On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 03:50:25 -0500, Silvan
wrote:

snip


Crapsman router.

that router has gotta be a temporary thing in your shop if you intend
to use routers to do anything meaningful. (it might be adequate for
stirring cake batter. ask David Eisan...) either you gonna hafta get a

Yeah, I know. I use it once or twice a year, and it performs dismally. I
haven't really missed having a real router though, and it's way down there
on my someday list. I do most "router jobs" with a table saw or chisels,
or don't do them at all.

real router or do without. in the meantime you might get away with
cranking the collet and depth adjustment locks down real close to the
breaking point, and making a goodly sized batch of inserts.

I don't have any kind of guide bushing thingie to follow a template anyway.

if you make your template fit nicely in the opening, you'll want to
use a pattern bit to copy it. it has the bearing right there attached
to the router bit. Either like:
http://tinyurl.com/2vpuz
or:
http://tinyurl.com/2h6gy
depending whether you want the template above or below.



So how can I make one of these things without a router? The only thing I
have for cutting curvy stuff is a scroll saw. I can cut close to a line,
but I have serious doubts about doing a satisfactory job on something that
needs tolerances this close.

cut it close with the scroll saw and fit it in there with a sanding
block. make the sanding block by taking a chunk of 2 x 4 and sawing or
jointing a nice clean 90 degrees between a face and an edge. glue some
80 grit sandpaper to the edge and with the insert and the sanding
block both flat on the bench work to the line. if you cut a loading
taper to the underside of the insert with a file or sandpaper first it
will make the fitting go easier. rub the rim of the opening with some
kind of transfer color- graphite pencil, wax crayon or sharpie all
work- and use the marks to guide the sanding block. it's worthwhile to
get the template fitting well- it's a one time effort that will pay
off with each insert you make.


my router is all but absolutely useless, and I can't think
of any other way to make a smooth, precise curve.

the router doesn't make smooth curves by itself- that's all in the
jigs and templates. how are you going to get smoothly curved
templates? hand tooling can do all of the same things, just slower.




Maybe make a circle cutting jig for the TS and cut half circles with it.
That could work, maybe. Fiddly. Not impossible.

circle jigs for the table saw are... OK... for large diameter circles.
trying to cut a small diameter stopped half circle that way sounds
dangerous to me.




It's not spending $22 that bothers me, but needing another $22 when I
eventually get a dado stack, and another $22 for 45-degree bevels and
another $22 for when I want to do 33.275 degree angles for that super
blurfl.


and more $22es as those plastic ones wear out....



Making them myself would be much cheaper.




and get you a better fitting insert than a generic plastic one. and
don't forget being able to have different ones for different angles,
and for dado blades and such.


Yeah.

corners have an annoying tendency to curl up over time. if the
material is going to have any tendency to warp, the amount will be
greatest at the corner....

Oh.

I hate curves. Despise them. Detest them. Abhor them. Right angles and
straight lines are wonderful.


curves are sexier....

I don't want to make love to it, I just want to cut stuff with it.


but you don't want a corner on your zero clearance insert snagging
your board just as it's getting close to the blade.....



Bridger