ROUTER TABLE

[user 19915]

just a quick question this time lol i have a record power router table and a dewalt router attached to the table but when using a 1/4 in bit i can not get the router to the heights i require so can i buy a attachment to use in the routers collet as a extension and if so are they safe to use ?
thank;s Alan

 

[delboy47]

Mock
Some time ago I bought an Extreme extension for my router table. I have only had the need to use it a couple of times but it was fine. I did knock the router speed down though just to be on the safe side.

Del

 

[whiskywill]

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... a+m_dk1061

 

[scholar]

I have had various of these over the years, extreme extension was one, another one I don't recall the name of - they have mostly worked fine, subject to noting one point below. When I needed to replace one recently (because my new router motor has a different thread), I looked again at them all and chose the Musclechuck, available in the UK via Woodrat http://www.woodrat.com/chuck.html. If you look at the blurb (see the US Musclechuck site), I think I was persuaded that the design of this Musclechuck was somewhat superior to the other similar products, the full details I would need to remind myself on.

The point to note is particularly important when using the 1/4" reducer and that is to line it up in the collet so that it is squeezed rather than just crushed by the cam/screw, otherwise it will slip and can come loose.

Definitely makes working with a router table (or the Woodrat) much easier.

Cheers

 

[rafezetter]

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworking-power-tool-accessories-routing-accessories-collet-extensions-precision-router-collet-extensions-dakota+m_dk1061

I have one of these, the 1/2 version and have used it without issue a few times, cheaper and a bit more fiddle to use than a musclechuck, but good enough for occasional work.

I have to say though the musclechuck system is simplicity itself, I saw it demonstarted at Peter Sefton's do earlier this year, worth the money imho if you do a lot of routing with different profiles in a session.

 

[sunnybob]

The musclechuck ir very highly regarded on most of the forums I visit. Not cheap though.

 

[dickm]

Having had really bad experience with what ought to have been a decent collet extension, I went for a slightly more expensive option on my Ryobi version of the Record table (assume it's the one with the cast iron top?). A local engineering shop milled out a recess in the top which exactly fitted my MOF177 and left about 1/4 inch thickness of metal in the recess. Absolutely no movement and minimal loss of projection of cutters. Cost - £30, probably one of my best investments.

 

[custard]

I have had various of these over the years, extreme extension was one, another one I don't recall the name of - they have mostly worked fine, subject to noting one point below. When I needed to replace one recently (because my new router motor has a different thread), I looked again at them all and chose the Musclechuck, available in the UK via Woodrat http://www.woodrat.com/chuck.html. If you look at the blurb (see the US Musclechuck site), I think I was persuaded that the design of this Musclechuck was somewhat superior to the other similar products, the full details I would need to remind myself on.

The point to note is particularly important when using the 1/4" reducer and that is to line it up in the collet so that it is squeezed rather than just crushed by the cam/screw, otherwise it will slip and can come loose.

Definitely makes working with a router table (or the Woodrat) much easier.

Cheers

I use two "Musclechucks" one in a router table and one in a Router Boss. They're very good, but they're not perfect (what tool ever is?),

-In my router table the chuck fouls the dust extraction shroud, so I had to cut the shroud back which slightly reduces its efficiency.
-I've had opposite advice from two engineers, both of whom know far more about mechanical engineering than I do. One said line up the slots on the reducer with the collet slot, one said rotate the reducer slot to a few degrees away from the collet slot. Who to believe?
-The tolerances, especially with reducers, are so extremely close that some bits (and I'm talking high quality bits, not Chinese tat) are a really tight fit, like they jam. Consequently I keep a pair of kevlar gloves by the router table to remove bits without slicing my fingers.
-Loading the bits in the Router Boss is quite fiddly, you need to keep them pressed home with one hand while at the same time tightening the chuck with the other...and there's no lock to stop the spindle rotating away from you! Not impossible, but a bit of a faff.
-I often cut 1mm grooves or even smaller for inlay with a router, once I tried cutting a groove with a Festool router and the normal collet chuck, then I cut a parallel groove with the Muscle Chuck. A test piece of inlay was a slightly easier fit in the Muscle Chuck groove, implying there's some small degree of additional run out or the extra extension allows the bit to whip in the cut that tiny amount more. These are minute differences, but if you use your router for ultra precision work then minute differences start to matter.

 

[scholar]

I reminded myself of the other older chuck I had installed - that was the Eliminator, possibly still available.

There is a difference in the design, as possibly has been said already, in that the Eliminator grips the cutter shank (or the reducing sleeve) by way of a cam and the Musclechuck grips by closing the chuck itself - this can be seen in the promotional article here by the esteemed Ron Fox (RIP) http://musclechuck.com/articles/ronfox.pdf

If I recall correctly now, the chap who designed the Eliminator sold the product and then designed the improved Musclechuck.

They both work, but I definitely had some issues with slippage, as noted earlier, with the Eliminator.

Cheers

 

[user 19915]

thank;s for the info :lol:
ALAN