I am thinking of designing a motorized lathe tool which would consist
of a router with a long shaft attachment...say 3-4 feet long. My idea
would be to weld up a fixture from pipe and flanges that would have
recesses for bearings at both ends for an inner spinning shaft, bolt it
to the router on its faceplate, and put a second router chuck at the
working end.

I find that cutting large burls down to round, especially the huge ones
with irregular surfaces, is really time consuming with a chain saw, and
it's often very hard to determine where the smallest circle that takes
me down to existing surfaces will be.

Furthermore, when I'm working with really really large pieces on
outboard, it's very scary and slow to hog out the inside of a gnarly
piece of olive or carob which has irregular surface and natural edge,
and it's nearly impossible to hog out the inside of a huge bowl with a
chainsaw. I can only really take off small bits that way. I think a
light cut with a router bit will be cleaner and faster and safer.

Has anyone here done something like this already?

I've seen a chain saw fixture for this purpose, but I rather suspect
that a router at 20Krpm might not be the best choice - you might
consider an aluminum cutting roughing endmill (drive down to Cal Aero,
or see the obvious person at your club's next meeting (you know who I
mean) for advice




On 10 Mar 2006 10:47:00 -0800, "Mark Fitzsimmons"
wrote:

I am thinking of designing a motorized lathe tool which would consist
of a router with a long shaft attachment...say 3-4 feet long. My idea
would be to weld up a fixture from pipe and flanges that would have
recesses for bearings at both ends for an inner spinning shaft, bolt it
to the router on its faceplate, and put a second router chuck at the
working end.

I find that cutting large burls down to round, especially the huge ones
with irregular surfaces, is really time consuming with a chain saw, and
it's often very hard to determine where the smallest circle that takes
me down to existing surfaces will be.

Furthermore, when I'm working with really really large pieces on
outboard, it's very scary and slow to hog out the inside of a gnarly
piece of olive or carob which has irregular surface and natural edge,
and it's nearly impossible to hog out the inside of a huge bowl with a
chainsaw. I can only really take off small bits that way. I think a
light cut with a router bit will be cleaner and faster and safer.

Has anyone here done something like this already?
Bill

www.wbnoble.com

to contact me, do not reply to this message,
instead correct this address and use it

will iam_ b_ No ble at msn daught com
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"Mark Fitzsimmons" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am thinking of designing a motorized lathe tool which would consist
of a router with a long shaft attachment...say 3-4 feet long. My idea
would be to weld up a fixture from pipe and flanges that would have
recesses for bearings at both ends for an inner spinning shaft, bolt it
to the router on its faceplate, and put a second router chuck at the
working end.

I find that cutting large burls down to round, especially the huge ones
with irregular surfaces, is really time consuming with a chain saw, and
it's often very hard to determine where the smallest circle that takes
me down to existing surfaces will be.

Furthermore, when I'm working with really really large pieces on
outboard, it's very scary and slow to hog out the inside of a gnarly
piece of olive or carob which has irregular surface and natural edge,
and it's nearly impossible to hog out the inside of a huge bowl with a
chainsaw. I can only really take off small bits that way. I think a
light cut with a router bit will be cleaner and faster and safer.

Has anyone here done something like this already?


Never seen an extension for a router shaft of that length. Doesn't sound
like an easy, or even very safe job. What is it you need that extension for
that one of the little trimmer routers won't do? Swing the whole thing in,
supported on a rest and turn your piece very slowly if you want to use it to
bottom inside. It would certainly be better to get a 1/2 shank 15 amp if
you're planning on removing much wood.

Any router arrangement won't - or at least shouldn't be - as rapid at
removal as one of the rotary chain types like the arbortech, just more
precise. Wouldn't let the router speed trouble me, it's the feed rate and
depth of cut that count. My preferred bit would be a mortising type with
the carbide on the bottom almost like a Forstner if you're going for smooth.
I've surfaced slabs with good success using them. For plain old stock
removal, a spiral bit which clears the shaving load would be good.

Has anyone here done something like this already?

I use a router to cut bowls. See my cutterhead at
http://www.claycritters.com/lathe/ I use 1/2" ball end router bits, 1/2" shank,
with a 4" long shank. For most work this is sufficient.

I don't have an extension yet, but it is a likely eventuality. I would use
tubular steel (not pipe) for the housing and place high-speed bearings at each
end with a shaft running between them. No need to deal with the thrust forces,
the router bearings can handle that load. Like you say, it will need a flange
to attach the extension to the router base. Use the router collet to grab the
extension shaft. Tighten the shaft into the collet first, then bolt the flange
to the base. That way the shafts will be aligned perfectly.

I have a 30,000 rpm electric die grinder that has an integral 6" extension and
it works much like this except that the connection is made using a shaft
coupler, which permits slight shaft misalignments.

Dan

A few years ago, Norm did a bit on turning bowls. He went to a shop
where the guy had fitted a router on a swing arm on his lathe to do all
the cutting, saying that hand tools were old school.

--
Bill Berglin

http://home.comcast.net/~bberg100

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid
in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
proclaiming, 'WOW! What A RIDE!!" ... Unknown

Hi Mark

Maybe you should go and see Lissi Oland

She does not think it's impossible to hog out the inside of a
LARGE/HUGE bowl with a chain saw.

http://www.olandcraft.com/Silvermaple2003.htm

Never to old to learn !!!!

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Yes, the man was on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.

Derek

Somehow the thought of something with any mass at all
turning at 20K-30K and even a LITTLE bit off center
scares the bejeesus out of me. And should the bit catch
for any reason it'd be Twist and Shout Time, to say
nothing of Run and HIde, Duck and Pray or, worse yet
Bleed and Die.

If you think a turning catch is disconcerting, try
a catch in a climb cut - on a router table even. I
was routing a dado in the underside of a beech
2x2 and needed to widen it just a skosh. Accidentally
created a climb cut. The part came out from under
the rubber bottomed hold down push pads in a
nano second, left the table at Mach I, flew through
a doorway 10 feet away and was stopped by a leg
of my assembly bench eight feet on the other side
of that doorway.

Look into Arbortec or Proxxon - with variable speed.
Or check out Legacy mills.

OH - DO NOT put a wisk in a router to whip whipping
cream faster. When you get back from the
emergency room you'll still have a kitchen to
clean up - ceiling included. (google Walt Akers
AND tales)

charlie b