Woodrat Course - Review (lots of photos)

[SVB]

Following a posting last week, I travelled down to sunny somerset to participate in a 1 day course on the use of a Woodrat.

I thought I would describe the day here as I found it a really useful introduction to the Rat and has probably saved me several hours of puzzlement as I came to grips with it.

The course ran from 9 to just after 5 and was held at Martin Godfrey's home (the inventor and star of the youtube instructional clips). Martin has a workshop set up with four complete Rats set up and there were four students on the course.

Over the course of the day the following topics were covered:

Morning Session:
Set up tips
Basic use of the machine - squaring the end of a piece of timber.
Ploughing grooves with long axis of a board
Cross cutting
Finger joints
Mortice / Tenons

Martin's wife produced an excellent ploughman's lunch (well, it was sort of ploughing ).

Afternoon:
Dovetails
Bit care / sharpening

The aim of the day was to cover as much ground as possible with the intention most basic joints could be covered rather than focusing on perfecting one. This resulted in plenty of random joints rather than a finished item but allowed the focus to be use of the Rat rather than being overly careful not to ruin a project!

Below are some of the photos of the ground covered (all pretty rough but no attempt was really made to get sizes / proportions right :wink: )

Also, as part of the course Martin offered 10% discount on item purchased. I already had my Rat but bought a couple of cutters. One of the other chaps bought a complete Rat. However, there was no 'hard sell' throughout the whole day.

So, a selection of photos (really I took these as a aide - memoir for myself in a couple of months time!).

All in all an excellent day - highly recommended if you are thinking of buying a Rat (and probably also if you are buying a Router Boss although not sure how Martin feels about this as it is obviously a rip-off design).

Finger Joints (it does fit all the way honest - did not take a photo though!)

Sliding Tenon

Mortice / Tenon

Dovetail Box (sides only)

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Nice work there and a nice write up.

Other comments removed because they detracted from SVB's original post.

 

[custard]

There are also a number of improvements such as the ability to adjust the sliding bar so there is no sloppiness in it.

You can also adjust the Woodrat to remove any sliding bar sloppiness, the new style clamping cheeks can be adjusted to ensure the sliding bar is perfectly steady, and before these were introduced re-seating the runners would achieve much the same result.

 

[SVB]

Ooops - Sorry Dave - did not mean to cause offence!

Perhaps I would have been better advised to point out some of the design principles common to both in a more diplomatic way.

I am not sure your comment on LN is totaly relevant - LN often advertise the fact their products are inspired by / improved or copies of previous manufacturer's products.

From the 1st line of the LN website description of their No.4

"Lie-Nielsen Bench Planes (except for the No. 1) are based on the Stanley Bedrock-type planes"

Anyway, to finish where I started, apologies - I did not mean or want to cause offence, the purpose of this thread was to review the WR course I did which I really enjoyed.

BRgds all,
Simon.

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Comments removed because they were off the topic of SVB's original post.

 

[beech1948]

Nice work there and a nice write up.

I will, however, take exception to your comment that the Router Boss "is obviously a rip-off design." It isn't a "rip-off design" at all. There are many differences between the two. There are also a number of improvements such as the ability to adjust the sliding bar so there is no sloppiness in it. Perhaps you might refrain from comments such as that until you have an opportunity to use both machines.

This has been an ongoing thing--comments about ripping off the design of the WoodRat. Funny thing is, it would never occur to anyone to make that comment about another drill press or bandsaw or hand plane. I've never read of anyone complaining that the Lie-Nielsen 4-1/2 hand plane is a rip off design. Yet, by the standards applied by those making comments about the Router Boss, Lie-Nielsen's hand planes surely are rip offs.

DaveR,
Sorry to disagree but I think that the design of the RouterBoss is a simple rip off of the Woodrat intellectual ideas. There can be little debate about it except amongst those who want to try to make it seem all different..

That there have been a few minor improvements is true and the Woodrat folks should be suitably chagrinned for letting this happen. But the Router Boss has no new ideas only a possibly improved execution or engineering.

regards
Alan

 

[SketchUp Guru]

There's no point in continuing this. Again, I apologize SVB for taking this thread off topic. I've removed all of my comments from this thread.

 

[custard]

Simon, thanks for your post.

Looking at the photos it seems there may be a bit of breakout on some of the finger joints, this can be avoided by cutting in a little from the "wall" side, then moving the router to the opposite side of the workpiece and cutting through completely. This takes a little longer but it does produce a superb finish.