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Thread: How Do I Route a Rectanguar Hole

  1. #16
    Machinists do have a bit that will cut a square hole. I've seen pictures of it, but I don't fully understand how it works. It is, as described above, a triangular cutting bit. It oscillates in such a way that its' straight sides travel to cut out a square hole. I was under the impression that the bit had to be positioned vertically so that the hole's walls are also vertical. It is probably geared so that its' movement is predescribed as a square.

    I found a link to the watts drill http://toolmonger.com/2006/11/30/too...re-drill-bits/ and then another to this article "Drilling Square Holes" http://upper.us.edu/faculty/smith/reuleaux.htm.
    Last edited by Floyd Mah; 07-07-2009 at 1:07 AM.

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Murray View Post
    I am toying around with the idea of routing a rectangular pattern into a gun grip blank. I want to set a burl inside the rectangle, glue up and then shape for a gun grip.

    I am at a loss as how to build a jig to do this.

    Any thoughts?

    I would leave the router on the shelf and chisel out the rectangle.
    “I don’t have a lot of tools because it doesn’t take many to make furniture.” - Rob Millard

  3. #18
    Join Date
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    Floyd,I have one of those too. It is called a watts bit. It is a triangular drill ground to cut only on the bottom edge. It is set in a round disc up above that allows the bit to slide sideways in every direction. There are hardened steel templates that are fixed over the work,which the rotating,sideways flopping triangular bit runs in,covering every ounce of territory inside the square template by just moving here and there sideways as it revolves.

    Everything is very rigidly held in place.The triangular bit can move sideways,buy its verticallity is strictly maintained.

    I didn't mention it because of this device's esoteric nature. Many machinists don't know of it,let alone woodworkers.

    I thought perhaps someone might be able to rig up a home made wooden version of the other device I described. Certainly,they couldn't make up a watts drill setup.

    THERE IS an 18th.C. device for automatically routing out smallish odd shaped cavities,such as for escutcheons for the keyholes of boxes. It is bow operated,and has a handle at the top,and a pulley right below. Sticking down,are 2 spread out legs,made of ,say,1/8" square spring steel. These steel legs are filed triangular near the bottom,and the part that contacts the wood is ground to a double beveled chisel edge. There is a hardened steel template that is clamped right over where you want to rout the shape. The legs of the device are squeezed together,and inserted into the template. When the bow is pulled to and fro,the legs dance around back and forth,springing around,and finding every corner of the template's shape,while the chisel edges scrape the wood away to about 1/16" depth. Then,you can fit your inlaid part right into the hole,gluing it in.

    This device was common among makers of small boxes like drafting tool boxes,that had a shield shaped plate around the keyhole.

    The escutcheon plates,or whatever, need to have been pre stamped to exactly the same shape every time. They were usually brass.
    Last edited by george wilson; 07-07-2009 at 8:51 AM.

  4. #19
    Join Date
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    George - That particular device was featured on a relatively recent Woodwright's Shop episode. The original was recovered from the Marples company when a lot of their stuff was liquidated and the factory modernized in the 1960's. They used it to form the little triangular escutcheons in rosewood stocked squares that are familiar to woodworkers. I believe it was called a "Passer's Drill".

  5. #20
    George, the description of the watts bit sounds like an experience that I once had cutting with a spade bit. I was repairing a window for my mother and I needed to recess a round washer into the wood, but the bit was much smaller than the washer. What I did was hammer the washer into the wood just enough to create a slight recess. Then when I started drilling, the bit stayed within the borders of the recess, but was able to remove enough wood that I could fit the washer without any trouble. It might be interesting to fit a metal template to your workpiece and then use a modified spade bit to carve the recess under power.

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