Hand Router Issues

[jlawford]

Hi All,

I picked up a Stanley 71 on eBay a while ago, which I've been using for cleaning up some larger tenons and it works really well.

Now I come to route out some housing joints, and the depth of cut is causing me an issue. The screw adjustment is going to fall off the top of the cutter before it gets to be a shallow enough cut! I can't work anything less than about 15mm.

Have I got a non-standard cutter here, with the notch in the wrong place for this model of router?

Thanks,

James

 

[Sheffield Tony]

The replacement cutters Veritas sell are longer that the Stanley originals, perhaps that's what you have.

You may (depending on how it is together at the moment) gain a few mm extra travel by unscrewing the depth adjustment wheel and putting it on the other way up. Mine will just cope with the veritas cutters that way. But just a bit - 15mm seems a lot. Perhaps there is something else going on here.

 

[AndyT]

You could try adding a wooden sole to your router - they come with countersunk holes for the purpose. That would reduce the effective length of the cutter.

 

[Adam9453]

+1 for andy's suggestion, make the sole 15mm+ thick and you will be able to cut at minimum depth.

 

[AndyT]

I've just measured my Stanley cutters. They are all 2 1/2" (63mm) from cutting edge to the bottom of the adjustment slot, so if yours are different they must be for a different router.

 

[jlawford]

I've just measured my Stanley cutters. They are all 2 1/2" (63mm) from cutting edge to the bottom of the adjustment slot, so if yours are different they must be for a different router.

Thanks! I'll have a measure...

And thanks all.

 

[custard]

You could try adding a wooden sole to your router - they come with countersunk holes for the purpose.

+1

Having an extended sole for your router plane makes a good tool even more versatile. Normally the issue is how thin can you make the extended sole so as not to lose too much cutting depth. If you're a metal worker then it's easy, alternatively I used a 6mm off-cut of Tuffnol beefed up with a couple of hardwood strips to stop it flexing, the router attaches and removes in a jiffy with a couple of M6 wing nuts. Works a treat.

 

[bugbear]

Some checks on my Record #071 show (on the wide, straight blade):

* Blade will adjust upwards to 0 depth of cut
* adjuster screw can do this with flange side DOWN, at which point it's flush with top of screw
* base of notch in blade is 72mm from cutting edge
* adjuster screw protrudes 38mm above casting mount
* top of casting is about 45 mm from sole of casting

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

If BB's measurements are right - and he's good at that sort of thing - maybe the Record cutters are longer than the Stanley that you need. Here are two Stanley cutters, showing the size from edge to bottom of notch.