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Cutting Bodies By Router


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There are some heavy-duty scroll saws on the market. That said, with a hefty blade, even a normal scroll saw can get the job done; especially if the top and back and separate pieces as then they're not even the full 1.75" thick. Drak's proved that for years and I did a guitar like that back in the day as well.

Chris

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  • 3 weeks later...

After this discussion I went and bought a $69.00 + $10.00 post Solid Carbide Spiral flush trim bit thinking it was going to be the ducks nuts...

IMG_2511small.jpg

I figured I'd test it out trimming a quilted maple cap back to a body. Nope. Lasted about thirty damn seconds. I hadn't even got half way round the body and it snapped, I nearly **** myself when it happened and I cannot even find where the hell it went to.

I've emailed them about warranty, it better bloody have warranty after spending $80... But the problem is, I can't find it! The thing seems to have vaporised into thin air. My workshops not humungous, but its big enough for a little thing like this to fly into never te be seen again land, which it has.

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I never recommended a solid carbide bit? You assumed one might be better and I said it'd probably be great too, but why get it when the bit in my video does the job great already? Also, I specifically said a spiral bit this size. The bit you were using was way too small to be doing anything serious with. There's a reason the bit I use is a 3/4" diameter on a 1/2" shank. I agree you should try and get your money back. But next time, if people show you something that works, don't go off and change the formula and then be surprised when it doesn't work. Trust me, just go get the bit I recommended, and use it how I said.

Chris

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After this discussion I went and bought a $69.00 + $10.00 post Solid Carbide Spiral flush trim bit thinking it was going to be the ducks nuts...

IMG_2511small.jpg

I figured I'd test it out trimming a quilted maple cap back to a body. Nope. Lasted about thirty damn seconds. I hadn't even got half way round the body and it snapped, I nearly **** myself when it happened and I cannot even find where the hell it went to.

I've emailed them about warranty, it better bloody have warranty after spending $80... But the problem is, I can't find it! The thing seems to have vaporised into thin air. My workshops not humungous, but its big enough for a little thing like this to fly into never te be seen again land, which it has.

Was there a bearing, or a bushing being used? I don't see either in the picture? If not, then free handing the body to this bit was bound for disaster. Also I see no template to follow for a bearing or bushing and based on the chatter marks you were well over 100% depth to diameter on the first pass? I doubt they will warranty this.

MK

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I never recommended a solid carbide bit? You assumed one might be better and I said it'd probably be great too, but why get it when the bit in my video does the job great already? Also, I specifically said a spiral bit this size. The bit you were using was way too small to be doing anything serious with. There's a reason the bit I use is a 3/4" diameter on a 1/2" shank. I agree you should try and get your money back. But next time, if people show you something that works, don't go off and change the formula and then be surprised when it doesn't work. Trust me, just go get the bit I recommended, and use it how I said.

Chris

I went the way of the spiral it as they are meat to eliminate tearout all together. The angled bit you suggested is only meant to reduce it. I called the campnay that sells them and this is what I was advised.

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Was there a bearing, or a bushing being used? I don't see either in the picture? If not, then free handing the body to this bit was bound for disaster. Also I see no template to follow for a bearing or bushing and based on the chatter marks you were well over 100% depth to diameter on the first pass? I doubt they will warranty this.

MK

You're looking at it all backward... the "chatter" you're seeing is burn marks from where I ripped it really quickly with a bandsaw. There is no "chatter" from the router bit. The router bit was a non inverted bit, following the already routed area as a template, which was done as server passes using a flush trim bit. So I was only routing the thin 7-8mm approx area of maple you see sitting against the router table.

The bearing on a non inverted bit is at the end of the router bit, hense its missing somewhere in my workshop and I cannot find it.

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Was there a bearing, or a bushing being used? I don't see either in the picture? If not, then free handing the body to this bit was bound for disaster. Also I see no template to follow for a bearing or bushing and based on the chatter marks you were well over 100% depth to diameter on the first pass? I doubt they will warranty this.

MK

You're looking at it all backward... the "chatter" you're seeing is burn marks from where I ripped it really quickly with a bandsaw. There is no "chatter" from the router bit. The router bit was a non inverted bit, following the already routed area as a template, which was done as server passes using a flush trim bit. So I was only routing the thin 7-8mm approx area of maple you see sitting against the router table.

The bearing on a non inverted bit is at the end of the router bit, hense its missing somewhere in my workshop and I cannot find it.

Okay I see what you were doing now. :D
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  • 5 weeks later...

Also, the fact I use this method of every single one of my builds shows that it works. If followed as I suggest you won't have issues. I do suggest trying it on some scraps first to get a feel for it, but it does work, no question. Saves a ton of time, gives you a great finished cut, all that jazz. A robo-sander, I assure you (having done it) will be a pain in the butt for shaping a body. Routers were made for this kind of work. Just use them correctly with the correct bits and you'll be fine.

Chris

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Looking at the pic, it seems like you may have been pushing the workpiece into the bit too much. The burning, plus you can see there was material taken away on the body which you were routing flush to, are giveaways. Too much lateral force, especially on thin, brittle bits like that one, and a broken bit's the result.

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Robosanders are primarily for sanding when you a couple of mm from final shape. Also, bear in mind that drills are often unable to take side load otherwise Morse taper chucks just fall out.

This is true, but it works for me. I have a cheap, old drill press I use for this job. It's held up so far.

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I've found that a lot, weirdly. When I spent a lot of time in the machine shop and wood shop a few months back I did my work on the older machines. They just worked better in all the little details and were really reliable. The newer machinery just seemed flakey. Point in case was the choice of two high capacity van-sized thickness planers. The new one with the digital depth meter, plastic knobs and LED stuff housed in plastic coated sheet metal that looked impressive and new-fangled was constantly sniping, jamming up, losing grip, etc. The old Italian planer whose cousin was probably a WWII tank, painted in regulation olive green with levers and dial readouts was AWESOME. Tell it to work, and it worked. Loudly and proudly.

Plus the best thing is that less experienced workers sharing the workspace just left the old stuff alone to work with the Disney toy-in-a-cereal-packet gear. Fiiiiiiine. I'll make do....

Oh yes, the newer pillar drill....hogging with a Forstner in a control cavity....the bit skipped a little when I was being a little overadventurous against existing cuts....CLAGAGAGWHANG....chuck drops out. :wOOt

Welcome to my life.

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Finally got the warranty replacement bit - a spiral up cut but this time it's 1/2". http://www.carbatec.com.au/carba-tec-spiral-flush-trim-bit_c9395

It's a $99.00 + post bit (I didn't pay post as its a replacement) - later in the week I'll be cutting a blackwood/mahogany body so I'll give it a test run then!

SRB-5089.jpg

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