Thursday 22 April 2010

Just A Few Routing Techniques

There are techniques which can be used with a router and are widely written about in books and articles, routing technique cover a wide range from grooving to trimming, one of the techniques that will be d explained is pivot frame jig.

Pivot Frame Jig

Many if the work which can be covered by a circular and ellipse trammel can be combined into a single jig such as a pivot frame jig.

With this type of jig has many routing operations can be undertaken, these include planning, template routing, ski frame carving and trimming work. The pivot frame jig can also be used in such application as decorative designs and wide variety of woodwork projects.

For circular an ellipse cutting the can be accomplished using the router mounted in a fixed position, from either the above or below the work piece. For these applications the wood is rotated anti-clockwise in a router table set-up and clockwise when the router is mounted in the overhead mode. The work piece can even be motorised, and index points around the jig add a host of other decorative possibilities unique to this set-up.

Even from this small tit bit of information one can see that a pivot frame jig is a versatile machine and should be in any DIYs workshop. As with many techniques time should be taken to understand in and out , before venturing into woodwork projects before reading or even getting trained experience , from a pro .

Wednesday 21 April 2010

But Which Wood Router ?

One of the main problems facing the amateurs when it comes to any woodworking project is what tool to buy. As with any project from gardening to building it always comes down to what your budget and how big is the project or is all going to be a hobby.

The only tool you start to look at is the woodwork router; the development of routing technology has been astonishing. The router can be used for any woodworking project; however we come back to the same question which router to buy. There are a number of routers which you can buy and there is heavy duty, medium duty, light duty, micro, and laminate trimmers.

Here is what each one router is used for:

Heavy Duty Router

They are suitable for the production of joinery components such as doors and frames, structural framing, staircase and general building work. But one of the good things about the heavy duty router it is safe to be used as a hand –held router, but drawback to this is that the router can be awkward and unwieldy.

So the heavy router should be used inverted in a router table or in an overhead stand , which is essential when using some of the large diameter cutters.



Medium Duty Routers

Next we come to medium router, which is by it name the next one down in seize to the heavy duty router. The medium routers are suitable for general woodworking project such as furniture construction, cabinet making, decorative and inlay woodworking. As due this versatility of the medium router, the majority of DIY projects by this type of router and with its power can be used for marching centres or specialised jigs.




Light Duty Routers

First things first, the light duty router should never be used with a cutters up to a max of 30mm, but then only for light cuts.

One Thing you will find with the light router is that the user can remove the plunge base which means that the motor can be used separately, for fitting into a drill press for over head routing and drilling projects.

Because of the light weight that this type of router brings means, that are suitable for fine and intricate work such as inlaying, as well as veneer and laminate trimming and because of the weight this router is or could be said be made for carving operations.

Also the light router can be used , as long it used sensibly and not over load can be used for grooving or rebating and in many cases basic moulding.




Micro Router

These routers are usually high speed modelling drills mounted in specially designed plunge base. These routers are ideal for fine hand craft projects like carving, drilling and grinding.

When it come to micro routers, is that they use a chuck rather than other router which used a collet systems. The chuck allows the use of unique range of cutters designed for such miniature work.

Laminate Trimmers

We come to the last in the line of routers which is the laminate trimmer , this is a light duty router if not in name, but where it differs from the light duty router, is it sourly purpose is trimming for the construction of laminate faced furniture.

This is a precision tool with a wide range of non-plunge bases which have micro adjustments for cutting depths, also roller guides for circular work and riser skis for vertical and horizontal laminate edge trimming. The Laminate Trimmers have a single speed.