Has anyone made the PantoRouter ?

[mpooley]

I would like to know if anyone has made this tool ? http://woodgears.ca/pantorouter/index.html
I am intending to make one and would like to benefit from others experience

Thanks

Mike

 

[Eric The Viking]

I haven't, but it looks like a lot of fun.

If you do, let us know how you get on!

 

[mpooley]

Oh I'm definitely going to make it :shock:
I have ordered a special round bodied router just for it so I have got to make it now !

I've just got to get all the bits of hardware together and order the plywood so should be starting it next week I hope

Mike

 

[angelboy]

That looks pretty great really!

 

[mpooley]

I'm getting on ith it quite well. done a fair bit of work now.
My only real problem is drilling straight holes! i thought my drill press was fairly good until now but this thing needs very precise and well aligned holes so have had to re- do a few of them and i still dont know yet wether they will be good enough.

 

[tisdai]

Keep up the good work Mike , and any chance of a few pickies to go with the build.

CHeers

Dave

 

[MickCheese]

I find if I need really precise straight holes I can use a plunge router with a suitable straight bit.

The plunge body makes everything very accurate.

Mick

 

[urbanarcher]

oh i cant wait to see the WIP for this one mike? i was thinking about giving it a bash myself but then i realised i should learn the basics of how to use the tools i have first!! lol :lol:

 

[woodshavings]

I made the 3D pantograph (http://woodgears.ca/pantograph/index.html) earlier this year. That works fine and have been using it for simple engraving.
I was wondering about the PantoRouter so look forward to your progress.

The author/designer, Matthias Wandel, is a really interesting guy and maybe a little eccentric, but would recommend his website " An Engineers Approach to Woodworking" (http://woodgears.ca) to anyone with an interest in things mechanical. His latest wheeze is building a bandsaw from mainly scrap parts!

John

 

[mpooley]

MickCheese I am still having problems with my drill holes but cant find a 5mm router cutter over 19mm long, which would not really be long enough, also I wonder about setting up the router to plunge cut on some of these parts as they are so fiddly! have you any ideas how it could be done?
I am getting on well but I dont think it will be accurate enough and there is no way of knowing that till i have got it assembled. :shock:

any hoo these are a few pics I have taken during the build and the last one is where I am now.

 

[tisdai]

I will have a look arround for you to see what I can come up with for the precise drilling of the holes, looks great upto now, please keep posting.

Cheers

Dave

 

[xy mosian]

If you have a 'standard' drill, with tail, this might help.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... prod22269/

Clamp the piece to be drilled in some way to make the surface larger, think wormate top. This so that the guide has a large bearing surface. Using brad point drills will help keep the bit on the straight and narrow.

xy

 

[mpooley]

Thanks xy although I think that its the drill bits that are the main problem.

Using normal drills I can actually see the blimmin things wander as they bite into the wood. (especially plywood)
I am using lip and spur bits at the moment and they are definitely better but i do wonder if its the quality of the bits that is the main problem.
I bought a set of hundreds of bits from axminster and I think they are probably rubbish lol

Mike

 

[xy mosian]

Interesting thing about drill bits. In a 'standard' two flute drill bit the minimum thickness of the web must be quite thin, therefore not very stiff. I have found that, certainly in smaller sizes, a speed, flat or paddle bit, or whatever you call it, is very much stiffer. They also come with a very nice centre point, some even have spurs to mimic 'brad point' drills. Most of the ones I have come across have a shaft of 6mm, or so, this may be too big for you, but it may be possible to make one from say 4mm silver steel bar.

xy

 

[mpooley]

I have spent a lot more time on this and am finally getting the feeling I am getting there!

still a lot more to do though :?

I have made the frame for the template Holder . It took me ages to cut all the box joints on the bandsaw and I wouldnt do this again unless i make the box joint jig. I dont think it's nessacary. but it does make it nice and stiff.

I have also been working on the base and have taken my drawer runners to bits and cleaned my balls lol :wink:

 

[mpooley]

Finally finished it today except for the springs
and did a small test cut which seemed promising. only about .5mm out over about 4 inches in the horizontal axis.
Found that I wasn't getting the full range of movement so had to make adjustments where the router body was catching the frame and some of the Panto Mechanism doing the same.

Finally set up a test to run the bit at the table height. just a straight cut about 175mm long but found that even thought the bearing was following a straight template, the cut moved up away from the table in the middle leaving a curved cut in my test piece probably 3 to 4 mm so quite a bad error. :?

will post some pictures tomorrow.

Looks like I will have to go back and take the mechanism apart again and try to get my bearing holes better aligned.

Mike

 

[studders]

I've just bought the plans for one of these, so... it's all your fault.

Just got to find a suitable router.

 

[mpooley]

I've just bought the plans for one of these, so... it's all your fault.

Just got to find a suitable router.

Thats great !

I used a draper expert.
I have also just ordered a Colt HSS-M2 5 Star Lip & Spur Precision Wood Drill
hoping to at least get a few straight holes.

That has been my biggest problem. its amazing how far brand new bits wander!

Mike

 

[studders]

I used a draper expert.

Mike

Yes I've seen that one, one of the very few available over here that would be suitable I think, though I'm also considering the Trend T4 (I think it was) but it may be a little under powered.

I have also just ordered a Colt HSS-M2 5 Star Lip & Spur Precision Wood Drill
hoping to at least get a few straight holes.

They're not cheap are they. :shock:
If they do the job though...

 

[mpooley]

I used a draper expert.

Mike

Yes I've seen that one, one of the very few available over here that would be suitable I think, though I'm also considering the Trend T4 (I think it was) but it may be a little under powered.

I have also just ordered a Colt HSS-M2 5 Star Lip & Spur Precision Wood Drill
hoping to at least get a few straight holes.

They're not cheap are they. :shock:
If they do the job though...

yes and axminsters delivery charges dont help I think they were dearer than the drill bit !
blimmin extortion
it's what puts me off of buying small items from them But i didn't have a local stockist and I'm getting desperate .

you wouldnt think it would be difficult to drill a straight hole through 18 mm of Oak or Ply would you.
Maybe its my drill stand? I have been experimenting by using all my 5mm drills and every one is off !
I drill a hole and then stand the wood on my bench with a 150mm rod through the hole and measure the distance between the tips of the rod and the bench.
I am amazed how far out they are !! #-o
I have thought about using a router with a spiral bit in but cant find a 5mm one anywhere. I would have to build a very accurate jig for some very odd shaped bits of wood too ! which I cant really work out how to do.

I hope that not being able to drill a few holes isn't going to scupper my pantorouter


Mike