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Router sled for surfacing slabs

Started by Crusarius, February 06, 2019, 01:04:25 PM

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mike_belben

They do make sticky back UHMW that comes in rolls as if it were a a teflon tape.  One could build friction slides and then plastic them up for low drag.  


A simple Z axis height control could be to make a few bushing plates of different thickness so that your router sits on an adjustable height standoff.  For more plunge you just pull one out and wack another pass.

I like cam followers, but much care would be needed to brush the tracks ahead of each roller so the sled doesnt bump up over a chip and transfer the Z axis flaw into the cutter point. Maybe mounted paintbrush heads or constant air via some perforated pex tubing along the sled frame.  

Praise The Lord

Hilltop366

Wood waste on the rails would be a problem, ways to reduce the amount of wood that gets on the rail would be best.

Some possible ideas?

The router set lower (lower cross sled) so the cutting was done below the length wise rails.

Some shielding to guide the waste away (think lawnmower).

A flexible curtain or brushes with dust collector to remove waste.


Crusarius

Quote from: mike_belben on February 08, 2019, 08:10:35 AM
They do make sticky back UHMW that comes in rolls as if it were a a teflon tape.  One could build friction slides and then plastic them up for low drag.  


A simple Z axis height control could be to make a few bushing plates of different thickness so that your router sits on an adjustable height standoff.  For more plunge you just pull one out and wack another pass.

I like cam followers, but much care would be needed to brush the tracks ahead of each roller so the sled doesnt bump up over a chip and transfer the Z axis flaw into the cutter point. Maybe mounted paintbrush heads or constant air via some perforated pex tubing along the sled frame.  


Mike, you always have some of the simplest ideas. a pile of C washers that can be removed as necessary. That would be nice not have to constantly fight with the router height adjust.

A single layer of uhmw will definitely fix the friction issue.

If I did a roller that rolled on anything there would be some type of a wiper. that is critical. even on my sawmill the one time I ran it without I regretted it.


mike_belben

Well, i try to be a simple guy
;) 


High mount gantry rail would help reduce the trash on the rail but then you cant forkload your slabs onto the bed unless using a set of slings.  

If the cam followers rode on turned up flat stock there wouldnt be too much of a shelf to sweep off atleast, a simple track brush should suffice.  Think of a flatbed rub rail, not much bark laying ontop of it. 
Praise The Lord

DWyatt

Got the parts ordered last night for the router sled I want to build. I'll post some pictures once I get the material and get the router box made :)

Crusarius

DWyatt, that would be great. I know there is only so many ways to build one but everyone has their own little twist that makes them unique.

Al_Smith

I had to smile at the first post and the minitech .I used tons of it at work, it's kind of like high tech unistrut .Problem is there are so many making it there is no standardization at this time .It's pretty much industrial stuff ,easy fast fabrication but the average DIY person couldn't afford to buy it .

Crusarius

so true. If it was not thrown away I would not have it. But it does work extremely well. it still surprises me for the cost of that vs the cost of a welder that more benches are not just welded 1" steel.

Its not like they ever reuse it if they need to modify the bench. be cheaper to throw away 3 fabricated benches than build 1 out of minitec.

Al_Smith

Because automotive assembly lines change so much it was a viable option to use the stuff .It was ordered in 20 foot lengths or rather what ever that was in metric by the multiple bundles .I likened the stuff as saying it was an industrial version of the old erector sets of years ago replaced by Legos .
The stuff I assume was the brain child of some European design because I first saw it on German made machinery .
The types of fasteners are almost unlimited,angle braces and so forth .It doesn't do you much good to have the basic channel without the fasteners .In that aspect it's about like unistrut .The cost savings are basically made up due to the fact of ease and speed of assembly as opposed to welded steel which requires a higher skill set .

mike_belben

S&W stocked unistrut, 80/20 and creform.  There was way too much workload for the welders and a simple bench may take a week to have made.  The cut and clamp systems only took.a bandsaw and some basic tools.  The welder got $20+ pet hour and the temp making creform carts probably $11.  It was chinsy throw away chinese garbage but assembly lines change weekly so who cares, it got tossed all the time.
Praise The Lord

Crusarius

Guess I just take it for granted I could grab a welder and build a bench. I forget not many ppl I work with have that skill.

DR_Buck

I built a wood/plywood sled that does about 24" wide stuff using my big 3.5HP Porter Cable router.  It works OK but the friction wears you out when doing longer slabs.   Then I took some of my milling profit and bought a wide prebuilt all aluminum one what has almost now friction as it used wheels.

https://youtu.be/990076Ob9P4

The wood jig is now hanging on the shop wall. 
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

Crusarius

thanks dr buck. I been wanting to know how to do epoxy for a long time. that was great. the router sled is nice to. 

Now I may be tempted to try this. Wonder what it would be like adding led's to the epoxy coat? bet it could look pretty amazing.

Al_Smith

Creform is another option .Again it wasn't heavy duty stuff but it worked and was fast .Fact I've used the discarded roller casters on my tool boxes which has worked out very well and the best part they were free .
After 29 years I amassed  great quantity of discarded Kennedy tool boxes .It took me at least 6 trips using a Ford Ranger to haul them out .Some of them must have had 500 pounds of stuff in them and gave the little truck quite a load .
As for the subject I use a portable power planner which does a pretty fair job .Going cross grain it does get a little noisy though but it works for a job seldom done on the stuff I do .

Crusarius

Had to look up creform. yup we use that to. I almost got a bunch of the rollers but they emptied the bin just before I got there. TO bad I kept thinking those would be great at the sawmill for moving slabs.

tule peak timber

My latest rendition of the router sled uses Bishop-Wisecarver grooved wheel/bearings. This setup will have dust collection, 5 1/2 foot width and 40 foot length, more than enough for the average table top. It will be up and running in a few weeks and I will post pics.

persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Crusarius

Talk about going above and beyond. Looks sweet. are you just using a 3" router bit? what is your plan for that?

Going to power the drive or keep it manual?

tule peak timber

No power on the drive and we will be using an Amana insert bit . I came up with a clever set of rails I will show later. KISS,,,, keep it simple stupid. (referring to my thought process) :)
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Al_Smith

Vee groove rollers are the cats' meow I've used larger ones on my DIY band saw mill .They are 4 or 5 inch ,1" axles freebies,scrap pass . ;) Originally spare parts for a  robotic type loader for cast iron automotive V8 engine blocks .Engine was obsoleted as were all the machinery to make it .My name is on the last 3 or 4 Ford 460's ever made .

tule peak timber

Cool,,,I've owned a lot of 460's in various vehicles.Years ago I would buy rich peoples used Lincolns, detail them and then  resell the shiny cars  at a profit .These wheels are tiny because I don't have the room.I picked them because they will ride on angle iron or barstock. In the picture notice the carriage is steel tube with barstock pop-riveted to the side , a simple copy of the Lucas mill side rails with materials I had on hand.The ends are bolted on and slightly adjustable to take out any welding distortion.The assembly came out pretty flat........
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Crusarius

I see adjustable holes. that mean the cross slide will be adjustable? how are you going to do up and down? Just use the router?

I would love to do something other than the router since mine is a royal pain to adjust.

Al_Smith

I've got a 3.5 HP plunge router .Ryobi which is just like Craftsman and Freud except for the color of the handle .That thing scares me to death and I will not run it freehand .That thing could gnaw your hand off in a millisecond so it's only used table mounted .Were I to build something like this I would prefer it to be very sturdy made using a tool like this with that much power .
Using a 3" panel raiser I don't take full depth but do it in multiple passes .That thing with that large of a tool could kick a piece of oak out with such force it could really hurt a person .I've got all my fingers and both eyes and would prefer to keep it that way .

mike_belben

QuoteScrap Pass
My favorite phrase during the smith and wesson years. A lot of my paychecks went right back into their account. 

And its a good thing because all those paychecks i brought home just slipped through my fingers.  still got all my junk though!  :D
Praise The Lord

DWyatt

Got some goodies in the mail last night 8) I'll add more pictures when I get the router box portion made. I ended up going with a 1 1/4" straight bit, we will see how it goes but with a 1 3/4 hp router I didn't want it to be overloaded. The rails are 8' long so that should get us in the neighborhood of 7'-6" length in one set-up.



 



 



 

Crusarius

I bought a 2" and 2 1/4" straight 2 flute carbide cutter. I think my router is a 1hp. it works good I have taken a heavy 1/16" off in one pass with no problem.

I got my cam followers I ordered yesterday. Should be getting my linear bearings on friday. Of course those parts are supposed to be for the mill but if they do not work there they will work great for router sled.

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