DIY woodrat?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

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

mailee

Established Member
Joined
26 Jun 2005
Messages
5,502
Reaction score
4
Location
grimsby Humberside
Just a thought but has anyone on here built there own woodrat? i have been thinking about it for some time now. I considered buying one but at the price of them it is way out of my league for a one off tool. I know they can do many joints with accuracy but the price tag of almost £500 is a little OTT for a hobby tool even if it would get a lot of use. I have seen some pictures of one on another forum but nothing about the build of it. Surely it can't be that hard to make one?
 
Hi Mailee
Depends on what you plan to use it for. I cut my tenons vertically, and have a router jig to do so, but it wouldn't do all the stuff the Rat does. Should be in a mag near you in the near Future, I hope!

Cheers
Steve
 
Me and Bean looked at it ages back. Pretty simple to make using linear bearings such a RS sell fro about £18 each. We looked at using a long threaded rod (M6 giving 1mm per rev.) for lateral movement rather than that pretty poor winding-wire idea that the real 'rat uses.

the main box section would be 20mm MDF

Never got around to doing anything much with it due to pressure of work for both of us.

you never know, we might pick it up again :cry:

Ours was imaginitely call the woodrot!
 
I thought so. I knew it wasn't just me who thinks of things like this. My idea was to use one of the ally clamp guides for the moving rail and just add another clamp on it. It would need the clamping faces extending of course but that is no problem. I too had thought of using MDF for the main frame and the cable to operate it, although I do like your idea of using threaded rod instead of the cable. My main concern is the turning router plate for the dovetails as all of the pictures I have seen of it don't seem to give much detail on this. Also it would be a bit of trial and error to find the angles for through dovetails but time is not a problem. I am working on the idea in my head and think I may have a go at one in my spare time.
 
Tony":2g68svnl said:
We looked at using a long threaded rod (M6 giving 1mm per rev.) for lateral movement rather than that pretty poor winding-wire idea that the real 'rat uses.!

Careful, A) using a threaded M6 you'll suffer from backlash which is not in itself a major problem - B) but at one revolution to get 1mm travel, you'll need to add a motor to get it to track from one side to the other, as it'd be too time consuming otherwise IMHO.

Adam
 
In regard to the original question, I too have seen some pictures of a homemade version - possibly on UK_WW?

Anyway, I wonder if you could find some aluminium extrusions which could be used to form the main carcass?

Adam
 
Adam":1zicxzol said:
In regard to the original question, I too have seen some pictures of a homemade version - possibly on UK_WW?
Yep, here's the thread, and pictures. Alas, Barry's email address which I did have is long gone. I have a feeling he ended up buying the real thing in the end, but I may be mis-remembering.

Cheers, Alf
 
Yes Alf that was the one. He did buy one in the end, i wonder why? I too would like o have tlaked to him about it but it was back in 2003 and I too couldn't get hold of him.
 
mailee":26v4gsm6 said:
Yes Alf that was the one. He did buy one in the end, i wonder why?
Maybe it isn't quite such the simple, over-priced piece of kit that Tony would have you believe... :wink:
 
Does anyone know if Woodrat are at the Harrogate exhibition this year? Could be a good oppertunity to have a close look at the workings of it and take some notes. :wink:
 
According to both the Woodrat site and the The North of England Woodworking Show site they will be there.

Graeme
 
All these great bits of kit aren't new ideas , they are very old ideas made into a new bit of kit we can buy to save time in making our own . I for one would never dream of spending my time making a jig if i could buy one . So the rat and the legacy :oops: are router carriages , thats not a new idea . But do you want to spend your time making a jig or getting the job done ?
 
Mailee:
I have done well over 200 dovetails this year ( they just get better) I don't think the machined joints are necessary.
I do think some of the heavy lumps are very useful though, I could not have cut up and prepared all the timber I have used over the last three years without that stuff.
However know doubt you would get satisfaction in making that gear but possibly the journey might be better than the arrival.
 
Adam":2vzujlf7 said:
Tony":2vzujlf7 said:
We looked at using a long threaded rod (M6 giving 1mm per rev.) for lateral movement rather than that pretty poor winding-wire idea that the real 'rat uses.!

Careful, A) using a threaded M6 you'll suffer from backlash which is not in itself a major problem - B) but at one revolution to get 1mm travel, you'll need to add a motor to get it to track from one side to the other, as it'd be too time consuming otherwise IMHO.

Adam

True Adam

the design utilised a stepper motor which still lies unloved in my workshop and a small microcontroller (PIC16F877). It was to be a CNC 'Rot' :wink:

The backlash is not a problem when one uses two nuts. I suspect that we would have gone for a lead screw and nut in the end, but time was the enemy
 
Back
Top