Router Question Revisted w/ pics

[scdiveteam]

Originally Posted by scdiveteam View Post

Cue Guru,

I use the same Rigid brand that Darrin posted in his pics. They are about $ 125.00 at home depot and I have used the piss out of mine and I see no wear in the bearings as my tool is very solid when I try to wiggle the bit side to side. I have 3 of these routers and use them on 3 different machines in the same way. Darrin made my mount out of 1/2" alum plate and milled two support stanchions to a contour that matched the diameter of the router. By using 2 supports he eliminated any chance for lateral movement or vibration. A great design!

Food for thought. When you design yours I believe you will be better off if you make your bracket to bolt directly to the t-slot notch for the tool post with a locking bolt on a strongback plate. I think this is more solid than mounting to your tool post with 4 allen screws to a flat tab. My mount on my Atlas is that way and it does not do as good a job and my big lathe. I only use it for roughing, not finishing so it's ok. Mounting directly dead down to the cross slide is a better foundation. A dovetail mount like was posted the other day might be ok, but that may prove to be problematic when you get close to the tailstock area. You have to accommodate your set up to the specs. of your specific lathe.

These routers are also pretty quiet and I do not have to use ear protection. I used a audio spectrum analyzer to check the sound pressure level of the router and it reads under 90 db at about 3 feet from the source. If you don't expose yourself to this level for more that four hours, you do not risk any problems to your hearing according to OSHA statistics.

I also use a magnetic mounted air jet nozzle with a 1/8" control valve that I mount on my saddle during final cuts. By directing the jet orifice at the router curf, I deflect all ebony dust ect. from getting onto the maple or white components in rings, joints, or butt caps. This was a huge improvement to my process control and my white stuff is now pristine when it comes off the lathe after final cut. My ivorine joints and butt caps were slightly dirty from cross contamination in the past and it was almost impossible to sand the dirt out once it was on there. With my air jet set up the problem is gone - Poof!!!! As soon as the lathe stops, I put masking tape on the white parts and it stays there until I apply the epoxy sealer to the cue.

Because it takes over 6 minutes to make my cuts, I installed a adjustable automatic shutoff switch to turn off the lathe and the router when the router bit clears the end of the cue. This make it impossibe for me to crash and lets me walk away from this work to do other things. My chuck RPM is 250 at the slowest travel rate on my lathe.

I agree with your observation about any bearing run out not being a factor in this application. When the 2 fluke router bit is spinning at 30,000 rpm, the centrifugal force has a huge stabilizing effect. If you are not hogging the shit out of a cut the lateral deflection in the center portion of the cue held between centers is close to zero when cutting .003 per side. I have observed that I do get a chatter when I am taking larger cuts with a duller bit. For that reason, I change to a bit I use for the final 2 cuts only. The sharp carbide bit makes it as smooth as glass with the slight cuts.

I would never use a router in the vertical orientation position again because my experience with this process has proved it to be inferior when using a thin profiled router bit. The round wheel type cutters with multiple teeth may be a very good way to go, but I never tried that set up. I saw it in Joe Barringer's video and it looked ok.

Rick

CG,

Here are the pics I promised. Hope it helps your router project.

This one link is to all of the pictures, they are in a slide show.

http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/uu86/scdiveteam/?albumview=slideshow

Rick

 

[SK Custom Cues]

This is superb. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at these pictures.

On picture #11, the router looks cocked to the side. May I ask why?

Also, I have that very same router. Is it possible for me to acquire a holder like that?

 

[cueman]

I would never use a router in the vertical orientation position again because my experience with this process has proved it to be inferior when using a thin profiled router bit. The round wheel type cutters with multiple teeth may be a very good way to go, but I never tried that set up. I saw it in Joe Barringer's video and it looked ok.

Rick

That looks like a nice router mount and tapering system you have there. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. I would tend to agree with your conclusion if you are using a 1/4" bit. But if you bump up to a regular straight 3/4" two or more flute bit, I think it cuts a little cleaner in the vertical position than any in the horizontal position. I burned too many 1/4" bits up in either position, and switched to the 3/4" 20 years ago and like them much better. I have not tried every 1/4" bit ever made so you might get different results with the ones you have tried.

 

[scdiveteam]

Hi,

The angle is so that the 2 fluke router only engages one fluke when cutting the kerf.

Darrin Hill made mine for me on his mill. I don't know if he wants to make them but you can ask. He is an excellent machinist as well as a super cue maker.

Give him a call 815 690-6581. It won't be cheap, but it will be safe and last forever.

Rick

 

[SK Custom Cues]

Hi,

The angle is so that the 2 fluke router only engages one fluke when cutting the kerf.

Darrin Hill made mine for me on his mill. I don't know if he wants to make them but you can ask. He is an excellent machinist as well as a super cue maker.

Give him a call 815 690-6581. It won't be cheap, but it will be safe and last forever.

Rick

Thank you.:smile:

 

[scdiveteam]

That looks like a nice router mount and tapering system you have there. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. I would tend to agree with your conclusion if you are using a 1/4" bit. But if you bump up to a regular straight 3/4" two or more flute bit, I think it cuts a little cleaner in the vertical position than any in the horizontal position. I burned too many 1/4" bits up in either position, and switched to the 3/4" 20 years ago and like them much better. I have not tried every 1/4" bit ever made so you might get different results with the ones you have tried.

Chris,

Excellent point of clarification. All of my experience with vertical has been with skinny router bits. The 3/4 has more mass and it makes sense that would reduce any chatter. I have to stay with the 3/8" inch width with 1/4 inch shank because of physical restraints of the chuck and tail stock areas. If my lathe was a 40" instead of 36" I would have extra room to experiment with your shared info.

There are a lot of ways to skin the Cat. Shared info on AZBILLARDS rocks!

Thanks,

Rick

 

[Cue Guru]

Thanks, Rick for the heads-up on this thread.

VERY good pictures, particularly the overhead view.

A very nice set-up you have there for sure!

 

[hillscues]

Thanks Rick ,so glad we can help each other out. when I build mchinery I think of it as a nascar part , basically you want to over build it. your cues look like there coming along nicely that one in the lathe looks awsome. keep up the good work. thanks darrin

 

[Tommy-D]

> Would a fresh 4 flute 1/2 end mill be useful there? What about a ball-nosed? Tommy D.

 

[scdiveteam]

Thanks Rick ,so glad we can help each other out. when I build mchinery I think of it as a nascar part , basically you want to over build it. your cues look like there coming along nicely that one in the lathe looks awsome. keep up the good work. thanks darrin

Darrin,

If not for your help designing and machining my low vibration router set up, I would still be sanding the Ebony dust into veneer colors and producing dirty looking cues.

As you know from your 5 lathes that are set up this way, "No Sanding Needed". Just lightly touch the veneers with 220 so they don't leave specs when you put on the epoxy sealer.

By the way a guy came into my pool room yesterday with an 08 Darrin Hill Full Splice Fancy Cue made with an Ebony forearm and flame colored points and micarta ferrules. It was freaking outrageous. I have a cue collector customer who plays on my leagues who wanted me to build him a cue from a John Davis blank. I brought him over to Table 12 and asked the guy if he could hit with the Hills cue. He took one draw shot and put the cue down.

I will be emailing you the specs. for the veneers colors. He fell in love with the hit from the Ebony front and he said that the job you did on the folded veneers was the best work he has ever seen. I agree!!! Its only a matter of time before the world will be beating a path to your door for your fs blanks as well as your cues.

Thanks again, hope to see you soon.

 

[SK Custom Cues]

Thanks Rick ,so glad we can help each other out. when I build mchinery I think of it as a nascar part , basically you want to over build it. your cues look like there coming along nicely that one in the lathe looks awsome. keep up the good work. thanks darrin

I am going to call you someday very soon.