Plane Speaking
December 15th, 2008Possible Solution to Router Fence Problem
I failed utterly in Saturday’s quest to put together a router fence. My father needed help with his anchor, so I ended up working on that instead.
Here’s the big problem with the fence. I need something very straight and fair, with sides that are absolutely perpendicular. I managed to use my table saw as a jointer, putting nice short sides on a two-by-six, but I couldn’t get it to work as a planer.
Today I read that it’s possible to plane wood with a router. Seriously. You support the router on two straight pieces of wood and put the workpiece between them. The end of the bit reaches down to the workpiece. You move the router around until it has ground all the irregularities off the work.
The obvious obstacle is that you can’t make the guides–the pieces that support the router–until you have two straight, fair pieces of wood! But I don’t think that’s fatal. You can make them on a table saw.
Now, is this possible, when your router is in a table, with no fence? I think so. You put the board between the guides and clamp the whole thing together. You turn it over and run it over the router bit, with a flush bearing on it. Then you flip it again and do it over. You make sure the planed sides are parallel by resting the first planed side on something you know to be level and flat before you apply the clamps.
Does this actually work? I do not know. But I may try it, just for the fun. The bit I used to put the router in the lift has a flush bearing, and it cuts from the bottom as well as the side, so it should be capable of planing.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:35 PM
it’s easier to just buy a flat board. They have them at lumberyards.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:55 PM
I’m going to pretend I didn’t read that.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Sure. But after you spend $60 and three hours dicking around, go to the hardwood display at Home Despot, and get a clean square piece of tulip poplar.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:35 PM
How about using a piece of angle aluminum instead of wood?
You can also face it with a piece of purchased prefinished shelving as that stuff is always a perfect board.
Sorta like this; http://www.rockler.com/gallery.cfm?offerings_id=21291&r=2
December 15th, 2008 at 6:01 PM
I hope you know you are totally killing my buzz.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:32 PM
The whole home woodshop/DIY thing is not about what kind of tools you have or how they’re made or how you made them. It’s about what you can do with what you got, and finding the easiest way to use the tools you have to actually- you know- make something. Here’s a clip of Roy Underhill and Governor Easley making a table. All hand tools.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dpLUirXRQs
December 15th, 2008 at 8:34 PM
Worst thing you can do is not do anything. Keep playing, keep trying, keep doing stuff. The more you do the more you’ll learn. Most of all be safe, and have fun.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:34 PM
By all means play around. Get to know what you can do with the setup you have.
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Maybe try a 2X8 a foot longer than your fence needs to be and set your router bit just a bit above the level of the table. Use the flatness of your table and rout just the middle of the board on both sides. Then saw off the unrouted ends and rip an inch off each edge of the remaining, trued board.
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Not the easiest, most simple way, and I dont know how much flex the board might have, but you should have fun and make alot of dust in the process – a real manly mess.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:35 PM
We have a level that is 48 inches, it is very straight edged aluminum.
Have your considered anything like that? I don’t know how large they make the angles mentioned above but ya know TC might be on to something.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:06 AM
Back to the basics: http://www.caribooblades.com/adz.html
Cheers
December 16th, 2008 at 12:58 AM
Bah.
You have a welder. It is time to make an expedition anyway.
Pick up Val (as an interpreter) and cruise up North River Drive, especially the 2500 – 3500 addresses near Palmer Lake. There are several places along there that are “scrap yards” (as opposed to junkyards) that buy and sell metal. Go in and talk to some of the guys at Federal, Miami Iron&Metal, All Florida Scrap, or one of the others.
Wear shoes. And, preferably, long pants. When you get there you will find out why.
What you want for your fence is a chunk of 2×2″ or 3×3″ x 1/4″ angle, rolled steel or extruded aluminum, 30″ long. Steel is probably better because it’s less likely to warp when you clamp it. One of the guys along there will have it. You may need to buy a longer piece and cut it off, which will give you an excuse to buy an angle grinder, which you need for welding projects anyway.
Besides which, you need a better source for things to weld than buying expen$ive stuff at Home Depot. Those are the places where you’ll find it.
Regards,
Ric
December 16th, 2008 at 5:55 AM
What you’re going through is the early stages of what I call the “have it, or make it” hobby syndrome.
Right now, you want to “make it” more than you want to “have it” – a subtle distinction.
Steve, later in ones’ hobby-life, after you get a few projects under your belt, you will learn to always ask yourself of any proposed project – no matter how tempting – one simple question:
“Do I want to MAKE it, or do I want to HAVE it.”
Answering that question accurately and honestly requires both significant self-knowledge and self-discipline. Yeah – it is a buzz-wrecker of a question, too. It’s intended to be.
You will learn to save your energy and creativity (both of which you have in abundance) for the MAKE items that are truly worthy – and you’ll just go out and buy the other things.
On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with using a home-brew router table and fence project as an excuse to hone your shop skills and make some sawdust!
December 16th, 2008 at 7:05 AM
Steve, resawing,that is putting a flat surface on a board is hard to do, in fact it’s a pain in the butt. If you’re going to do any amount of wood working invest in a portable planer. The cost of the planer will be off-set by the money you save on wasted wood. Resawing is what the old-timers use to do because planers were large and expensive. Later.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:09 AM
The table saw, jointer, and planer are the three workhorses in a wood shop. With those three, you can make a piece of wood straight, square and flat. And many, if not most, woodworking projects are difficult, to impossible without stock which is straight, square, and flat. Break down and get a jointer and planer. You have uncovered a money pit with this woodworking mess (ask me how I know). Now you can either try to fight it, and endure endless frustration, or embrace it and enjoy it’s rewards.
I honestly don’t know how well the benchtop jointers perform (I have a 6″ Powermatic, 8″ would be better), but the “lunchbox” planers do an admirable job, and are a far sight cheaper than a full-sized floor model. I have an older DeWalt that works very well. And don’t forget about a collection of handplanes, as the machinery won’t handle every situation, and at some point, You’ll have to resort to them. Have fun.