Thicknessing A Headstock

[Mattia]

Ouch...and touche, I suppose. I like a good argument as much as the next guy, maybe a little too much, but I'm not replying purely for the sake of carrying on an argument.

For the record, I'm not attacking your way of doing things, but I am calling for extreme care here from people less familiar with their tooling, or with less solid tooling! Router bits don't scare me - fear of a tool is a dangerous thing - but I have enormous respect for what they can and cannot do safely. The key here, IMO, is what you've said: "just as safe as any other power tool when set up correctly".

I think it's more likely that someone doesn't have a cross slide than that they do. I remain unconviced that it's a good idea at all (router bits in drill presses), and seriously, I don't need to try everything to rule it out; safe tool use includes using tools for what they were designed IMO. I'm even unconvinced sanding drums are such a great idea in drill presses, although I do use 'em (no spindle sander yet). We're free to disagree on this one, and that's fine. What you've done is turn a drill press into (functionally) a mill, and you know what you're doing with it. Good on ya, but since I don't have a cross sliding anything, I'm not going to even try, because I know it's not safe with the materials I have

You'll note, if you scroll back to the beginning, that the original 'don't do it' was aimed at Acousticraft's suggestion of running a headstock, attached to a big heavy neck, BY HAND, under a router bit spinning in a drill press to thickness the back of the headstock. That's the main thing to avoid here.

Oh, and for the record, I'll be trying the 'heat up the chuck' thing, see if that helps sort out my not-so-hot press...thanks for the tip!

[GuitarGuy]

I couldnt agree more that the original freehand idea is a bad idea.

As for the rest ..All is well that ends well. Peace.

EDIT:

Just a clarification on the chuck falling out of your drill press.

If the actual chuck is falling off the spindle you want to heaten the chuck up to expand the hole in the chuck and then push it on, but if the chuck is falling out with the Morris taper that fits up into the spindle still attached. then you want to put it in the freezer for a bit to shrink it. and then jam it in.

Edited April 28, 2007 by GuitarGuy

[fryovanni]

I couldnt agree more that the original freehand idea is a bad idea.

As for the rest ..All is well that ends well. Peace.

GuitarGuy- I posted early on that I thought this was a bad idea also. My two issues being-the drill itself will face wear and tear it is not designed for, and second tear out. I still believe both of these things are real issues, althought I admit I do use a milling vice and spiral cutting bits sometimes. If someone is going to try this the choice of router bit(I am assuming you dont use straight double fluted bits) would be important. Second the method of securing and being able to control the feed would also be important. Free handing seems like a really bad way to go, but you do have to be able to move the material so just clamping is not an option. With a milling vice you can achive the kind of control that works well. I just have a sinking feeling someone reading this thread is going to get the idea using a regular router bit they use for templates or whatever(good chance it is a straight double fluted bit), and place a piece of wood on the drill press table and start pushing it about.

This was the method suggested originally that I absolutely would not recommend-

Once you have a true face then you can thickness the underside by method in have used several times before. Put a router bit in a drill press. Adjust the table height and without moving the feed handle, take light cuts by sliding the headstock flat across the table backwards and forwards under the router bit. Keep taking light cuts until you are about 1/2 mm thicker than desired. that will allow you to sand it smooth without going under size.

A couple of things to bear in mind. Tighten the router bit really tight so it doesn't move in the chuck and have the drill on the highest speed it will go.

Using a router on rails does the same except the bulk of the base doesn't allow you to get right in near the neck. I have a router that is removable from the base and I can use it like a die grinder to carve and shape the last bit by hand. I also use this for the truss nut adjustment slot so I have room to just get a socket on the nut.

Picture the hand placement, picture this being done with a regular sraight fluted router bit. Good chance of damaging the wood? good chance of tipping the headstock and taking a bigger bite than you are trying for? good chance you will be trying to hold the headstock steady and flat to the table in precarious positions? How close are your fingers to the router bit? what will that bit do to a finger?

Peace,Rich

[GuitarGuy]

fryovanni- my post was directed at the way I do it and I explained it in the first post. The freehand method described in the above posts is not safe and wont work at all. The bad advice comment towarad all things drillpress/router related tipped off my attitude on this.

Tearout is not so much of an issue because you can move the cross slide vise in any direction to eliminate it. I think a video is in order for this one. Im heading to the garage in a few min and ill set this up and take a few vids. The reason im so head strong about the idea is beacause i have been using that method for a lot of things over the last 10 years and have never had any broken bits, lost chucks....The odd messed up workpiece due to my own planning mishaps (but not the fault of the tool). I have used it as a lathe to make knobs and wheels before too. The reason why I have the opinion I have....my experience with it.

[fryovanni]

fryovanni- my post was directed at the way I do it and I explained it in the first post. The freehand method described in the above posts is not safe and wont work at all. The bad advice comment towarad all things drillpress/router related tipped off my attitude on this.

Tearout is not so much of an issue because you can move the cross slide vise in any direction to eliminate it. I think a video is in order for this one. Im heading to the garage in a few min and ill set this up and take a few vids. The reason im so head strong about the idea is beacause i have been using that method for a lot of things over the last 10 years and have never had any broken bits, lost chucks....The odd messed up workpiece due to my own planning mishaps (but not the fault of the tool). I have used it as a lathe to make knobs and wheels before too. The reason why I have the opinion I have....my experience with it.

I agree with you on using a milling vice. Like I said I do it to(works just fine). So I don't disagree with you at all. I just thought it would be prudent to be clear regarding how we do this, as I can see how someone reading the initial suggestion would not understand the difference in the two approches(and since most people reading this and thinking about trying it will not have a milling vise, and it is key).

Peace,Rich