Routers ~ Luthiery Laboratories

Routers

If you don't already have a router, I recommend you get a small one like this:

I have two of these, and a couple of the old two-fisted full-sized variety. Since I got the first mini-router, I have never touched a big one again.

These are also known as "laminate trimmers", but don't be fooled, they have plenty of power to do any task required for luthiery and many other things. The great advantage is one-handed controllability. The disadvantage of these small routers is that they only take 1/4" shaft bits.

A problem with any router, but especially a small one, is that the base is narrow and unstable. That is easily fixed. Get a piece of 1/4" phenolic or clear polycarbonate, and you can make any sort of router base you want. For example:

Notice how much of the router base rests on the workpiece, for absolute stability.

Phenolic on the left, acrylic on the right

I keep these two routers in the same box, hoping they'll mate and produce a litter of Dremels. So far, no luck.

I have a lot of other router plates and adapters listed in Jigs and Templates.

On a related note, these are the incredibly tiny bearings you need to nip out the corners of a squared-off Telecaster or Danelectro neck pocket with a 3/8" bit. Subtract the 1/4" shaft, and divide by two, and these bearings are just 1/16" thick. The balls inside must the like grains of sand. I can't imagine these things have a very long life expectancy - only use them for the corners, do the rest of the job with a 1/2" bit.

Routing & Shaping

I have several jigs I made to fit my full-sized DeWalt router. That machine is a beast for building furniture and stuff, but it is clumsy overkill for routing neck pockets and truss rods. So I got the idea to make a base plate that will adapt the little router to the jigs I made. Simple - just a 6" square; there it is on the left. The material is a piece of 1/4" phenolic that I had laying around for years. Phenolic resin is a plastic that is so hard and stiff it is more like metal. It is perfect for router bases and other fixtures, but somewhat hard to work. To drill the big hole in the center, I had to shift the drill press to its lowest gear, and cool the bit with water.

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Drill Press

I took a drive over to Harbor Freight - purveyor of fine {sarcasm} Chinese tools & hardware - and picked up this little drill press. With a coupon, it cost me just over fifty bucks. This is not what I would call a good drill press, in fact, it is pretty crappy. The base and the table are stamped, not forged, and small. The quill travel is a measly two inches, parts that should be steel are aluminum, parts that should be aluminum are plastic, vibration is excessive, and the 3/8" chuck has a disconcerting wobble to it. I knew all that when I bought it, and I never would have if I did not already have a much better one, or at least a decent one. What I wanted from this drill press is small size and lightweight, so I can add it to my inside workstation, and not have to leave the heat/ac to go drill a hole in the garage. This press weighs well under 40 pounds and doesn't take up too much space on my inside workbench. My 'good' drill press is not something you'd want to move around a lot.

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