Shop Built Pin/Overarm Router...seeking thoughts

[Dave Verstraete]

Stephen
As chris said ..Pics would be helpful. I have one of those bases and will take a look. I could also help with some of the metalworking if you come up with a plan. I own a small metalworking company and have mills and grinders available to me.

[Stephen Edwards]

pinrouter-project.jpg

Thanks for the replies fellas, I 'preciatte it. As you can see, here's what's left of the old RAS after I cleaned it up earlier this year. The wooden box that I used years ago that was bolted to the metal plate that rolls along the carriage is history, long gone. Even though that worked for the one particular project that I built it for, I want to build this thing differently this time...more versatile and more accurate. Since I started coming to the Creek, I've learned that lots of things CAN be done! My skills and my knowledge have grown in leaps and bounds from reading threads and posts here, and from contacts that I've made through SMC. I can only say Thank You to so many of you who willingly share your knowledge.

In my prior post in the beginning of this thread I explained that I want to hang the fixed base of a Bosch 1617EVSPK from that plate that rolls along the carriage. As Paul Harvey would say....here's the rest of the story!

I'm going to build a router station 60-72 inches in length. As you're facing the table, the right end of it will be a conventional router table setup. The left end of the table will be the pin router. When the pinrouter is not in use the arm swings to the right, over the table and out of the way, against the wall.

A miter track will run the entire length of the table, just like in a conventional table. Two sets of T-Tracks will be installed in the table to accomodate two fences, one for the undertable router and some kind of fence for the pin router whatchacall it in case I ever wanted to use that with a thin fence for various tasks that would be suitable (and safe!) for it.

Though this picture doesn't show it, the bottom of the white painted housing around the round steel shaft that goes up and down, is a flat steel plate. In the center of that plate is a round hole through which protrudes the bolt end of the threaded rod which makes the arm go up and down. I THINK that I want to completely remove the green painted supports that once supported the table for a RAS and mount the vertical shaft directly to the table top (posssibly reinforced with steel in the table top where that mounts.) There's enough room on the bottom of the steel plate to drill 4 holes to bolt the whole mess to the table top. I realize that I'd have to make a recess for the bolt that protrudes through that plate so that it would indeed mount firmly and flat to the reinforced portion of the table top where it would be mounted. My reasoning for that is this:

A 1 1/2 inch thick table top mounted on top of the existing green steel table supports gives the following clearances from the top of the table to the bottom of the metal plate that rides on the carriage:

Arm fully in the up position:clearance =16"
Arm fully in the down position:clearance =9"

IF.....I remove the green painted steel table supports and mount the vertical shaft directly to the table top I would then have the following clearances from the top of the table to the bottom of the metal plate that rides on the carriage:

Arm fully in the up position:clearance =20 3/4"
Arm fully in the down position:clearance =13 3/4"

Option number 2 significantly increases the clearances and the options.

Speaking of options and now that I'm on a roll, here's another possibility for your consideration and suggestions:

This fixture that will hold the router base to the rolling plate (what's left of the base when we get through "fixin" it!) would be be very cool if it could rotate backwards 90 degrees so that the bit would then be parallel with the table top. Then, with an auxillary table and fence that attaches to the main router table, we could have a "horizontal router" set up.

Thanks for your patience in reading my explaination. I know it's a bit wordy but I don't know how else to explain it. I KNOW that this can be done. I just don't know how to design or make the "missing link", the part that hold the fixed base of the router to the plate that slides along the carriage. Any and all thoughts are welcomed and appreciated, with the exception of suggestions that "It can't be done!". I know that there's enough brains and collective experience here at SMC to help me work this out.

Again, thanks for your help.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ALL!

[Rick Potter]

I believe Shopsmith made an overarm setup years ago. It looked a lot like what you have now. Perhaps if you looked at the Shopsmith site, there may be pics of that unit and modifications owners have made.

Rick Potter

[Stephen Edwards]

I believe Shopsmith made an overarm setup years ago. It looked a lot like what you have now. Perhaps if you looked at the Shopsmith site, there may be pics of that unit and modifications owners have made.

Rick Potter

Thanks for the suggestion Rick. I'll see what I can find on their site. I worked on the concept of the bracket some this morning while my mind was clear (rare moment!).