Shopsmith Forums

Didn't want to Hijack the thread by ryanbp01.

I use my free standing OPR only for reproducing items from a pattern. Since I have a separate RT, there is no need for an under table mounted router.
My question to all of you more creative and smarter folks is what uses have you found for the OPR, other than pattern routing? Or, what different type of pattern routing do you all do besides simple flat work?

Thanks all.

Well, it's only limited by the imagination, like the Mark V itself. I do have a hard time starting my imagination sometimes.

Here was a case where I tilted the Mark-V-mount OPR table to the horizontal mode. (Like the old Jointmatic machine, basically.) I used a small 1/8" bit to rout some channels in the end of a glued-up board. I manipulated the glue-up past the router-tip such that the 1/8" groove always registered parallel to the (bowed) board surface. Then, I fitted in some steel bars, which serve to this day as "ultra rigid breadboard ends," for a straight assembly across the seasons:
[ATTACH]8475[/ATTACH]

(Full pine shaker desk project is under my "Joy of Recycling" thread: http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthr ... 980&page=2 )

Like Chris said - The OPR can do anything that can be done with a router. Well almost anything! No I'll change that back to anything! But a router table or a hand held router may be a lot easier to use sometimes.

When making the louvers for shutters, I used the plain ol' router table because I couldn't figure out how to make a jig to hold the pieces on either the fence or the table of the OPR. Well, really, I could have made such a jig, but it was easier for me on the table. Old habits die hard!

A router table is also valuable and the OPR will never fully replace all router uses in my shop.

The OPR is the very best mortising machine I can think of. Through mortises, stopped mortises, even stub mortises. These can be done in either the vertical or horizontal mode. Tenons are also doable on the OPR. See Sawdust sessions!

Ed (reible) has posted how to make mortises on a router table, but my opinion is the OPR is easier and maybe more accurate. (At least for a person that has little experience with a table router.) As, said - old habits die hard because they get ingrained (no pun intended)

My OPR has produced glass door frames and muntins. Of course, edge routing is a snap also! Of course I don't want to forget raised panels!

Haven't yet tried three dimensional routing, but Nick showed some in the Sawdust sessions.

The real usefulness of the OPR is reached by putting those aluminum fences on a hidden shelf (discarding them) and making the fences and auxiliary table Shown in the Sawdust Sessions.

Yes, I've also done some pattern routing - making unique shaped play blocks. In the attached photo, you can see I elected to use the router table to use a 1/16th roundover for the sharp edges.

Here's photos of some of the work --

[ATTACH]8485[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]8486[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]8487[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]8488[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]8489[/ATTACH]