Router jig for lathe?

[Hugh]

Has anyone built a jig to mount a router on the lathe to cut grooves in spindle turnings or bowls? I have a friend who is looking for advise on how to build a set up. I have some ideas but would like feed back from those who have built something like this before. Thanks.
Hugh

 

[john lucas]

Hugh I am building one right now but had to stop because I had to work late and my shop is too cold. I'll have it built Christmas because all I have left it the mount for the router. I'm using a trim router but this box would work with a full size route if you shortened it.
I made it so that you can slide the bottom on the rails, you can slide the box in and out and swivel from side to side and the top platform also slides. I figure this will give me the most use. This one I'm building so I can both carve and flute vessels.
I have already built a box just for flutting long spindles because I had to do that for a piece of furniture a few years back. I will try to take some photos of these this weekend

 

[Hugh]

First things first - MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!!!!!!!

John,
I think I have a good idea about the sled part of the jig. I think the part that I am hung up on is the depth control for the router bit. I will wait and see what you get and see if anyone else chimes in also. For the amount I am going to be doing I do not think it would warrant the purchase of a new smaller router, so I think I will just use the Porter Cable 690 I have. I think it is small enough. Another option is my Foredom tool. Still have to deal with the depth control though.

And to all a good night!
Hugh

 

[Brian Hahn]

There have been a number of jigs in Fine Woodworking. I stopped subscribing to FWW about 10 years ago, so I don't know if there have been any recent articles, but there was "Decorative Turning", FWW #50 (Jan/Feb 1985); "Decorative Routing on the Lathe", FWW #88 (May/June 1991); and "Spiral-Routing on the Lathe", FWW #90 (Sep/Oct 1991). One or more of those articles may also be included in one of the numerous collection books that FWW published.

On the web, Laymar Crafts has a rather long discussion about such a jig in the "Hints and Tips" section.

I'm sure there are several other articles available on the web, but I don't remember were the others are right now. You might check the how-to sections of Woodturner's Resource and Woodturning Online .

 

[john lucas]

Hugh I've written 2 short articles with photos on building a fluting jig. One for off the lathe and one is a jig I built to do fluting and other carving on the lathe. I don't know how to post them on here. If you or anyone wants to see these just e-mail me and I'll send them as an attachment.

 

[arbud]

jig

Hugh, I believe Jeff, our friendly, neighborhood, moderator, put his plans on this site. I can't find them--the search engine isn't working well tonight.

 

[Kerry]

Bill Hylton's Router Magic contains a 29-page chapter on how to build and use a standalone "Router Lathe". It looks nothing like a woodturning lathe; more like a fancy router sled.

It's a pretty slick-looking unit, made from MDF, plywood, bicycle chains and sprockets, a stout metal rod, bevel gears, angle iron, etc. Not a project for the faint of heart, but the drawings and explanations are exhaustive and excellent.

{Before anyone asks: No, I haven't made one. I'm one of those "faint of heart" types.... }

 

[john lucas]

Kerry The Router Lathe is designed to give you spirals mostly. I thought about building one but ended up buying a SEars Router Crafter off Ebay. What I'm building now will allow me to use the router to do fluting on turnings, or to use it as a carving tool to waste away wood on the turning to a desired depth. With homemade plastic guides it will also let you cut spirals.

 

[Jeff Jilg]

I posted some pics of the router jig/fixture for fluting in my album here

And I thought there was also a writeup but I can't find it.

 

[Hugh]

OK - I understand the jig and sled set up - but what about cutter depth control? What I keep thinking is that if I put a board in front of the router which the cutter goes through - that it would control the depth. My only problem is that it would only be good for outside curves. I guess I could cut out a pattern piece that I could attach to the bottom board that would control where the sled went - but then one would have to make a new pattern piece for each bowl. That may be what I have to end up with.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts.
Hugh

 

[hcbph]

Has anyone built a jig to mount a router on the lathe to cut grooves in spindle turnings or bowls? I have a friend who is looking for advise on how to build a set up. I have some ideas but would like feed back from those who have built something like this before. Thanks.
Hugh

If you have access to a Vega Duplicator, there's an adapter to hang a router on it to cut grooves (straight or spiral) against a spindle in the lathe. If you can find a Router Crafter, there's a spur center type adapter for the handcrank end, otherwise you have to have a large square end on the piece you load into it (I know, I have one).

Paul

 

[john lucas]

Hugh You are right in that you need some sort of pattern for the router sled to ride against to control depth( and shape). I've been racking my brain trying to come up with an adjustable pattern but everything I'm coming up with would be very difficult to build or simply wouldn't work. I find it quite easy to cut out a rough shape on paper, then cut this out on the bandsaw and fine tune it with files. You are right in that this would require either making a pattern for each bowl or vessel or changing your flutes or carvings to fit the vessel using the patterns you already have.
One of our club members uses this technique to cut spirals into his work. He heats up plexiglass and bends it to the shape of his pieces. Then screws this to a set up somewhat like the one I built.