Universal Convex/concave router table fence?

[Samu.Aalto]

Hello,

Last time when I wondered here about something, one helluva heavy artillery of insight and knowledge of rec.woodworking was instantly pulled out and fired at this newbie. I did not make it :).

Just because of that, I dare to again wonder about something:

I am looking for kinda "universal" router table fence solution for both convex and concave shapes. Let's say I have used the band saw to form a single-radius curve, and I would like to finish my work with not only an edge molding but also with rails or similar from some distance from the edge. I would not like to work the router with my hands, because I think there would not be enough support or accuracy to work through these shapes. Or, the piece to be worked would be smallish.

The actual reason is that I'd like to try to make some special pieces with rails for my son's wooden Brio railway system.

I saw at Patrick's Blood and Gore the Stanley #113 Circular plane, then I saw how Mike Dunbar was using it in his book (I think the book was Restoring, Tuning & Using Classic Woodworking Tools. I may remember wrong here).

Now when the sole mechanism of #113 is designed like that, I wonder could the principle be adapted to be used in kinda universal convex/concave router table fence? Does anyone know anything like this for sale?

Or will just a single point of fixed support/limiter (like one small bearing attached firmly to the table from a known and adjustable distance of a router bit) do the work?

Or am I just not seeing something obvious here?

Regards,

Samu

[Teamcasa]

Samu, I have made many circular moldings using a bearing type router bit. This kind of self adjusting/limiting bit is great for all kinds of profiles on other-than-straight moldings. The real trick is to apply the profile without loosing valuable body parts.

For me, when faced with adding a profile on a curve, I make a guide sled and attach the molding firmly to the sled. The sled is then setup to turn on the proper radius by the use of two guide pins set in the router table top or a temporary 1/4" hardboard top fixed firmly on top of the router table.

Dave

[kcleere]

Could this not be achieved with:

Guide pin installed on the router plate AND a small parts holder AND a pilot bearing bit and no fence...

Safe and easy...???

Teamcasa wrote:

[Clifford Heath]

Or a pin router attachment for your router table, like mine: . Google for Pin Router to find out how it's used.

Clifford Heath.

[Lobby Dosser]

How about this in the meantime:

[Samu.Aalto]

Eh? Pin Router! (forehead slap).

Edge molding is simple with bearing bit, but main concern was how to conveniently make rail moldings for the railway pieces.

I just offset the pin accurately and work always along the edge curve tangential line. Yes. For small pieces there is a holder.

Thanks guys! (Thanks for the googlepinrouter, Clifford)

regards,

Samu

Clifford Heath wrote:

[Bob]

I own one of those (purchased from lee valley). I found that its not all that secure for holding small pieces. Its been relegated to the dusty unused gadgets pile. A simple small hardwood handscrew clamp holds better and works in almost all situations.

Bob

[Clifford Heath]

I'll be interested to hear how that goes. You might want a shaped piece on the end of your pin that somewhat matches the curvature of the track piece you're cutting into.