How NOT to make field panels - Do Not Do this!

[deema]

So, trying to get myself a little more enthusiastic about routers, I decided to experiment making fielded panels with a router instead of my trusty spindle moulder. As the title say, do not do this, it’s extremely dangerous, and rather silly!

First off I need a cutter, I have a nice big panel cutter I use on my spindle moulder, it’s only 190mm in diameter, and made of aluminium so fairly light. It’s only rated at 6000RPM, and my trusty router doesn’t have speed control, so that could be interesting.

I now needed an adaptor, the cutter is designed for a 30mm shaft, but my hand router only takes 1/4”. An adaptor is required, luckily, I have a stubby spindle for my spindle moulder. It has a threaded hole on the underside that allowed me to quickly make an interface on the metal working lathe so that it would fit into the router collet. I snuggled the collet up good and tight!

The idea is to run the router on top of the work, and use shims to both space off the router (ok they will be rotating so care is needed) and to set the distance down for the cut from the top surface.

The little Elu router looked a bit small compared to the cutter block. But what the heck, in for a penny in for a pound. If you go to my thread on gate renovation you can see the results in oak. Not bad!

 

[Daniel2]

Well, I hardly know what to say.
Do you still have all your fingers, toes and intestines ?

 

[Spectric]

What made you take such risk, large objects revolving beyond design speed tend to go into orbit taking out anything in there path.

 

[Daniel2]

Or are you writing to us whilst waiting in A&E to be attended to (urgently) ?

 

[Peter Sefton]

Looks scary as hell.

 

[gcusick]

That is truly worthy of some of the American YouTube videos.

 

[rogxwhit]

No way I'd have done this. The cut (and size of block) is out of proportion to a 1/4" shaft. The degree of exposure is crazy too.

And it's brutal to that poor little bottom bearing in the lightweight router.

Failing a spindle, you can cut fields on a sawbench (given that the taper will extend right to the edge) - one cut for the taper, and one cut to define the field if wanted.

Then there's hand tools ...

!!!!!

 

[Inspector]

You got more b**** than I do.

I would put it in a table saw though if it would stick out of the table enough and run the panel vertically against a tall fence.

Don't need to as I can put knives in the W&H planer moulder and run them with that.

Pete

 

[deema]

I used Kojestia material for the interface shaft, no chance if that letting go. I don’t have much of that stuff left in my stash, but it always makes me chuckle when I’m using it.

 

[rogxwhit]

I used Kojestia material for the interface shaft, no chance if that letting go.

To my mind it still constitutes router abuse! And I remain concerned about safety ... ;-(

 

[Sideways]

Next workshop project: a full suit of plate armour !

Since we own four MOF96's between us, how about knocking up a belt drive mechanism and driving it properly ?

Keep this up and you'll convert me to spindle moulders

 

[ChrisWiduWood]

Is it April already!?

 

[ChrisWiduWood]

Is this an attempt to see if people believe everything they see on the internet!?

 

[deema]

The MOF96 only has a 600W motor, it was able to take a full cut in one pass in oak, I was very surprised, I thought it would struggle. A large bearing would have made it safer to act as a guide,

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Well, I hardly know what to say.
Do you still have all your fingers, toes and intestines ?

you forgot mind.

 

[Hornbeam]

John. We have met and I thought you were a sensible guy. This post may change my opinion

 

[Doug71]

I hope you rigged up some dust extraction or I consider it dangerous

 

[heimlaga]

You did run it hand held didn't you? Router tables are for sissies

 

[deema]

You did run it hand held didn't you? Router tables are for sissies

It does generate a lot of gyroscopic force when running, helps to keep it steady physics, none of the namby pamby router table stuff. I’ve got some very large steel spindle moulders blocks, they weigh a few KG, (not just the an 0 gram I posted earlier) I’m eager to try next

 

[Bingy man]

Watched a video recently of a guy who made a chainsaw mill using a ladder and a homemade jig to cut a log into planks - looked scary but he did a decent job - your set up although ingenious is far more worrying such a large cutter in a handheld router is well - I couldn’t of watched that operation without a paramedic standing by . Seriously though I’m glad your in one peice -