Thread: Router Lathe

Hey Bob! Lucky you! I have been after one for some time and just cant justify the $$ at the moment.
Check out the Timbecon one for info: http://www.timbecon.com.au/productse...x=router+lathe
Cheers!

New to me so I don't understand!! If you have to round the wood on a "normal" lathe to use it in the router lathe what is the point? What can you do on a router lathe that can't be done on a conventional lathe - while you'r at it rounding the timber for use in the router lathe??? Just another gadget!!!

Originally Posted by hitch

New to me so I don't understand!! If you have to round the wood on a "normal" lathe to use it in the router lathe what is the point? What can you do on a router lathe that can't be done on a conventional lathe - while you'r at it rounding the timber for use in the router lathe??? Just another gadget!!!

The turning of the workpiece is directly related to the lateral movement of the router sled - ie. it doesn't spin. Its used for decorative work such as corkscrews and running slots.

Can be very useful you can create twists and slots etc etc as said above

A good gadget. had one for years but haven't pu it to use yet.

I was once fortuneate enough to see a router lathe demonstrated... The can be used to do straight fluting, spirals and alsorts of decorative patterns that would be almost impossible on a regular lathe. As damienhazo said, the secret is that the router is advanced along the work piece as it is rotated by a series of cables and pulleys. By changing pulley sizes, you can change the rate at which it is advanced and create all sorts of interesting effects.
Here is another link
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=169889

Chipman

Thanks guys for the education.

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure what the old bloke is going to do with it at this stage but it will be interesting next time we meet as it hopefully will be at his shed so he can do me a demo.

Regards,
Bob

For those who are interested, this topic (router lathes) has been discussed before but if you go to this site,

http://www.legacywoodworking.com/

there is some more info and links to youtube videos of the thing in action.

Well worth the watch even if you never plan doing anything like it!

Chipman

Absolutely fascinating.

Thanks for the link.

Bob

a friend of mine made this on his home made router lathe out of jarrah , hope i dont need it for awhile but im set when i do called a pineapple twist from memory think he did it with a round over bit without the bearing in the bottom

With the great work seen above and on the video etc -

How come these router lathes aren't for sale almost everywhere, if they are so good, why don't router manufacturers/bit makers offer these as some sort of accessory? ie why don't they seem to be really popular?

Are they difficult to use?

Do they do a good job consistently?

Are they too expensive?

Bad publicity, reputation or poor advertising?

I'm fairly curious as from what I have seen it would be on my "very nice to have list" but is not on my "must have list" at this time - but I could possibly be convinced.

Regards,
Bob

Originally Posted by Bob38S

With the great work seen above and on the video etc -

How come these router lathes aren't for sale almost everywhere, if they are so good, why don't router manufacturers/bit makers offer these as some sort of accessory? ie why don't they seem to be really popular?

Are they difficult to use?

Do they do a good job consistently?

Are they too expensive?

Bad publicity, reputation or poor advertising?



I'm fairly curious as from what I have seen it would be on my "very nice to have list" but is not on my "must have list" at this time - but I could possibly be convinced.

Regards,
Bob

I guess it is a bit of everything...
Most people seem to like simple clean lines in their designs and so there is not such a high demand for equipment to make ornate items. If you were in production of such items it would be very different and then due to scales of economy it would be a 4 axis cnc machine fitted with one or more router cutters.

The simple ones (eg Timbercon) are relatively cheap but I think it is a bit fiddly learning how to use them effectively and these ones (I think) are basically limited to straight shafts of wood not tapers or other profiles (anyway there are easier ways to use a router to do fluting with an indexed lathe). So really these simple machines are good for spirals and twists and there is not a high demand for it from what I see.

What do others think

Chipman

What you say makes sense, Thanks