Router table insert

[skywriter]

Anyone recommend a decent router to fit to my new insert plate? lol think its about time I got myself a half way decent machine, especially since my darling wife has hinted that Santa 'might' have one in his sack for me . .

 

[wizer]

I think you're making this far too complicated. We just need a plate with the rings. All the drilling, tapping, etc can be done later.

 

[Dibs-h]

I think you're making this far too complicated. We just need a plate with the rings. All the drilling, tapping, etc can be done later.

Yes that's one perspective - but for the moment it's about exploring what the group want, marrying that with what's possible, and trying to make it possible an acceptable price - without someone feeling they didn't somehow get what they wanted.

Don't get me wrong - it would be far easier (for me anyway) just to ask for rectangular plates with a single aperture and 2 rings - but I doubt many here who have expressed an interest would actually want such a no-frills version. Especially when you point out that the laser cutters wouldn't have charged any more to have cut\engraved all the extra holes - that they've faffed about with. Or if they had - it would have added perhaps £1 to the unit price.

 

[crazylilting]

I like the idea of bushing ability. Not fussed about the holes as i can drill those. As far as rings the more the more it will cost i'm sure. the one i have right now has three and it seems fine.

 

[wizer]

I'll go with the flow. Let's wait to hear that the price is of the high specced one.

Would it be an idea to supply at least one blank ring with no hole at all in it? That way it can be drilled for a specific bit\operation.

 

[Dibs-h]

I'll go with the flow. Let's wait to hear that the price is of the high specced one.

Would it be an idea to supply at least one blank ring with no hole at all in it? That way it can be drilled for a specific bit\operation.

Don't see why not. As you say - let wait to hear back on the one that is close to Tony's, and we can adjust spec, etc. depending on what the price\flow is.

 

[Neil]

Would it be an idea to supply at least one blank ring with no hole at all in it? That way it can be drilled for a specific bit\operation.

I agree, Tom - the Tilgear plate comes with a blank ring IIRC.

So I measured the starting pin holes on the Trend plate. They are approx. 69mm out from the centre and are 1/4" diameter. A pic:

The corners of the plate have a 1/4" radius in case thats of interest.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Dibs-h]

Cheers Neil!

On the quote that we are waiting on - there are 2 pin holes. For the purpose of quoting - it doesn't make a difference where the holes are.

Once that comes back - I'll look into getting the shoulder cut.

 

[rileytoolworks]

Dibs, sorry I've been absent from the thread.
If I may, I'd like to express FIRM interest in a !2" x 9" plate.
Hope I'm not too late.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice to see interest in the router insert once again - I have received a few pms about it lately too.

I have modified the design since the original post as over time the aluminium moved around 0.5mm across the width (dip) which is to be expected from ali which has had the face skimmed and is under load it moves form internal stresses too, just like wood).

I would recommend using 8mm plate for an aluminium version.

My current (around 18 months) version is made form flat-ground steel plate which did not require skimming to keep it dead flat and there has been no movement at all. Same inserts are used.

By the way DON'T leave the rings loose - that is simply idiotic!!!

 

[Anonymous]

As there is interest in making some router inserts for members, here are screenshots of my CAD drawings (Solid Edge won't export to jpg and I can't link to PDFs from my ftp location).

If selling these, please include a declaration that they were designed and original drawings by me.

Have fun

 

[Dibs-h]

Dibs, sorry I've been absent from the thread.
If I may, I'd like to express FIRM interest in a !2" x 9" plate.
Hope I'm not too late.

Riley

The more the merrier.

I'm awaiting an indicative quote back from the laser cutters - will chase them up on Monday if I haven't heard by then. Once the quote comes back - we'll try and settle on the design and then I'll have the cutters finalise the quote, so everyone knows what specs\costs.

I'll also look into getting the shoulder cut.

As Tony mentioned movement - I would have thought an Acrylic plate insert woild move less that Aluminium. No interest in going down the Acrylic route?

Dibs

 

[RobertMP]

I don't have any experience of router plates to add but I have spent a lot of time working with sheet metals.

Just wondering why aluminium is the metal of choice for a router plate. Steel is stronger and more rigid and easier to work with. Ok it could go rusty if not finished but machine tables are fine with a bit of wax or WD40 on them. Anodised aluminium makes more sense as the anodising case hardens the part making it scratch resistant and taking away the natural tendency of ali to gall and scratch.

We used to punch plate up to 6mm thick and sub out anything thicker to water jet or laser cutting. If I still had a factory and machines to program I'd have gone for two 3mm steel plates joined to make the 6mm thickness - one with a larger hole than the other to provide the ring shoulder (why is it a ring and not a square?). The insert could be screwed down with csk screws securely.

Machining was something to be avoided wherever possible as the cost was too high. Laser cutting is not cheap either - unless the company is scratching for work and just wants to cover costs.

Shame I don't have a CNC metalshop any more

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Dibs, sorry I've been absent from the thread.
If I may, I'd like to express FIRM interest in a !2" x 9" plate.
Hope I'm not too late.

Riley

The more the merrier.

I'm awaiting an indicative quote back from the laser cutters - will chase them up on Monday if I haven't heard by then. Once the quote comes back - we'll try and settle on the design and then I'll have the cutters finalise the quote, so everyone knows what specs\costs.

I'll also look into getting the shoulder cut.

As Tony mentioned movement - I would have thought an Acrylic plate insert woild move less that Aluminium. No interest in going down the Acrylic route?

Dibs

Acrylic sounds good to me.
It looks as though your drawing is for a 238 x 295 plate??
FWIW both the Axminster and Trend plates list as 306mm X 229mm as (probably) is my MLCS. So I would much prefer this size
http://www.axminster.co.uk/sessionID/ZYH/product-Axminster-Aluminium-Router-Table-Insert-784593.htm
http://www.trend-uk.com/en/JA/product/RTI_PLATE/3/209/router_table_insert_plate_.html


The Kreg is bigger (235 x 298mm(9.1/4" x 11.3/4"))

 

[Mike Wingate]

Make one of these instead of a pin.

http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p244 ... Pin%20Jig/

or add a plexiglass/lexan disc to the top of the pin to act as a finger/eye guard.

My set up is a Jessem router lift, with a black annodised finish.

 

[Dibs-h]

Acrylic sounds good to me.
It looks as though your drawing is for a 238 x 295 plate??
FWIW both the Axminster and Trend plates list as 306mm X 229mm as (probably) is my MLCS. So I would much prefer this size
http://www.axminster.co.uk/sessionID/ZYH/product-Axminster-Aluminium-Router-Table-Insert-784593.htm
http://www.trend-uk.com/en/JA/product/RTI_PLATE/3/209/router_table_insert_plate_.html


The Kreg is bigger (235 x 298mm(9.1/4" x 11.3/4"))

Tony's original size was bigger than 12" x 9" - which is what the quote is based on (that I am waiting for). That's just so we have at least a quote to compare different Laser Cutters.

RobertMP - For what we want, Laser cutting is by far cheaper than MachineShop time (even for one with CNC). Lets put it this way - for 20 units (1 plate & 2 rings) in 6mm Aluminium (including material), my first quote was for £20 (approx). That was based on a plate of A4 size (210x297) with 3mm rings. That included 10 holes (4 corners), 3 for rings and 3 for router. This is from a Laser Shop that is known for not being at the cheap end of the spectrum.

I don't think a CNC shop would come close - I use a few local ones occasionally, 1 who did provide a quote. Approx £35 for the plate and £9 each for the 2 rings.

 

[RobertMP]

I'm talking about CNC punching not machining... which is far quicker and cheaper than laser.

edit...

Just for the sake of curiosity... Steel prices I'm out of date with but say £450 a tonne which must be too much. 1 sq ft of 10g BMS CR4 is about 3kg so material cost would be £450/333 = £1.35. x2 plates is £2.70 Programming the machine would have taken me 10 minutes from a DXF so say another £1 a pair. Machine time to punch 2 plates and some smaller parts would be less than 2 minutes so that would be another £1. Bit of labour to remove from the sheet and dress any tags that held the plates in the sheet once cut - say 50p. So grand cost of £5.20. We would have doubled that for a selling price then probably have added a bit more on as 20 sets is a low quantity so £13 or maybe £15 a set in steel. Often thought since we closed down that there were quite a few woodworking items we could have made.. if I'd known about woodworking then

 

[wizer]

The fact that Tony's original plate dipped, concerns me a little.

 

[Daven]

Can you put me down for one as well please?

Thanks

Dave

 

[Dibs-h]

Can you put me down for one as well please?

Thanks

Dave

Sure Dave - at this point it's just expressions of interest to help give the cutters an idea of how many units we'd be looking at.

Wizer - I think Tony's original one was 6mm (whereas we'd be looking at 8mm thick) and is larger than the one we are looking at - not by a huge amount but still larger.

I suppose if we went for a smaller plate - that should limit the amount of "dipping". But there again stepping up from 6mm to 8mm shuld also reduce it.