Extra large router table top or hold downs?

[AndyBoyd]

I'm back onto the Love Chairs after a distraction of a bed, and a few other house duties.
I've rounded the front legs, with a large router bit (r=22mm 1/2" shaft) and that went quite well - I must admit I was dreading this a bit

Now the question I'm debating with myself, and now with the wider set of friends is as follows.

I practiced running a back leg along the router table, and because of the length and the curve it was a little hard to keep it from rocking as I fed it in. You can see the length of the leg and the size of my Trend craftsman II table.

Now I was pondering 2 things - hold downs - hmm how? as I have to move the fence out of the way?

Or extend the size of the table. By mounting the table under a large 6mm mdf plate. One that fully supports the length and the leg curve.

Any hints on which route to rout? :wink:

 

[Bean]

Stunning Chairs Andy.......................I havent a clue about the router table though.

Bean

 

[DaveL]

What Bean says about the chairs. :shock: 8)

I have the older Trend table and I made a false top which gives extra width that I use when raising panels to give more support. How about doing something that gives extra length? I bolt 2x1 bearers on that support 1/2" mdf as the top.

 

[Jarviser]

I guess it depends if your cutter will extend another 1/2 inch through the false plate. You might get away with mounting the router under a temporary table top of half a sheet of 1/2 inch MDF or multiply just for this job. The aperture need not be accurately centred. You could brace the temporary table with a couple of 2x1 and support it across saw horses. You should get enough projection to get through that thickness, but it would be expensive if you had to buy the sheet especially.

 

[engineer one]

andy i see beyond the nice chairs, and see a rat. how about using that to do the shaping, it must be possible to set up a pattern on top of the clamps, using the famous brush, and then run your straight bit along it. must be safer and easier than a bloody great table top! ](*,) #-o

as they say over the pond how about searching outside the box????

i'm sure that martin godfrey would like that as a solution to making legs!!! :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Andy

The chairs look amazing.

I have the same router table and, having pondered this question previously, the solution I came up with was to extend the table by putting mdf on top of it.

Would 6mm mdf give you enough support?

Cheers
Neil

 

[AndyBoyd]

I was thinking about a torsion box around the router table to give me the support, with some legs to help . The bit will take an extra 8mm on table height . without raising it in the collet.

Hmm doing it in the Rat interesting thought, the curves on the leg maybe a bit hard to handle and I fear the same rocking action might occur. But i'll mull that over.

Thanks so far everyone

 

[Alf]

I suppose it's totally neanderthal of me to say "why use the router table at all?" Seems to me, by the time you've solved the problem, you could have got it all done by hand. But wadda I know - although I know for sure I couldn't make those chairs. :shock:

Cheers, Alf

 

[AndyBoyd]

Alf - you are right, but I wanted ceratin parts of the chairs to be very symmetrically round.

The front legs certainly needed to be done that way, the back legs I am now leaning to hand work, especially after all the work getting the but joints to the top rails right - one slip with a router bit and all that work will be undo, and then there will be flung teddy bears, tears, stamps and expletives!!!! Best try to avoid all of those I feel.

But a little bit of my brain tells me a large router table would be very handy - especially with no ribs (I don't like 'em)

Hmm some deep pondering will be needed here I feel.

 

[Alf]

Alf - you are right, but I wanted ceratin parts of the chairs to be very symmetrically round.

Andy, you have An Eye - I'm sure you'd get them "round enough". After all it's only the eye that needs to believe they're round.

But of course, if you want a larger router table that's different. :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[engineer one]

andy i can see where you are coming from it just seems that on the rat, you would have a smaller distance to control your piece of wood than on a router table with a wider top.

what i had in mind was to set the router at the very outside of the slide, and then measure the distance back to the mounting from the cutter edge, then, assuming you have room, you could make a shape by bandsaw? and hand rout the edge smooth, then lay your legs on top. if you had a straight lead in, that should overcome the problem with movement, but wherever you do it, this movement will always be a problem i think.

anyway just a few thoughts to help you experts look outside the box. as for alf's suggestions, surely you still need a jig to ensure equality and good shape with all the repeatable pieces??

paul :wink:

 

[AndyBoyd]

anyway just a few thoughts to help you experts look outside the box. as for alf's suggestions, surely you still need a jig to ensure equality and good shape with all the repeatable pieces??

paul :wink:

that's the nice think about these chairs, I don't really need anything repeatable, the angle of the legs see to that.

I must admit I'm leaning toward getting the microplanes out again.

That reminds me have I sang the praises of my latest birthday gift yet - just the bee's knees. I'd recommend a microplane rasp to anyone, even better than the hand cut Italian rasps a friend lent me. And half the price. 8)