Shop Built Pin/Overarm Router...seeking thoughts

[Will Blick]

Dave, that is a great example of the benefits of overhead vs. below the table.... I recall a few other advantages in another thread awhile back, but my brain can't retrieve it...

[Stephen Edwards]

Thank you all for your comments, helpful suggestions and the links. They're very helpful!

Sonny: Yes, I still have the trolly with wheels that rides along the carriage of the arm and can be locked into any position on the arm. You're right,

"Getting it done is often more fun and brain stimulating than what can be done with it. Dust collection will work out later. But getting the pin router done and working will be the fun part."

Thanks for the link to the PM website showing their version of a pin router.

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David DeCristoforo: "The one thing I would worry about is the lack of any plunge capability."

I hadn't even considered building this thing with plunge capability. Now, my head is really gonna hurt working out a solution for that! Excellent suggestion and thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Also, the consistent amount of remaining material between the bottom of the cut and the back of the work piece, or intentional lack thereof in some cases, is important for my main intended purpose of wanting to build this contraption. The photo below will explain what I mean.

secret-door-1.jpg

The above photo shows the piece for which I made my primitive version of the pin router. However, When I made the prototype of this piece of art back in the 80's I didn't have enough sense to consider to make the groves wider and deeper near the bottom of the piece, thus creating the illusion of a diminishing point as your eye moves upward to the top of the "hills". As an after thought I attempted to do this with a dremel tool and the result is less than satisfactory to me because the "furrows", as it were, in the fields aren't clean looking cuts. I think that I can solve that problem by simply positioning some shims on the bottom side of the pattern so that as the pattern moves along the table the cuts at the bottom of each groove will be deeper and wider, creating the desired illusion. Now, I want to build a numbered edition series of this piece, using different species. And, I want clean cuts on all the groves.

Here's another piece that I want to do a series of. On this first one I cut individual pieces with the BS. Seems to me that it would be much easier to use the pin router for this piece, too.

Attachment 83906

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Dave L and Dave V..........Thank you both for the photos and links to the ShopSmith version of a pin router. One of the videos that I saw on the ShopSmith site even showed the set up for a horizontal router on their pin router!
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In my mind, what's left of it, the main advantage of using the old RAS for the support mechanism of the pin router contraption is that I can have a BIG table underneath it with plenty of room between the router itself and the vertical support of the arm thus increasing the capacity of the size of pieces that I run through it. Now, I just have to figure out how to build the contraption to hang the router from the "trolley" (Thanks Sonny, for that word!), be able to turn it backwards 90 degrees......and possibly include a plunge mechanism of some sort.

Perhaps when John Nixon's (Eagle Lake Woodworking) Motorized Router Lift is on the market, hopefully soon!, one of those could be worked into the pin router design for the plunge capacity. I am for sure going to put one of those on the under table router end of this new router station.

Thanks again to everyone for all your suggestions and helpful thoughts, links, etc. Please keep 'em coming if you have more suggestions or ideas to offer! I keep doodling on paper to come up with the mechanism to actually hold the router that will hang from the trolley.

[Ed Kilburn]

Yes it has a pin that is mounted in the table. I have a production job that I run from time to time, and had the patterns CNC cut from aluminum. To keep the pin from galling or wearing the pattern I used a 1/2" bearing on my pin. At last spring Grizzly tent, I was able to pick up a 5Hp over arm router at a very good price. I now have the homemade one for sale, if it doesn’t sell till I get around to building a horizontal router, I'll strip it for the bearings and other parts. You can check out a video of the pin router in action on Utube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4KJRg56Pw

[Stephen Edwards]

The one thing I would worry about is the lack of any plunge capability. Most (if not all) "pin" routers whether overhead or "inverted" have an air powered elevation system to bring the bit up (or down) into the work. This is one of the best features on these machines. I have an old Delta overhead router and it would not be nearly so useful without this feature.

David, what's the difference between overhead and inverted, please?

[David DeCristoforo]

"...what's the difference between overhead and inverted, please?..."

Overhead: The bit is above the table and the pin is in the table.

Inverted: The bit protrudes through the table from below (like a "typical" router table) and the pin is mounted above.

They are commonly to referred to as either an "overhead router" or an "inverted pin router" although both are technically "pin routers"

[John Grounds]

The question is: What are some thoughts for building a device to hang the fixed base from the carriage.

One option would be to attach the router via a pin and fix the work with an index type arrangement.

Something like this:

SSSTOP1.JPG

SSSTOP2.JPG

SSSTOP3.JPG

The best to all in 2009 and beyond.
John