OPR inlays

[reible]

Since I'm not hearing much back on these posts either I'm doing a really great job with my pictures or no one is understanding what I'm showing or you have little or no interest in this type of posts........ So this time with more words, and yes the pictures are there also.

I have been doing a few posting of late showing the use of guide bushings instead of pins for the OPR in a pin routing configuration. While this is being shown on my older model there is no reason the new model can not be modified in the same manor as the old model. This was one of the first things I did with mine...... the bushings give you a lot more options and yet you can still use pins as needed.

Guide bushing are a main stay of routing....... all sorts of wonderful things can be done with them. If you not into routing I guess I can understand a lack of interest but I will say you are missing out on a lot of fun. Having a router(s) and a shopsmith go hand in hand.

Back in the day when shopsmith first had the OPR I wanted one but I just didn't have the money to get one. Of course e-bay took care of that and now shopsmith makes a new version. It is filled with possibilities! I've posted a few of them here of late and these will have to be the last ones for a while due to the coming cold weather and the almost total shut down of my shop days.

Todays post is about using the OPR to make inlays. In this case I was just getting set up to do some repairs and wanted to do a sample just to make sure everything was working the way I thought it should.

The pictures are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12199425@N02/sets/72157603239126262/

What you see is a special guide bushing that is designed for doing inlays. In this case it is for use with a 1/4" bit, I also have one for a 1/8" bit. I used a down spiral bit for a clean cut at the surface.... if you use an up spiral it will not be as clean but I did that for years before they started making the down spiral.

Not shown is a template that amounts to a circle. You could use other shapes like hearts, bird tails, squares, triangles, or what not. You can also use contrasting wood for the plugs or try and match for an almost hidden repair. You can also have the inlay be higher then the surface or slightly below grade... again lots of options. The same pattern is used for both the cavity and the plug. I once did a heart design and made the plug tall enough to round and curve and it stood above the surface and made itself an eye catching design. Sorry I have no pictures to show you of that.

I started with the inlay bushing in place and did the cavity. For the cavity you remove all the material so make sure that is done before you move anything... if you find you have missed something after you have taken the set-up down be thinking hand tools to fix it.

Next the bushing is removed and the plug is cut. You need the height of the plug to be such that it matches what you are looking to do...... and do not do a test fit, one in place it will be very hard to get back out without messing something up.

With my test the plug was proud of the surface and I sanded it away. As you can see the fit is fine but the choise of locations for cutting the plug did not produce a very good blend. On a real project I would have worked harder at that.

Ed

[bartll]

I think your probably doing a very fine job. But persons like myself have never even seen the machine your using let alone close ups of the working end & the finished product.

I would like to see shot of the machine for several angles backed off far enough to take it all in & explanation of how it works. thanks for what you are doing. Bart

[reible]

If you go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12199425@N02/sets/
I have 400 + pictures of mostly shopsmith stuff. If you look through those you will find at least several OPR projects and shots of jigs with the OPR in view. Keep in mind my is the older model, the newer one is an attachment to the mark 5. If you go to the main shopsmith page and look for the catalogs that might help you see some pictures of the newer version.

You might also want to check out the handsonline for some videos of the OPR in use.

Ed

[dusty]

Watch the Sawdust Sessions, bartll - you'll see it in action.

[dusty]

ed reible, don't let the lack of direct feed back discourage you. Your posts are very interesting and informative. Keep them coming. Your photos are always welcome.