router question (beginner)

[charlese]

philco - Welcome to the Forum - Your very first post has given you some very good advice!! I have done some routing with the Mark V without a speed reducer and had satisfactory results, but wouldn't want to do many things that way, because of the time it takes. The time is because of the many multiple passes I would have to make to do a shape like a 3/16 ogee. Probably 5 or more!

Let me reiterate some of the things previously mentioned.
1) Do this only with a Shopsmith router chuck. The bit is held with two allen screws. DO NOT TRY THIS WITH A DRILL CHUCK:eek:

2) Lose the SS fence for this operation. There is no need, and it can be dangerous to limit your workpiece between two fences. However you may need featherboards, or hand pressure if the qorkpiece is wide enough. The workpiece also needs to be held down on the table firmly. DON'T USE TWO FENCES!:eek:

3) Use a three bladed shaper knife with the proper shaper arbor.

4) Remember - you probably don't have a shield - so KEEP YOUR HANDS AT LEAST 3" FROM THE BIT!

5) My advice for this operation is to make the first pass with the bit barely above the board but rubbing on the bit bearing, or rub nubbins. Then with the machine off - lower the bit 1/16" and make a second pass. Repeat at 1/16th in. increments until you reach your desired goal. This way you don't have to move your fence. Go SLOW - at this rpm, you won't burn your work. Move your workpiece about half as fast as you would with a router.

6) After you finish this job think about buying a router.

7) If you have to buy a router chuck - don't stop there get the whole system.

[stryker1313]

I would definately recommend adding a router in your future, much simpler and much more versatile. I have the Triton 2 1/2 HP, awesome, can be used as fixed table or plunge. Only about $200.

[Ed in Tampa]

Philco

First off I used my Shopsmith as a router for many years before I was told it was too slow. I still often use it as a router (sliding dovetails until I get a Overhead Pin Router) and I own 4 routers and router table. The dovetails shown in my Avatar above were cut on my Shopsmith with the Shopsmith dove tail cutter.

I don't understand the why people have so much problem using the SS as a router. Feed rate in relation to cutter speed determines cut quality not cutter speed alone. Since the cutter is moving slower on a SS you must feed the work slower. In fact if you slowed the feed enough theoretically you should be able to duplicate the cut quality of a high speed router.

Never trap the work between the cutter and a fence, this is a recipe for disaster. Experience!! I have sent a piece of wood sailing about 45 feet out of my SS when it was trapped between the fence and router bit.

Again feed slowly if you experience vibration slow down. I have also learned over the years to make all my router cuts (using SS or a router) in stages.
I try to make a final cut no more than a 1/32-1/16 deep as to burnish the final cut.

The secret of using a SS as a router is to forget that you can't do it.

Remember to feed slowly, at the first sign of vibration slow down.
Make your cuts in stages rather than trying to hog out all the wood in one pass.
Make you final cut as thin as you possibly can to give the cleanest cut.

Incidently these last three steps apply to all routers, handheld, in a router table, or mounted in a SS.
Ed

[solicitr]

Ed, how do you cut a sliding dovetail in multiple passes?

[Ed in Tampa]

Ed, how do you cut a sliding dovetail in multiple passes?

I used a staight bit that had a diameter the same size as the neck of the dovetail. That cleaned out most of the wood and then I mounted the dovetail and cut the corners.
Ed

[scottss]

Hello philco, Welcome to the forum! Here is some other tips http://www.routertips.com/
As stated by several of the others here go with a router. My first router table was the kit from sears and it is ok and I still use it sometimes only problem is the router only has a 1/4" collet. You can get a porter cable, hitachi or freud (make sure it has both collets) for a reasonble price and get a base and some mdf and maybe have $300 into it. Fences are simple to build and attatch with a pair of clamps. Make a simple router table like this one
http://sawdustmaking.com/Router%20Table ... _table.htm
I took an extra set of ext table legs and mounted them to a piece of mdf and put my router on a new router base and I can setup my table any time I want and store it very easy also. Its just like the one shopsmith sells http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... rtable.htm. Also check your local library there are many books and videos on router tables, I especially like the one by Gary Rogowski http://smartflix.com/store/video/106/Router-Joinery. I also love my joint-matic by shopsmith. Its a horizontal router table. You may even consider the overarm pin router that shopsmith sells. You would be setup real nice just add a decent router. I may sound like I am carring on but if I new twenty years ago what I know now about routers and router tables I would have bought a hawk routershop or ss opr and saved a lot in the long run. You can do so much with these things now a days. Check out some of Nicks sawdust sessions on the opr.

[Ed in Tampa]

As a Post script to my previous post I was talking to my buddy that was watching me make the puzzle I now show as my Avatar many many years ago.
He reminded me that on this particular block I actually hogged out the wood with router bit, cutting at full depth and full cut into both pieces one Walnut and other Hickory.

On the next attempt I then decided to first make clearing cuts with a straight bit then finish with the dovetail.

I mention the fact that I hogged it out just to make the point the Shopsmith can and will make cuts removing a lot of wood.

I must say I did this at a time when I didn't know much about routers and only owned a screaming single speed Sears router bought from the recon store that scared the ever loving out of me. At that time I would have rather taken a beating with a 2x4 with nails in it than use that scarey router.

Since then I have learned a little more about routers and I have now have a router table (one I would like to replace) but as I said in my previous post I still use my Shopsmith to rout on occasion. It is not all that bad.
Ed

[paulmcohen]

As a Post script to my previous post I was talking to my buddy that was watching me make the puzzle I now show as my Avatar many many years ago.
He reminded me that on this particular block I actually hogged out the wood with router bit, cutting at full depth and full cut into both pieces one Walnut and other Hickory.

Ed

Someday you need to explain how you actually made the avatar, I assume there is a trick involved. My guess is the wood is fed at a 45% angle but holding the wood is a challange.

[paul heller]

I'll venture a guess: the wood was longer, the dovetail was made, and then the wood was cut at 45 degrees into the block we see.

Am I close?

Paul

[a1gutterman]

Hi Paul(s),

I looked for, but did not find, a previous set of posts regarding Ed,s avatar. I will let him explain it, but you are close.