radial arm router

I guess the trick would be finding a good way to mount the router. It’s an intriguing idea, though.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

anything like what’s posted here?

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tls/1047711841.html

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

very much like that
I figure it is a manual cnc router
square, parallel, and mitered cuts could be made anywhere on the board
plus no more setting straight edges to cut dadoos and sliding dovetails
variable spaced dovetails could be accomplished and repeated with stop blocks
easy radius just lock on the slide unlock the miter and swing

the possibilities are endless
I should get a patent j/k
If I build it I’ll blog it so you guys can see

having trouble writiing a vega duplicator is coming today and every loud truck has me running to the window
Isn’t funny how you order a tool then become a six year old on Christmas eve and the ups man suddenly becomes Santa. I think I’ll offer him some cookies and milk.

I think I may be a toolaholic…Na

-- jay Rambling on and on again

Jm5400,

Now I have seen routers on vertical panel saws. I have not seen too many Radial arm saw/router retrofits. There is a advantage to having the ability to having the material still and the router move. The abilitry to make make 90 degree trims is very nice.

There however is a better way to do this. The first would be to get a couple of linear bearings. I have made many custom jigs with linear bearings and you can also make a router that will make a long cut (with a long linear bearing). You can find linear bearings on ebay that are very inexpensive. Linear bearings such as THK, Thmpsions, etc are very accurate and are used in cncs so if you are making your “raidail arm router” or “panel router” these will work well. I have made many contraptions like this so if you need any advice or help I can tell you how to make these.

If you are dead set on a radial arm saw, you will likely have to make a bracket or have one machined. The way you would do this is to make a bracket that will mate into the base of your router. You will also have to have a bracket that will mount to where the saw mounts. I would recomend using aluminum. If you have the footpirnt of your router and the the dimensions of where this bracket will mount, I can help you design this.

Cheers,

Ben

I had a Ryobi 8 1/4” Radial Arm Saw that had a 1/4” router chuck on the opposite end of the mandrel. It was good for some overhead cuts and for using masonite patterns etc. There’s still a lot of these out there for sale, used or new.

-- If Stradivarius was alive today, he'd be using Gorilla Glue.

Think I remember seeing Norm use a shaper head setup on his. He had the motor locked in position and you push your wood thru like on a router table. Looked scary to me…maybe Norm’s real intentions were to prove to us all that he’s got a set!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

poopie what is that model number

-- jay Rambling on and on again

sounds like gooda and I have thought of that before. The thing is how useful would it be vs. time and money to build it. With mortising big enough peices you’d even consider using something like that for it’s always better to bring that tool to the work. But if you have the time go for it

-- Rogue

The “Router Boss” and “Woodrat” seem to use similar principles. ($1000.00??) So the question is can their functionality be equaled using a radial arm saw foundation for less cost.

-- Joe

I’ve got the same saw as poopiekat does the “RA200” had it for 20+ years. I have used it as a router and it did a fine job, but I prefer it as an RAS instead of the router, that’s just MY opinion.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

I swear I have seen a bracket that you can mount a router to the arm of an R.A.S. I’ll keep an eye open to see if I find one.

-- He said wood...http://hickbyassociation.blogspot.com/

linear bearings sound great.
I can get a radial arm saw for about $100 if I could find one with a burnt up motor for free would be better since I don’t need that part anyway.
as for the mount bracket I was just gonna use the same one I used for my compound miter router
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I’ll have to look at that wood rat
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Danny is this one it?
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I haven’t worked out all the adjustments yet it seems to be infinate
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-- jay Rambling on and on again

The Ryobi mentioned above was the unit I used to get some really different cuts that would be hard to achieve, especially where the router axis meets the wood at an angle other than perpendicular. With the articulated head, many cuts can be achieved that would be otherwise impossible. I got rid of mine, though, along with the BT2000 saw and just about every other Ryobi tool, because they’re pretty crappy in general. I still do love my 4 1/2” oscillating disk sander, going on 20 years and still a champ. Googling Ryobi RA200, the first few results are for a product recall.
Having used an Onsrud Pin Router in a few commercial shops, I’ll swear by the capability of having your rotating cutter ABOVE the work, rather than below for some applications, which was why I bought the Ryobi in the first place.
I think Harbor Freight has a collet adapter that screws right onto a 5/8” mandrel for converting your radial saw to a router…and does that for about $10.

-- If Stradivarius was alive today, he'd be using Gorilla Glue.

When I got down to my shop I realized my last post was very irresponsible. Saftey first and it is no joke so don’t try to reproduce my compound miter router and if you do send me some money. BUT SERIOUSLY use a UL approved tape

-- jay Rambling on and on again

jm540 that looks way to dangerous to even comtemplate and please remember there are kids on here that might think i looks cool and try and replicate what you have done please take the pic off

andy

-- cut it saw it scrap it

I don’t agree with the picture coming down. There’s nothing wrong with a little fun. If you don’t like the fun in it, then that’s fine, but if you take it that seriously, then perhaps it’s time to step away from the computer for a while. I take that picture as a fun tribute (whether intended or not) of the FINE Mr. Red Green. He would certainly approve. I don’t feel any of the kids that are on this site, would be dumb enough to try this, nor, because it’s a cheap old Black & Decker router, would it do much harm.

Take time to laugh, while still being respectful and smart.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

There’s been way too many people trying to step in as LumberJock Police lately…. Not good for the site. Most of us are adults….... and most adults don’t like being “told” what to do. Not referring to you Ric
- JJ

-- JJ...... I guess you could say I'm a 54 year old "juniorjock". — Make things with wood.

I don’t wanna make anyone mad but I will tell you bluntly if you have a child that is not mentally capable of seeing this as funny or unsafe and you allow them on the internet and/or around power tools unsupervised you are a horrible parent (I really mean unfit/idiot).Who needs to have thier children taken from there custody because my picture is the least of your worries.

Further more if any of you. see on the news that a child was mauled by a compound miter router on the news it is your duty to go to the hospital w/social services or a baseball bat I prefer both to straighten there parents out

I like it here good fun sorry not taking it down
tomorrow I think I’ll make something else
but I am serious about the radial arm router

-- jay Rambling on and on again

I do need to point out you should take the blade out of the saw

it cuts the tape

ps when I was 7 my mom showed me how to use a drill motor with a spade bit and left me drilling holes in a stump all afternoon she is osha 50 certified and I have all my digits

-- jay Rambling on and on again

I agree with you jay.
- JJ

-- JJ...... I guess you could say I'm a 54 year old "juniorjock". — Make things with wood.

I agree with pommy but only because you taped the safety switch in the ON position.

What do I know? I thought my daughter was smarter than to have octuplets.

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

saw dust my wife just had to watch your daughters interview on TV tonight

-- jay Rambling on and on again

are you guyzzzz kidding? Red Green would be drooling over that saw/router or what ever it is!

-- ART- WINSTED CT. Just Remember! If you walk a mile in another mans shoes ----your a mile away and you've got his shoes!

All right, you guys!!
Time to weigh in on the LJ Police thing!! Oh, nevermind!!
Heh, I was about to spout off about some wisecracker poster who put up the goofy picture, vandalizing a perfectly good thread…. then I realized it was the OP who posted it!! LOL shame on you, jm540!!
Now go find yourself a Ryobi RA200/205 and go to work.

-- If Stradivarius was alive today, he'd be using Gorilla Glue.

My vote: Funny as heck picture… Reminds me of the Red Green show and the nutball things he’d put together.. ;)

Before my father passed away we were digging through my grandfathers old shop getting the place ready for sale. There was an interesting, but not well used mortise machine in the corner. Apparently my grandfather disliked using it for building cabinets, so he just did it manually.

artie: I see you’re a fan, too! :D

Sawdust2: That’s your daughter? Congrats to her.. I think.. ;) No, really, grats.. And good luck to her!

poopiekat: You’re aware that jm540 trashed jm540’s own thread, right? Considering jm540 posted the picture… :D :D

People need to lighten up, eesh.

Oh.. You might enjoy this link, BTW.

http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=4272.0

Back on a serious note: LOL

Jay, I have the DeWalt DW1251 RAS, and there is a mount on the motor housing to hold an OEM router bracket.

Try looking at their website and see if you can glean any ideas about how to mount the router.

I’ve used the DeWalt shaper kit, but never the router kit.

-- I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.

Sorry i was being to sensitive had a bad day and didn’t see the funny side but today i see it sorry for being a PRAT …...........

andy

-- cut it saw it scrap it

I recently picked up a used Craftsman radial arm saw and it has a router feature on the arbor opposite the blade. It was the only one I looked at that had this feature. I havent’ used it and I suspect there are limitations due to the slower speed.

-- If she asks please tell my wife that I can sell my tools for what I paid, okay?

If any one has apicture or model number of the craftsman I would like to look at that option

-- jay Rambling on and on again

It looks like there are quite a few RAS with built in Routers…

You mentioned motorless cnc, have you seen spalms he built?
http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/SPalm/blog/4271
coolest one I have ever seen.
For the price of a woodrat or multi-router you could build one of these.

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever...

hello JM540: I have been watching to see if anyone would discribe the machine that i built .Here I am thinking “this is going to fund my retirement” but alas SEARS beat me to it. Yes I built a radial arm router that is the coolist tool in my shop. The router is sentered where the saw motor should be only it points down,that is until you tilt it forward,or backward,left or right ,virtually any angle is possible. so if your router bit isn’t the right shape you can tilt it to conform to the shape you want.—you just have to be carfull with it.If you need the handle on the right just turn it around or put it on the left.—I’ll have to hunt down my pictures and post them. ART

-- ART- WINSTED CT. Just Remember! If you walk a mile in another mans shoes ----your a mile away and you've got his shoes!

artie don’t be afraid to toot your own horn that’s why I asked here I would greatly appreciate it I got to thinking of the possibilities and got a head ache but some of the ones I haven’t already listed are

you no longer need a chamfer bit of any angle as you can tilt the router and use a plunge mortising or dado or staight cut what ever you have.
you can cut compound angle profiles like T-chisel encountered on the bombay on the upper pediment with the same cutters

I could level a board to big for my planer ( I would probably use hand planes but I could make a couple quick passes for reference

I am always creating profiles by running my 10 bits at different depths and or on different faces to try to create something different I could now run them at different angles( I would like to invent a profile and put it on every original piece I make)

You dont need that jig David Marks made to make a spherical relief in something you just go to center lock the slide lock unlock the chamfer and move by hand rotate repeat and so on

-- jay Rambling on and on again

Even if the compound miter router was posted by someone other than the OP, I still wuldn’t call it threadcrapping. Just too funny.

I sold Craftsman bench power tools for a few years and moved a few RAS’ with the router arbor but I never heard of anyone actually buying the collet adapter and using it. Some of us mentioned it as a feature, but it seemed so obscure we often didn’t bother.

I still like artie’s homegrown version better, if only for it’s creative execution.

-- Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur

While working on my last project I have vowed to never cut another dado in plywood with a circ blade and this is where the road lead me.
maybe I just need some high dollar blades
but now I am seeing possibilities

-- jay Rambling on and on again