Mounting a router on a Radial arm saw-

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mattty

Established Member
Joined
9 Oct 2008
Messages
1,077
Reaction score
0
Location
Leeds
Has anyone mounted or used a router on a R.A.S?

I know Dewalt do brackets for this. Does anyone else?

I have previously used the old fashioned overhead routers and know how useful they can be, I imagine having the ability for the router to move as per the RAS would be great for things like housing joints.
 
Decades ago I bought the bracket to attach a router to a DeWalt radial arm saw. It was a pressed metal bracket that fixed to the motor spindle in place of the blade. The whole thing was ill thought out, with so much play as to be completely useless. So, unless a better bracket has been produced steer clear. :)
 
krismusic":i7y0o054 said:
Decades ago I bought the bracket to attach a router to a DeWalt radial arm saw. It was a pressed metal bracket that fixed to the motor spindle in place of the blade. The whole thing was ill thought out, with so much play as to be completely useless. So, unless a better bracket has been produced steer clear. :)

Still have one of these brackets kicking around somewhere

Chocolate teapot is all I can say ......
 
If a better bracket was fabricated surely it would be a great tool though?

Or would there be too much leverage/play in a mounted router?

I really like the idea and pricipal and for certain work it should be a great tool. I can also imagine how dangerous it could be under certain circumstances. Maybe i should leave well alone... :roll:
 
I have an old Sears Craftsman RAS. You can remove the blade, tip the motor 90 deg, and mount a chuck on the motor shaft. You can use router and shaper bits. I have never used it that way though. You could most likely route at what ever angle you need.
 
I guess it depends on how much play you already have in the RAS arm. If it's solid, then a well build bracket will also be solid. No bracket will take out slop in the arm.

I've never come across a home made Radial Arm Router. But I agree it sounds like good way to do 'dados', if you have the room for a RAS.
 
wizer":2beprx10 said:
I guess it depends on how much play you already have in the RAS arm. If it's solid, then a well build bracket will also be solid. No bracket will take out slop in the arm.

I've never come across a home made Radial Arm Router. But I agree it sounds like good way to do 'dados', if you have the room for a RAS.

I have aquired a newish big dewalt, but i also have an old one which is what got me thinking...

Thanks for the replies guys. Denny, i don't think we do the sears brand over here, but that sounds great.
 
I have a jig which is basically two adjustable rails you can adjust to fit the width of the router plate, the rails are a couple of inches high and I have used this with the router as wel as a circ saw.
It is designed for a circ saw to enable its use as a ras. I think they are still available on ebay, I willl look for it. It lets me perform simple overhead routing tasks.
I have a B+D DN890, which is a good old saw, pre de walt, and I think very similar to the 1251. I would be very wary of using it as a router. In fact I am wary of using it to rip too.

The RAS is versatile, but it is a saw.

HTH

Neil
 
I made a bracket for my RAS years ago for the first router I ever had.
I'll dig it out tomorrow and take a couple pics.
Watch this space :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:
 
A Company we have over here called Sears & Robuck sells power tools...One being a RAS ,one side of the motor has the blade the other side has a covered bolt that will accept a router nut (guide ) you just screw it onto the bolt like you install it on the end of the router shaft.....
 
Grinding One":17n4b9pe said:
A Company we have over here called Sears & Robuck sells power tools...One being a RAS ,one side of the motor has the blade the other side has a covered bolt that will accept a router nut (guide ) you just screw it onto the bolt like you install it on the end of the router shaft.....

Is this like the Dewalt 1251 I've got. At the other end of the motor is a screw thread to which you can attach ... attachments - sanding disk, sanding drum, drill chuck (thos are what I'm aware of). The limitation with this for routing is that it's only relatively low rotation speed, about 2800rpm I think. Router bits need to spin much faster.

My RAS came with a small router bracket. To use it you remove the saw blade and blade guard and mount the router bracket where the saw guard fitted. The RAS is then only used to support and guide the router with the router motor doing all the cutting.

It's one of the options I've meant to try but never got round to it - my old Bosch POF500A router will fit it fine but so far I've always alternative ways to route what I need.

Misterfish
 
Going Off Topic a bit, my brother some years back got hold of a large overhead router that had originally been made during the 2nd war to make parts for the Mosquito aircraft. This used a three phase induction motor that was powered from an ac-ac frequency convertor such that it ran at 400Hz.

He never got it going and sadly I think he dumped it.

OW
 
I know some of the dewalt ones have spindle moulder attachments which are very dangerous from what i've seen. And as Mr Fish has said the spindle speed would be to slow for attaching a router cutter directly. The bobbin sander sounds useful though. My idea was to remove the saw blade altogether and just use the radial arm feature with the router held securely in a cradle.
 
This is my Shopmate RAS (American made) and the first router I owned was this Stanley 265 and I wanted to mount it on the RAS.
This is the bracket I fabricated to do just that.
Sadly the bearings are going on the Stanley, tsk, tsk, after 19 years, things just don't last anymore :roll::roll:


DSC_1893.jpg


Shaped block of hardwood to fit the Router, jubille clips cut and screwed to the block.

DSC_1895-1.jpg



Front view



DSC_1896-1.jpg


Rear view, some drilling & filing a little bit of welding ~

DSC_1897-1.jpg


Open.

DSC_1898-1.jpg


Mounted on the blade guard.

DSC_1899-1.jpg


Mounted with the Router, steady as a rock. :tool: :tool:


John
 
I use a copy router at work, and I'm pretty sure thats what you guys are sort of looking for. Do a search on google for "copy router" and see what comes up :wink: The one we have at work cost in between £5,000-£10,000 But I'm sure theres cheaper ones out there. The one we have got now was an upgrade from a much cheaper second hand one we brought.
 
John thanks for that. That is the exact principle i was thinking about. What do you use your router mounted for?

Thanks to Simon also.
 
Matty,
I must confess I rarely use it now that I use a router table, but it still has its use for such things as stopped housings, trenching, rebating etc.
If it's difficult to put the work on to the router table, I stick under the radial arm. Sometimes it helps to have a larger area table to use.

(I also like making jigs)

John
 
Back
Top