CRAFTYMAD":1e9sq9qo said:
MixedHerbs":1e9sq9qo said:
Pardon my ignorance. But if you have the patterns, why are you using a scroll saw? You may be better off converting the patterns into plywood templates and use a light-weight router. That way, you would be able to tack the wood and template to a work surface and use both hands to steady the router.
Regards, Peter.
WHAT TYPE OF ROUTER WOULD I NEED,I HAVE A B&D K.W. 800. BUT NO 'BITS' WHAT WOULD I NEED
If going this way the main thing you'd need to buy is a bearing guided template cutter - either a
top bearing template trim if you are tacking the template to the top of the work piece or a
panel trim with the bearing at the bottom. The main problem with using a router this way (i.e. above the workpiece) is that of securing small workpieces so that they don't move whilst you are routing them and making sure that you can support the base of the router to prevent it tipping.
A better alternative IMHO is to go for a router mounted upside down in a
router table. This doesn't need to be fancy and can be as basic as a piece of kitchen worktop (end offcut) or Contiplas screwed onto a Workmate with a hole for the cutter and the router screwed to trhe underside. If you do go this way I'd recommend two additions, a
No Volt Release (or Direct On Line starter) switch - this will protect you form the router restarting in the event of a power failure and subsequent power restoration AND a top guard to protect you from the cutter - this is a piece of clear acrylic or polycarbonate plastic mounted on a bolt through the "router table" - protects your hand from hitting the spinning cutter. I'll post a piccy if you're not sure what I mean.
Your templates for table routing need to be big enough for you to handle them safely without your hands coming into contact with the cutter and need to hold the workpiece securely. I'd recommend you go for the template above workpiece configuration with a bottom bearing panel trim cutter - this has the disadvantage that the template cannot be viewed but it is intrinsically safer than having the spinning cutter exposed. For durability templates need to be made from either a good quality birch plywood or better still Tufnol or solid high pressure laminate (HPL), although for one-offs
MDF templates are good enough. The workpiece is best secured using wedge-shaped points - woodscrews inserted through the top of the jig which poke out of the underside and are sharpened into a wedge shape using a file. The blank is then secured by setting onto the jig and sharply hitting with the flat of the hand. f you are doing much routing you'll need a vacuum cleaner por dust extractor to keep your work area clear (and stop you from choking on MDF dust). Finally I'd recommend roughing out uour blanks on a bandsaw or the like, especially as you have a low-power router. Roughing away a lot of the waste will mean that your router labours a lot less.
Scrit