I finished the table top last weekend and I started on the base. It will have the same molding as the top, only reverse, and a little bit more. I used a basic router table that will hold a drill-motor underneath. Using various router bits (square, curved or concave) you can build up any shape of molding you desire. Taking little cuts each time you pass the wood. Slowly raising and adjusting the bit with each pass as not to force too much on the wood or burn the bit. Then changing the router bit for another shaped cutter, adjusting and continue the passes.
In the end I probably did each side of the wood maybe 7 or 8 times? So 30-something in total?
And guess what? On the last run... I missed.
It happened late at night, after working on it for a while and wanting it finished, ready for carving. And although i keep telling myself to stop working on miniatures when i feel i get tiered and loose focus, I can't seem to... :) I'm too eager to work on this table. So i don't mind, cos Hey!! I'll just make a second base :D But i thought I'll show you what can happen if you let wisdom and sensibility floating out of the window... you miss!
Have a great Easter Weekend,
I know the feeling! It has taken me years to know when to stop working.
ReplyDeleteI envy you! I though i'd known it by now too hahaha I just love to work on this piece... there's something about it?!
DeleteHi Debora,
ReplyDeleteI think we've all been there before. The table top was looking great...it will have been a great practise piece.
I can't wait to see more.
Have a great weekend,
Giac
Too right Giac. I've just milled a second base, more or less cos playing with the failed piece gave me another idea! So Yeah, it's alright it happened.
DeleteConvinced myself today that after a few nights struggling to sleep that carving chair backs is not a good idea, feeling tired and having a headache. I am curious, which router bits do you use, Proxxon or??? Small router bits are hard to find in SA.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to find 'm here too ELga. I asked my dentist for some and he was kind enough to give me some old ones. But those are worn of course. Got me that basic set (3,0 mm shaft) from Proxxon once and although they are quit big, if you combine the shapes it is possible to get some nice shapes. The small combination set they sell (2,3 mm shaft) is very good too, again combining the bits you can get a lot of designs done. I've seen some great milling burrs in the USA but they are quit expensive, and don't forget the P&P too
DeleteOok dit ziet er weer fantastisch uit, ik zou toch echt wel eens wat lesjes bij je willen volgen, wat een vakmanschap!!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I've been there too! You are taking a very wise approach to your miss though, a learning experience. At least you won't do that again soon.
ReplyDeleteA very good friend of ours once told me (while he was helping to renovate our house) 'The moment you think something could go wrong,...stop what your doing immediately and turn of all machinery. Don't start again until you are sure all safety measures are in place and that includes being well rested!' Good advice, no? I've never forgotten that!
Thats a very wise comment of your friend. Especially when working with power tools! Another one i would like to add is; "Pull out the plug, when you get your hands in, or adjust or change bits" Don't think i need to explain why... :S
DeleteThat can happen even when you aren't tired!
ReplyDeleteI have that Proxxon routertable too and I don'l like it because you can't see what you are doing. I find it much easier to do pinrouting in a drillstand.
If you can't find routerbits in the shape and size you need it is not very hard to grind your ovn.
Broken or dull routerbits is a good source and remember you only need one cutting edge.
I'll make a small howto later this month.
Niels
I agree with you there Niels. I've pinrouted the top (because of the curved circumference). I figured that cos of the straight lines the router table would be the quicker solution for the base. But the alliminium top of the router has warped and isn't perfectly flat anymore. Had to mend that first :( I suspect it is caused cos my workshop isn't heated during the winter? Every time frost comes I need to select the bottles with potions that need to be kept frost free. As space is at a premium inside the house, I cant bring all my tools inside. I noticed even a stack of table tops has been effected. Thin slabs of marble (2mm) can react just like wood, it can warp and bent due atmospheric changes?
DeleteSuper keen to see how you make your bits. Bill Robertson showed how to make custom planes. Same sort of task. I tried back home but still lack the real feel working metal.
Oh, Debora, that is too bad! I hope the next one comes off without a hitch! Happy Easter to you, too!
ReplyDeleteJohn
Happy Easter to you too, John. Happy to say the second is as desired :)
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ReplyDeleteIf that was a rectangular tabletop you were making then the use of featherboards would have prevented that particular mistake you made. On a ROUTER TABLE (but not on a tablesaw) you can use featherboards to apply pressure against both the infeed and outfeed fences. Make one long featherboard and remove any teeth that would push against the cutting bit. Use small rectangles of plywood under the table as clamp pads to spread the clamping pressure over several of the metal webs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karin, great tip.
DeleteI just remembered that there is a new company from Italy that makes bits etc, some of their diamond bits are smaller than the Dremel ones, I have been using some for carving the chair backs (will post nest week). I found them the other day in a hardware store close to home and they seem to be cheaper than the Dremel bits.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pgmini.it/eprodotti.htm
Thanks Elga, I've bookmarked your link. The engraving cutters caught my attention, as I prefer the finish the have on wood. I keep away from them using diamond covered bits as they leave a fluffy grain. I'm keen to see how you work 'm on the back railing.
DeleteThe finest carbide, special shaped, router bits specifically made for dollhouse work that I have found are being sold by Amana Tools in the USA. The set MRS 2000 on the web page is the only one being sold at present. They are 1/4" diameter shanks. A number of years ago Trend Router of the UK used to sell them in metric shank sizes. The set is very expensive but the quality is superb and the number of combinations of profiles you can make with them is extensive.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amanatool.com/routerbit-sets/mrs-1000.html
These router bits will not fit into the 1/8" shank small routers such as Proxxon and Dremel but they do fit into trim routers such as the Bosch Colt. I am not sure if the collet that is used in the Bosch palm router sold in the USA will fit into the European metric version of the same router but I suspect it will. Bosch customer service is very good about answering those kinds of questions.
If you should decide to order these router bits email me and I will send you the pdf version of the old booklet published by Trend Routing UK on using the bits that shows many ideas on combining the profiles for making classical moldings.
You can see a photo of the small router table I made for my little Bosch at this link, I still have the drawings for it around somewhere...
https://picasaweb.google.com/104139580215096548557/KarinCorbinMiniatures#5359279320960728962
I forgot to mention I don't have the wood fence installed on the Bosch router table. It is fastened into the holes on the black fence you see in the photo.
DeleteAlso that table design has removable inserts so I can change out to different diameter openings for various sized bits. The tabletop was lasercut from Delrin plastic but it could be made from wood or aluminum.
Your router table looks wonderful. The modifications you mention and the way you've is build it up make it a perfect tool. The warping on the base of mine I removed by laying a new one on top. Very thin but condense hardboard did the trick. The picture I showed, was when I used it for sanding the skate-stock, for this job I added a fence that bridged the "huge" gap thats in the supplied fence. Still it's marginal, nothing beats good decent tools from the start. But I gotta do with what I have.
DeleteThe router bits are to die for. Never knew such small ones were around! Thanks for sharing, i've bookmarked it cos you'll never know. I don't believe the shank diameter should be a problem as the range of collets can bridge some variation in them.
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