Shultzy
Established Member
This is a copy of my article that was printed in this month's British Woodworking, it (and much more) is in the latest issue in the shops now! A few bits were "trimmed" by Nick the editor :lol: . The sketchup skippy is available if you pm me.
That Light Bulb Moment ......
or once in a blue moon.
Mine came after Christmas lunch, you know that time when you are really full and there’s nothing on TV, so you sit and snooze. I had some shaping to make on 35mm oak and the only router bit I had was a top bearing 50mm straight cutter. Now I’m very wary of spinny cutters, especially the long variety. How to safely protect my hands from this long bit was taxing my “grey cells”. Suddenly it came to me, I know not from where, swimbo thought I’d reacted to the turkey.
I had bought a pillar drill and the guard was a right pain, it was always getting in the way and seemed to be more of a safety hazard than a safety feature, so I took it off and stored it in the junk box. After ten minutes of wondering where I put it, I rescued the guard and designed a holding mechanism in Sketchup to fit my router table.
The sketchup design (available if you pm me) has dimensions that fit my router table
(https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30910) which you might have to alter to fit your table. The back plate was also made to fit my router fence finger board holes.
Photo 2 shows all the parts cut, shaped and sanded to take the sharp edges off. I turned the post to fit the guard’s hole on my lathe but it would be easy to plane the corners off a square section and then sand to the round. The two slots for the guard slide were cut on the router table. I clamped the board to the table and wound the router up slowly until it broke through. After switching the router off I clamped an end stop to the table and then routed the slot using a push board to keep those precious fingers away from the bit. Turn the board over and repeat the operation to route the other slot, this ensures they are both equidistance from the edges.
Photo 3 shows the supporting structure, which I glued and pinned, and the guard slide. Make sure that this support slides easily between the “fins”. Clamp the guard slide to the main support and drill the holes through the slots. This will ensure that the bolts will pass easily through the slots. Glue and pin the supporting structure to the back board, making sure it’s square. Bolt the guard support to the main support. I had intended to use the orange “wing-nuts” shown in photo 3 but they fouled each other so I used traditional wing-nuts instead.
Photo 4 shows the completed guard bolted to the router fence. The bit guard moves up and down the post and is fixed using the clamping screw at the rear of the guard. I had to relieve the plastic shoulders at the clamp ends to give a firmer grip. I rubbed a bit of candle wax over the guard post slide’s top and edge to assist with adjustment.
Photo 5 shows the guard with the lower portion raised to allow timber to pass underneath safely.
If you haven’t one of these guards or you don’t want to remove the one on your pillar drill, they are available on the web for about £11.
So with my brainwave, a few pieces of scrap, a couple of hours work and a few quid you will end up with a safer method of freehand shaping.
That Light Bulb Moment ......
or once in a blue moon.
Mine came after Christmas lunch, you know that time when you are really full and there’s nothing on TV, so you sit and snooze. I had some shaping to make on 35mm oak and the only router bit I had was a top bearing 50mm straight cutter. Now I’m very wary of spinny cutters, especially the long variety. How to safely protect my hands from this long bit was taxing my “grey cells”. Suddenly it came to me, I know not from where, swimbo thought I’d reacted to the turkey.
I had bought a pillar drill and the guard was a right pain, it was always getting in the way and seemed to be more of a safety hazard than a safety feature, so I took it off and stored it in the junk box. After ten minutes of wondering where I put it, I rescued the guard and designed a holding mechanism in Sketchup to fit my router table.
The sketchup design (available if you pm me) has dimensions that fit my router table
(https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30910) which you might have to alter to fit your table. The back plate was also made to fit my router fence finger board holes.
Photo 2 shows all the parts cut, shaped and sanded to take the sharp edges off. I turned the post to fit the guard’s hole on my lathe but it would be easy to plane the corners off a square section and then sand to the round. The two slots for the guard slide were cut on the router table. I clamped the board to the table and wound the router up slowly until it broke through. After switching the router off I clamped an end stop to the table and then routed the slot using a push board to keep those precious fingers away from the bit. Turn the board over and repeat the operation to route the other slot, this ensures they are both equidistance from the edges.
Photo 3 shows the supporting structure, which I glued and pinned, and the guard slide. Make sure that this support slides easily between the “fins”. Clamp the guard slide to the main support and drill the holes through the slots. This will ensure that the bolts will pass easily through the slots. Glue and pin the supporting structure to the back board, making sure it’s square. Bolt the guard support to the main support. I had intended to use the orange “wing-nuts” shown in photo 3 but they fouled each other so I used traditional wing-nuts instead.
Photo 4 shows the completed guard bolted to the router fence. The bit guard moves up and down the post and is fixed using the clamping screw at the rear of the guard. I had to relieve the plastic shoulders at the clamp ends to give a firmer grip. I rubbed a bit of candle wax over the guard post slide’s top and edge to assist with adjustment.
Photo 5 shows the guard with the lower portion raised to allow timber to pass underneath safely.
If you haven’t one of these guards or you don’t want to remove the one on your pillar drill, they are available on the web for about £11.
So with my brainwave, a few pieces of scrap, a couple of hours work and a few quid you will end up with a safer method of freehand shaping.
. Like you, my drill guard went straight into the bits box - they've always seemed to me to create danger rather than guard against it. I do like your re-use however, I'll do that. Thankyou
