Routing letters

[Chrispick77]

Hi all I'm going to make my daughter a toy box and if it goes well maybe more for other relations, I'd like to router the names on the front, I think I need a plunge router but as far as routing names I'm stuck.
any advice on which router to buy and what I need for the letters would be great.

 

[Jelly]

Routing letters is not the easiest business... I have done some small letters freehand in the past (and with a tiny palm router, not with a plunge router either, although that facility would have been helpful).

Having learned from that rather fraught and challenging experience I would suggest working out what lettering you want on a computer, printing the layout and then glueing that layout to a suitably sized strip of thin MDF or ply, and cutting out the individual letters with a fretsaw/scroll saw.

Once you're happy with the lettering and layout, you can clamp that board down to your workpiece and use a bearing guided bit to cut the lettering, the bearing will ride against the template and prevent you cocking up the outlines... in theory.

 

[mailee]

Routing out letters does take a bit of practice. I have done a few in the past which turned out acceptable. I use a 1/4" plunge router but a smaller palm router would be easier to control. My method is to print out the letters to scale and glue them to the wood. Most important part is to score around all of the letters with a craft knife/scalpel before starting as this will give a clean crisp edge. I use the smallest cutter I can which is a 3mm straight cutter and only take very shallow cuts increasing the depth in increments. It is also much easier to control a plunge router by holding the base and not the handles. (the router is easy to control as you are only taking shallow cuts) As you approach the scored line you will see it wisp and curl away alerting you that that is close enough. Of course the larger the letters the easier it is which should be no problem on a toybox. HTH. :wink:

 

[Chrispick77]

These are the 3 routers I'm looking at, what do you think?

Bosch gfk 600
Erbaur erb380rou
Makita Rp0900X/2

I take it this is also what I need to put radius edges on the box?

 

[Lons]

Unless you intend doing loads, or are looking for justification to treat your self to a router the just buy a cheap carving chisel and do it by hand. you'll get better results much quicker unless you've bough the templates as well.

If you do want the router then the little palm Makita I have is excellent and much better for fine work than the 1/4" Elu or 1/2" DeWalt I also own.
http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... fc00hFViko Mine came with a systainer box.

Bob

 

[OM99]

or you couls just get this

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+sign-pro+1262

if they are roughly the size you intend to do.

Oli

 

[Newbie_Neil]

or you couls just get this

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+sign-pro+1262

if they are roughly the size you intend to do.

Oli

I bought this set and found it totally unacceptable. The letters are far too flimsy and, imho, you would be wasting your money.

Neil

 

[Jelly]

These are the 3 routers I'm looking at, what do you think?

Bosch gfk 600
Erbaur erb380rou
Makita Rp0900X/2

I take it this is also what I need to put radius edges on the box?

I have the Bosch GKF, it has been excellent for my purposes (making rebates for inlay, cutting stopped dados and routing letters out) but having now tried the makita variant at a makita open day at my local timber merchant RT0700CX2, I feel it offers better value, as you get the plunge base as standard, rather than it being an extra 70 quid, whilst compromising nothing on quality.

I really like the palm router form factor for doing detailed work, and the bosch specifically for the visibility of the bit as you work if doing things freehand.

 

[DennisCA]

I've been thinking of this and an idea I had was making my own letter templates and use a pantorouter machine (a future project) to scribe them. That way I can make the templates 2x as large as their final size and thus easier to make.

 

[monkeybiter]

or you couls just get this
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+sign-pro+1262

I bought this set and found it totally unacceptable. The letters are far too flimsy and, imho, you would be wasting your money.
Neil

I bought one of these and from the hobbyist's point of view IMHO I found it fine, slight bit of clean-up in the bottom of some of the wider sections [i.e. corners/line intersections etc.] but it certainly seemed o.k. for careful occasional use. It was on offer when I bought it though, I am a bit of a tight-wad according to SWMBO.

 

[marcros]

do they need to be routed- why not cut them out (bandsaw, scroll saw, jigsaw, coping saw etc) and stick them on. Less risky, and just as effective.