really not that far out) this is the single most important aspect of the router pantograph construction.

What I realised is that its not the shape, thickness, length or width of the components that matter. They could be any shape and size you want as long as they support the holes as well as the cutter and pattern follower in the right place and the timber surrounding the holes does not interfere with the operation of the pantograph.

Slight inaccuracies in drilling and assembly meant that the arms did not operate quite as smoothly as I would have liked. Now this is when I have to admit to being a bit of a perfectionist, and confess that this probably would not have had any affect at all on the majority of projects. However it was enough to remind me that every time it got a little tighter to push, it was because I didn't build it as well as I could.

Next time around, I will pay more attention to the important aspects of the layout. It is not as important to have the holes centered on the components as it is to have them the same distance from an accurately established and identified reference edge. Its more important that the holes are the same distance from each other on the top and bottom arms than being the same distance from the ends of the parts.

Some of this would probably have resolved itself with a little bit of "wearing in" but that comes at the expense of the holes wearing themselves a little larger and some slop in the workings (did I mention that I can be a bit of a perfectionist). Through this thought process I concluded that some wear in the holes is inevitable the more the pantograph is used, so I am considering more accurate drilling in combination with sleeving of the holes. Take the time to build it right and build it accurate and make it last a long time.

Anyway, it is great to see so many people taking interest in this old thread. I still think the plan was great value for money. In fact, I think that the way I will interpret the plan on mk II will be pretty much the way Mathias intended.

So in the new year it is my intention to get the Tablesaw and Drill Press mounted on their new mobile stands (Project Mobile) refit the Incra Fence systems, then cut out and drill the components for Router Pantograph mk II.

All comments and suggestions are welcome

Cheers

Doug

Hi all, to anyone who might read this. I was flicking through old threads on here, as one does, and come across this one. Some 3 and a half years after it was first threaded. I am actually building this exact same 3D pantograph router, purchasing the plans from Matthius. I am close to the final stages, and will put up a couple of pics when it is all done. I have read through all Doug's dilemnas during his build. My build has gone pretty smooth thus far, the final test will be very soon to see if it works ok. I have some plans in mind for it.

More to follow, with pics, stay tuned.

Paul