How powerful should your router be?

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scurran

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We're looking to start using a routers for some work we are doing in shop. We would like to be able to offer our own profiles for moldings. What type of router would be good for this type of work? We have a 3-1/4 horsepower Hitachi mounted in a table and it just seems to be too powerful for the precise work we are trying to do.


Sean
 
Might I suggest at 3-4 of the raw moulding suppliers in out industry first. They all have big multi-head moulding machines and will do a better QC job than you can. There are also several companies that will mill mouldings to your specification (as little as 300 ft).

Zylo - Savana, GA (800) 627-5040
Foster Planing Mill - L.A., CA 323-759-9156
P B & H - New York State
 
Thank you for the suggestion. We actually use all 3 of these companies that you have suggested. We've been trying to do some more detail oriented work for particular jobs as well as simply using the router to widen the lip depth. This is what we are using the router for today and the molding is being ripped right through the router and shot across the room.
So are there any suggestions as to whether a less powerful router would do the trick?
 
Reverse the direction of feed.

the hp should be fine for what you are doing

I also use a table saw for extending the rabbit - using spring loaded pushers and a good fence.
 
AH! You are feeding the moulding into the router on the wrong side. The stock should be fed against the rotation so you don't get the "spearchucker" effect. A less powerful router would only throw the stock a shorter distance with less velocity.
Looking down on the router bit, it should be rotating in a counter clockwise direction. The fences should be set so the moulding passes on the left hand side of the router bit. If you are removing a good bit of material, you might want to take 2 or 3 passes to do so.
 
If the moulding is being "ripped right through the router and shot across the room", seems to indicate that you might not be feeding it the right direction. Your question seems to indicate that you haven't had a lot of experience with routers.
"Precise work" usually does not require a "less powerful" machine.

Having had many years of experience with routers and spindle moulders (and other machinery), I would never dream of making my own moulding for many reasons. The main one being that it's way too expensive and the second is that there doesn't seem to be any great advantage in doing it anyway.

When you consider that there are tens of thousands of mouldings available already, at a fraction of the cost of making them yourself, making your own profiles doesn't stack up as being a viable proposition.

Routers are not really the ideal equipment for making mouldings!
 
Try using a shaper. It is meant for this type of work and gives much better results.

Other than that I agree with Osgood.
 
I often extend Rebate depths with a spindle moulder with a bit more grunt than what you're using - more power! It does the job admirably although some seem to prefer Dado sets for their table saws (I hate them but I don't have space restrictions kwite the same so...).

Ormond is up waaay too early!!!
 
I was going to answer your question by stating that it needs to be able to rip it out of your hand and shoot it into the wall across the room but I see you already have one that powerful.

My next suggestion would be to stand a mattress up against said wall so it just bounces off and lands right at your feet. That way you won't have to be digging it out of the wall every time.

OR... you could do as the others said and feed it in the right way.
Also, don't try to take all of the wood off at one pass. Lighter cuts will also give you better control.

Carry on.
 
For extending Rabbet or Rebate depth OR width, nothing will ever beat a Stanley 93, NOTHING. Long before you can even set up a table saw, I'm done [quietly I might add].

EEdgePrepPlane.jpg


It is also great for shaving down that little extra on the back of a fillet too.

[ 08-25-2006, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Baer Charlton ]
 
So it's called the Stanley 93 NOTHING?

I'll watch for it the next time I go to Home Depot.

It was a moulding head on a table saw that shortened one of my fingers (one of the IMPORTANT ones) considerably.
 
Bandsaw, that Veritas is esentially a take off of the Stanley 90 & 93.

This is the 90
1-12-090.jpg

and the 93
1-12-092.jpg


I like the 93 better because of the longer nose it has a better evening effect.
Both of their tops come off to make a Bull nose corner plane for when the frame has been joined and needs some relief in the corner.
 
But what if you need to use it in the morning?
 
Scurran,

I did some amazing projects using just routers. But unlike you, I know how to use such a tool in a safe and precise manner. You can call yourself lucky for still having all ten fingers. In this precise instance, being sloppy and holding the stick casually really saved your fingers. If your hand was closer to the bit, as to get control over what you were doing, you'd be one or two fingers short by now. It's clear that you were not feeding the material the proper way, which allowed for the router bit to grab and pull the wood stick off your hands. Routers are made to bite wood little by little, not all at once, which is another mistake that ou did. Many passes require a good guiding system; and a single passing of the material trough the router requires an even better if not perfect feeding-guiding procedure.
Get yourself a book on Routers or observe other people working with routers before attempting to do it yourself. It doesn't take very long to learn the basics and be on your own. This is my best advice to you and those who are familiar with routers would fully agree with me at this point.
On the other hand, if you know what you are doing, a stronger router is always a better choice for you, simply because the stronger one would take jobs that the weaker one would not. If you are not very good with power tools you mifght learn that you needed a stronger router only after ruining your project or burning your tool.
 
Baer, Record also makes a nice little Bull-nosed rabbet plane...the number 77. Picked mine up at the Garrett Wade showroom in NYC in '81. About the only thing in the place I could afford.
 
Baer,

A Stanley 93 is fine but get an old one - the new versions (English) are very poor quality.

Or how about:

Canadian Made by Veritas:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=48430&cat=1,41182

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=50273&cat=1,41182

Or American made by Lie Nielsen:

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=042

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=073

And speaking of hand tools I have never heard a framer mention a shooting board.

How many framers know that a perfect miter can be made easily with simple inexpensive hand tools. A cheap hardware store miter box and saw and then a sharp plane on a shooting board:

http://www.amgron.clara.net/planingpoints/shuteingboards/shuteingindex.htm

There are many versions of a shooting board and some planes made specifically for shooting:

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=9

“Shooting Board” has many name variations – shoot board – chute board and others

A sharp blade on a suitable plane and a simple shooting board will put a sanding disc to shame – and no dust.
 
Bandsaw, the Lie-Nielsen stuff is nice.. I have the medium and large shoulder planes.. but neither is good for rabbets or shooting.
The wife got me the matched set of side rabbet planes... I took em back.
For rabbets, there are two planes.. a 93 (and Record's is a piece of wastral) and a skewed rabbet plane (Lie-Nielson makes the nicest, but I do like my 150 year old Taylor. Between the two, I have a matched set [right & left].

Lie-Nielson comes with a knicker, the Taylor you have to use a Johnny Tate.

This winter, I'll be giving the Taylor a real rebuild.. I want a Lie-Nielson heavy iron and frog for it.. special order because of the left skew.
Also the pins and one weld need to be reworked.
So it will all go back to New Groten to a friend. Hes also making me a "stuffed" smoothing plane with some of the 40lbs of ebony and pink ivory I sent him a couple of years ago.
 
scurran


What you need with a large router or shaper for that matter is a 'feeder'. It is a mechanical device that has a tractor belt and feeds the stock through the machine in a slow and controlled manner. Prices for this type of equipment will go from 300 bucks to thousands.

One of those would solve your problem.
 
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