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10th December 2019, 11:21 PM #1
One thing leads to a .... router plane
A good week ago I decided to build some drawers in the bottom part of a trolley that carries my drill press and metal working vice. The timber for the sides turned out to be twisted so has been sitting on the bench held in an opposite twist position to try and straighten it. In the meantime I was thinking about how to make the drawers, specifically grooving the sides to fit the bottoms in. Then I remembered seeing an old allen key in the stuff cleared out from under the trolley - idea: use it to make a router plane for grooving the drawers.
This is how it turned out. Body is meranti taken out of the house during renos about 15 - 20 years back. Depth stop is a piece of pear tree pruning. This is dense enough to tap the M6 thread directly into. Had to buy the eye bolt and wing nuts. The body is higher than most but the aim is to be able to attach runners front and rear for a fence that can slide right up to the cutter. If visibility becomes an issue then the area in front of the cutout can be lowered further. Maximum depth of cut allowed by the depth stop is about 15mm.
P1100533 [800x600].JPG P1100535 [800x600].JPG P1100534 [800x600].JPG
The 2 threads are longer than needed and I may well shorten them but will see how it goes for a while first.
No serious use yet but it seems to cut OK.Cheers, Bob the labrat
Measure once and.... the phone rings!
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10th December 2019 11:21 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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11th December 2019, 03:42 PM #2
I do envy sensible people who can just make a good working tool without getting carried away adding unnecessary frills. I was inspired to make a basic router like yours by Derek's post a few years back. I happened to have some 'proper' blades so didn't need to re-purpose any allen keys, which made it easier. It worked extremely well, much better than I anticipated, and I was very pleased with it. However, being too foolish to leave well enough alone, I made another & added a screw adjuster. It doesn't work any better than Vers.1., but I had to make a larger box for it, which takes up more precious storage space in my crowded toolbox....
Box 2a.jpg
Cheers,IW
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11th December 2019, 05:25 PM #3
Actually Ian I think both Derek and yourself provide a lot of encouragement to many of us to try this sort of stuff. I must confess I like the brass fittings, such as knurled nuts, but have neither the skills nor metalworking tools to make them.
I'm also wondering if I have shaped the cutter the best way. There are 2 basic shapes around, pointed and straight across, and mine is pointed. If anyone has any views on the applications each is suited to then I'd like to hear them. Recommended sharpening angle is of interest as well.Cheers, Bob the labrat
Measure once and.... the phone rings!
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11th December 2019, 06:32 PM #4
Bob, I use my router somewhat sporadically, & I have to confess I haven't experimented with blades at all. The blade I use far & away the most is a straight-across 1/4" (or is it 6mm? - can't remember because the precise width doesn't matter to me 99.9% of the time). As for bevel angles, I just follow what the blades came with as best I can. The primary bevel was probably 20-25deg to begin with, to which I add a small secondary bevel of something a fraction less than 30 maybe? (eyeballed). I have found the blades do like to be very sharp, the performance drops off quick-smart as they dull.
I have no idea where & when the pointed blades come into their own, I haven't got one or I would certainly have mucked about with it to see what it can do. You'll have to wait for Derek or someone else with more router experience to chip in, for a real expose on blade angles & when to use the spear-points vs the straights, etc....
Cheers,IW
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11th December 2019, 07:37 PM #5
Snap Ian.
This is the second blade I made, trying to copy the Veritas style. It works better than my bent-steel-rod first attempt.
I have subsequently bought the Veritas model, for which I love the micro height adjustability. Though this one still comes out from time to time.
With respect to the point blade and straight, I have used the pointy blade once, then switched back to the straight blade. Perhaps were I running a groove the exact width of the blade I'd use it again. I find the straight blade much easier to use in a pearing motion to clear waste.
EDIT
Oh, I did also try the Allen key blade, but discovered the meaning of case hardening. Once ground, the middle was way too soft to use as a blade. Did I have a bad one (admittedly I didn't use one of my good Allen keys), or is there a trick I'm not aware of?
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11th December 2019, 07:50 PM #6
Thanks chaps, that's good info. It will be interesting to see how long the edge lasts.
Cheers, Bob the labrat
Measure once and.... the phone rings!
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13th December 2019, 05:11 PM #7
One thing leads to a .... router plane ... plus fence
Figured I may as well finish the thing off so trimmed the fastener threads and made a fence. Ironically, the grooves for attaching the fence are exactly the type of thing that these routers are good for but I had to dig them out with a chisel . That turned out to be surprisingly easy and I'm happy with them.
P1100538 [800x600].JPG P1100541 [800x600].JPG P1100545 [800x600].JPG
Design is rudimentary and position is limited by the width of the router body but I expect this will cover most work. It would not be too hard to design one that would sit further out and mount on the same grooves.
Managed to use fasteners already on had this time and although the meranti is not as dense as the pear it still takes the thread without using metal inserts. If it ever strips it can be repaired with epoxy or inserts.Cheers, Bob the labrat
Measure once and.... the phone rings!
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13th December 2019, 09:08 PM #8
Ian, I have a hand router, or as we called them, "granny's tooth", a Stanley No. 71, bought about mid 1960's or there abouts. They were used for the housings in wooden stringers for step treads. they were supplied with a 1/2", 1?4" and the spear point blades. They also had a depth gauge that fitted in front of the blade. The holes in the base allowed for a fence to be fitted.
Jim
IMG_1890.JPGSometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important...
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13th December 2019, 09:21 PM #9
Bob, that's excellent! And I also made my first with a hex/allen key.
Thanks for the kind words. Ian is the expert with brass turnings. I do not own a metal lathe, and sometimes press my wood lathe into commission ... nowhere to his standards.
This is one I made as a prize for a competition ...
I made a bunch of these at one stage for a LN tool show ..
Here's the underneath of another, showing the brass bed ...
How it fits ...
My most used blades are the 1/4" and 1/2" straight. I designed this router plane with the Veritas blades in mind, and have the full set.
I developed a sharpening method for router planes: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...aneBlades.html
Here is Vic Tesolin demonstrating it ...
Regards from Perth
DerekVisit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.
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14th December 2019, 07:55 PM #10
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15th December 2019, 04:55 PM #11
Ian,
The strings were all hardwood, i found the 1/4" cutter to have a less "bight" than the 1/2" cutter. The "spear" point cutter was used on the more difficult interlocking grain timber, with more of a slicing cut. None of them were pleasant to use, but that is all we had.
JimSometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important...
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15th December 2019, 05:53 PM #12GOLD MEMBER
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Knowing absolutely nothing about blades for these would an angled (skew?) blade be easier to use or is this a totally stupid idea?
CHRIS
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15th December 2019, 05:59 PM #13
OK, thanks Jim, that fits with what I was thinking. OWT routers are quite pleasant to use for making the sorts of small trenches, etc. in cabinetmaking where less brutal woods are more likely to be involved. But I see your point, hogging out 2 x 10" housings for stair treads in gnarly hardwoods does not sound like my idea of fun! A 2 or 3HP router, a large bit, & a good template guide, would make life distinctly easier, & produce a set of stairs a lot more quickly, I reckon!
Cheers,IW
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15th December 2019, 06:01 PM #14
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15th December 2019, 07:46 PM #15
I was at a large market today and found this.Point blade 01.jpgPoint blade 02.jpg
No I already have one, so it's a spare . I'll clean up the base etc, so it's useable.Pat
Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain
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