Anyone have a router table? how useful is it for cutting acrylic sheet? is it good for rounding edges and such?
I have one. I have yet to use one for "cutting" acrylic, I opt for my table saw with a 100 tooth finishing blade in it but you could easily do it with a straight flute bit on a router table it would probably just be slower going cut-wise. Rounding acrylic would be perfect. The only thing I can say though is that most rounding router bits are of a radious much thicker than the acrylic. Lets say you have .25" thick acrylic. The smallest rounding bit I have (and there may be smaller ones, I just haven't seen one around) is .5" radius. What that translates to is if you run the acrylic through on both sides your edge will be round but have a point in the middle. You will also need a gate on your table too because the ball bearing will not come into play with material that thin so you will have to depend on the gate to keep the bit and material propery guided. I have used the rounding bit for the dremel to round the edge on acrylic and very pleased with those results. The bit is very small and is perfect for thin materials. Just my $.02
i use http://www.dremel.com/productdisplay/bit_template.asp?SKU=9011&Color=CC0000 in my hand router for acrylic, is that a straight flute bit? I want it mainly for woodworking and acrylic-working(mainly edge work). The reason i dont like my hand router is that it "pulls" to one side easily in acrylic making straight cuts hard. I used my hand router to remove some masonite siding and it works well in it so i guess the "pull" is dependent on the material(although, the masonite was about 4x as thick as the acrylic). So what brand/model is good for a router table and how much should i shell out?
technically, that dremel bit isn't a straght flute bit... a flute is a knife edge that runs the direction of the shank (shaft)... that bit is more of a side cutting drill bit because it has a screw on it. I know what you mean about it crawling around... I usually place the bit where it needs to be and clamp down a level or straight piece of wood to run the router against to insure a straight path. As far as what to buy. There is a rockin bosch router table at Lowes that I have wanted for a long time but it is $250 which I think is outrageous, especially because I want it. I opted for a little American Vermont deal they had, I think I paid around $40-60 bucks for it. What you are really paying for is a solid/level metal surface and an adjustable gate to run your materal along. I have altered mine to the point that I don't even use the gate provided, I made one out of MDF. A real good/cheap do-it-yourselfer project is you can get a mounting plate that screws to the base of your router, it drops into a square you cut into a worktable so it sits flush with the surface. This is my setup... I took the "wings" the American Vermont table came with and mounted the table flush with the worktable and made my own gate
the wood as a guide idea is a good one, ill try that sometime... http://www.sears.com/sr/product/sum...&vertical=SEARS&bidsite=CRAFT&pid=00917252000 that is my router(while technichally its a rotary tool, its 600 watts whereas my dremel is barely 110...), I was thinking i could make a router table with some wood, and find a way to mount the router attachment to it. I may give this a go if the material prove cheap enough, think i can do it?
absolutely... get a of plastic or wood and cut it into a square and then cut a circle into the middle of it.... fasten it to the base of the router attachment (fasten it good no foolin') then make a base of some sort and cut a cooresponding sized hole the shape of your plate you made and turn the tool upside down into the hole and the plate should fit flush with the surface with your bit sticking up through the hole in the middle. like this only smaller scale http://www.woodenboat.net.nz/Workshop/Workshoptips/routertablef/Routertable.html I have seen router table accessories for the dremel, not sure if I have seen them for the rotozip type tools but I bet they exist.
i have a router table for my dremel, although it was a dremel ripoff router table and isnt designed for my model dremel and totally sucks, hence the reason i want a router table, and dont like the idea of using my dremel as a router as the motor is really week compared to my crafts multitool. Im gonna try and make a router table really soon.
i got the stuff i needed 24 x 24 inch sheet of particle board(that i got for virtually nothing since it was 2mins from closing time and they did not want to walk all the way to the lumber yard to do a price check) Aluminum L channel w/ 1 inch leg 1 inch c clamps to hold the L channel on Already got some plexy to attach the router too.
International Tool has all kinds of router bits. They have 1/16" carbide straight flute bits for cutting, and they also have 1/8" rounding bits. http://www.internationaltool.com/amana.htm abombss
IM DONE!!! Check out teh piccage! I need to make a mounting plate rather than that hole in the middle as the bit only sticks up about 3/8 inch. I need to draw some guide lines so I can get the fence aligned well. The router base is held in with 2 stainless steel bolts. All fasteners on top of the particle board are countersunk. I will add 2 more bolts to hold the router in when i make the mounting plate(most likely 1/4 inch steel).
Looking good. I have buit a work table in my garage as well, but I haven't made any mounting brackets for router, circular and jigsaw yet. I'm thinking of doing it, though.
i cant see how one for the jiggy would work too well, but i may make a table similiar to this for my circular saw.
nice job, using the aluminum L-channel for a gate was a good choice, it is really straight and the material is slick so nothing you push along it will be prone to sticking or resisting against it.
