Router Planing Fixtures

[rudy4444]

I use double-sided carpet tape to hold down wood for planing and other operations such as holding bone while it's being planed or sanded. I have "standard duty" tape on hand which works for many things, but I normally use the "heavy duty" tape as I'm used to using it and it's the roll on the top of the stack.

I remove work by first pulling up on one end using a stiff putty knife, then insert a small section of dowel or a wood wedge and simply give the tape some time to release. By doing that it's been ages since I've cracked anything even as thin as a headstock overlay, often 3/32" after planing.

If a small bit of tape adhesive remains it's easy to sand off or remove with a bit of alcohol.

Since I use the heavy duty tape so often I've learned how to adjust the holding power by placing it over my jeans or shirt fabric before using it. Often that's just enough to make it easier to use.

CA and I don't get along well, so I reserve that for a few things that require much smaller quantities. Accidents are better handled when tiny drops of CA are involved...

 

[MovinTarget]

I use double-sided carpet tape to hold down wood for planing and other operations such as holding bone while it's being planed or sanded. I have "standard duty" tape on hand which works for many things, but I normally use the "heavy duty" tape as I'm used to using it and it's the roll on the top of the stack.

I remove work by first pulling up on one end using a stiff putty knife, then insert a small section of dowel or a wood wedge and simply give the tape some time to release. By doing that it's been ages since I've cracked anything even as thin as a headstock overlay, often 3/32" after planing.

If a small bit of tape adhesive remains it's easy to sand off or remove with a bit of alcohol.

Since I use the heavy duty tape so often I've learned how to adjust the holding power by placing it over my jeans or shirt fabric before using it. Often that's just enough to make it easier to use.

Teach me yours ways, oh wise one!!!

 

[chinjazz]

I have to say that since I tried my hand at a vacuum platform jig, I was impressed.
Got to many drilled holes in the jig for the piece? Problem remedied with masking tape.

 

[MovinTarget]

I have to say that since I tried my hand at a vacuum platform jig, I was impressed.
Got to many drilled holes in the jig for the piece? Problem remedied with masking tape.

I just keep a few sheets of paper around to cover the excess holes, No biggie if I have to cut to shape...

 

[chinjazz]

I just keep a few sheets of paper around to cover the excess holes, No biggie if I have to cut to shape...

Nice! Even cheaper than tape

 

[TerribleTim68]

The first place I heard of this method was the Crimson Guitar videos.

...

I just want to point out that Ben's latest video he stated that it shall no longer be referred to as the "masking tape & super glue trick" and shall henceforth be referred to as simply "The Trick".

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Most of the videos I'm seeing online show router sleds being run perpendicular to the grain on long boards, which seems counterintuitive somehow. Doe it matter? Parallel or Perpendicular, cut aginst blade rotation or "climb cut"?

 

[MovinTarget]

Most of the videos I'm seeing online show router sleds being run perpendicular to the grain on long boards, which seems counterintuitive somehow. Doe it matter? Parallel or Perpendicular, cut aginst blade rotation or "climb cut"?

I would think that if the piece is fixed well in place and the router/sled is super stable with no play, it wouldn't matter too much.

 

[dwizum]

I generally climb cut the entire perimeter, and then take conventional cut passes up and down the long side(s) of the piece, with the grain.

The perimeter climb cut can be important on figured or easy to tear woods, if you just buzz down the side cutting conventional it'll pull little bits out along the corner.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

I found climb cutting the entire perimeter then working inward was fast and clean on my setup

 

[David Marti]

Seems like there is less sanding to do afterward when I go with the grain, rather than against it. Not entirely sure why, but user error comes to mind. I also prefer the double-sided tape (on thicker pieces) to the hot glue, which soaks into the wood a bit and has actually pulled up the melamine on removal. But I've gotten quite a few miles out of my router planer...well, yards maybe.

 

[TerribleTim68]

...
View attachment 4153498

This fixture is exactly what I plan to build. It's not fancy, it's not elaborate, it just works.

 

[RichterScale]

Most of the videos I'm seeing online show router sleds being run perpendicular to the grain on long boards, which seems counterintuitive somehow. Doe it matter? Parallel or Perpendicular, cut aginst blade rotation or "climb cut"?

I recently made a sled and my first pass was against the grain on the rear half of a mahogany body wing blank.
This happened.
I planed the remaining 7 sides going side-side, with the grain and this didn't happen again.

I'm sure that blade, depth of cut, type of wood, variations in wood density and grain patterns, etc all play a part. I did my mahogany and walnut pieces with the grain (with a cheap but new 3/4" dato bit and it worked out).
I'm investing in a nice router and nice bits for future projects.

 

[John_Nicholas]

Okay, I'm a bit embarrassed to share this nutty build with you guys, but was encouraged to so from Gilmourisgod. He correctly mentioned that you guys would have some excellent suggestions, comments or ideas to improve where I'm going...

Sorry, but this will be very wordy and long....

At the beginning of my building journey, I made a super simple router sled, using a 2' x 4' 3/4" MDF board, with two 48" pieces of pvc pipe and a simple sled on top. It was simple, but not greatly accurate and you had to be super careful not to hit the pvc with the router bit.

Of course after reading through this thread, it was time to upgrade and build a better router sled. A few reasons actually, my next build is a neck through bass and this set up would not be long enough to level the wood and the accuracy was not the best...

Lots of different ideas went through my head after reading this entire thread. (Did anyone ever mention you folks are a very bad influence on others!) at first it was going to be multiple mdf style sleds similar to what Bruce has shown all throughout this thread. But the idea of having so many different jigs all over the shop when space is at a premium didn't sit right with me. So my crazy idea was to build something that could be used to perform multiple tasks instead of just a single task.

Honest, this started out as a simple "upgraded" router sled and has slowly morphed into the "Ultimate" router sled. Please understand I don't mean that in an obnoxious way at all... I really don't know what I'm doing. Just trying to build something that is useful and keep the footprint sort of small.

First the size, it seemed like the length needed to be long enough to build the longest instrument I'd ever have an interest in building, so I figured if it had a 60 inch length, that would be long enough to make nearly anything. The width needed to be about 20 inches.. couldn't really see a reason for anything wider .

At first it seemed that to get a really accurate base to work on that using Linear rails with blocks would have the least resistance and keep the accuracy very high. The idea was to just bolt them onto a slab of 3/4" MDF and use a set of linear rails for side to side movement using the ball screw with a handcrank and a locking mechanism to lock it in place so you could do really long routes and stay straight.

I was happy with how it was coming along, but then the idea popped into my head that if the jig could be locked in a straight line, it could also be used to cut truss rod channels. But then how would i plunge the router?

So here's where my crazy mind shot off the rails... why not use a sliding CNC style rail set?

Off to Ebay and I ordered this thing.

This would allow the router to plunge and be retracted easily, and keep my hands away from the spinning metal bit of death! I figured putting a measuring tape on along with an indicator, you could easily adjust the router to any height easily and accurately.

So now the question was how to mount this unit on what I had already. Next up was to order some aluminum plate.

Here's where you guys will make fun of me and rightly so... in no way was a plan laid out, just using my pea brain, I guessed at what size to order without knowing exactly what I was doing! Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Good thing only a small amount of aluminum was ordered, when I figured what I was building was basically a manual CNC!!

After a bunch of searching around and seeing that there are hundreds of different ways to build these things, the easy way was to get a set of plans. Since Chris Monck is one of my favorite YouTubers, a set was ordered from him after watching all his videos on his CNC.

Only one set of aluminum had to be returned!!

The plans were the perfect helper for me. Now I had something to work from and a list of parts needed.

Yes, this is expensive. It is being paid for by selling a bunch of stuff that has been hanging around the house not being used, including a couple of guitars I've built over the years. So far, no money has come out of pocket. No, I don't know exactly how much I spent just yet, but a spreadsheet is underway to figure that part out and I will share that once it's done. Although the prices could go up or down in weeks!

Basically the next few photos are of the gantry lying on it's back. nothing is bolted together, this was laid out just to see how it all "fit" together.

And yes, I purchased a holder so a full sized router can be used.

Isn't this crazy?? What the heck am I doing?

Even worse, now I'm looking at taking it to the next level and just turning it into a CNC!!

Any thoughts, condolences, suggestions or mental health hotlines will be appreciated!

 

[John_Nicholas]

Oh yeah...

Did anyone ever mention that when you take on a new project that you need speacialized (sized) tools and tons of hardware?

Here are a few of the bits and bobs purchased... so far!

You need different sized bits when you used metric hardware and in order to tap the holes different size drill bits are needed, these came from McMaster Carr, very reasonably priced, but were all loose, so I found a nice little piece of spalted maple and made a holder...

It stinks when you can't find the right sized screws quickly and easily, so they were sorted and labeled in one of these organizer thingies.

Umm... did I mention the screws are going to be recessed into the aluminum? Yup! told you.. crazy person! Purchased a set of counter bore bits.

Some of the taps (still waiting on stuff) a couple of scribes and tapping oil.

And of course updating the drawings from the plans to fit my changes and locate all the screws, holes and what not....

 

[RichterScale]

I was gonna suggest taking up alcoholism and/or bird watching instead, before this gets outta hand.
But it's too late. You can't be helped now.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Yep, it's too late. You are hooked on metalworking and machine design. You are going to need to start planning ahead for more shop space, money and time. And a gantry crane, and a pallet jack. And a good concrete floor.

About your machine in process: Sure, you can build a "manual" CNC router. An XYZ movement frame with a router head, which you move by manually cranking the leadscrews. That alone would be useful for many bass building jobs.

Then gradually upgrade it by adding scales and digital readouts. Then motor drives on the leadscrews. Then tie them together with a computer and make it full CNC.

That's how you build a CNC machine. It starts with the mechanical frame, ways, and leadscrews. Make that solid and accurate first, before you get into the computer stuff. The mechanical part is harder.

 

[John_Nicholas]

I was gonna suggest taking up alcoholism and/or bird watching instead, before this gets outta hand.
But it's too late. You can't be helped now.

I was afraid of that....

 

[John_Nicholas]

Yep, it's too late. You are hooked on metalworking and machine design. You are going to need to start planning ahead for more shop space, money and time. And a gantry crane, and a pallet jack. And a good concrete floor.

About your machine in process: Sure, you can build a "manual" CNC router. An XYZ movement frame with a router head, which you move by manually cranking the leadscrews. That alone would be useful for many bass building jobs.

Then gradually upgrade it by adding scales and digital readouts. Then motor drives on the leadscrews. Then tie them together with a computer and make it full CNC.

That's how you build a CNC machine. It starts with the mechanical frame, ways, and leadscrews. Make that solid and accurate first, before you get into the computer stuff. The mechanical part is harder.

Oh no.... Hopefully not a gantry crane and a pallet jack!! It's staying smaller than that! From my calculations, with the stepper motors, the gantry should weigh in the neighborhood of 55 pounds. Since I'm using 3/4" aluminum, is it possible to drill holes to make it lighter and keep the strength?

Wait a second, how would I be able to use the motor drives on the leadscrews and not have it full CNC??

On the mechanical frame, gantry, etc.... I'm really taking my time to make sure they are strong and accurate. Next up is to build a nice bench for the whole thing. What do you guys think of something like this? Or do you have ideas and suggestions for something better?

 

[RichterScale]

I like that trick with the wheels.
All that other crap in the pic is above my pay grade.