Metal routers vs. shop made wooden routers

[Dustin Keys]

I've got a project coming up for which I will need a router and I would like to do it all with hand tools. I don't have a meat powered router though. As I'm fairly new to this and still in the constant process of acquiring the basic tools needed, I'm always looking for places to save some money and still get the job done properly. A wooden router seems to be a good place to do that as I already have lots of spare allen wrenches and some wood scraps laying around that are ideal for the project. Many of the tools I need are too complicated for a beginner like me to build successfully IMO, but the router looks like something that I could do a good job of relatively easily as it appears to be a very simple system.

My only hesitation is performance. Can I make a wooden router that will get the job done as well as an old Stanley or a new tool like the Veritas? My intention is to build something similar to Derek Cohen's that he posted on his website. I don't want to go through the trouble of building something that I'll ultimately decide leaves a lot to be desired and end up buying something else. If that's likely to be the outcome, I should just buy the metal one now. I'm thinking that it won't be an issue though and that the wooden router could work great for years to come, but wanted to ask those of you with more experience.

Thanks,
D

[Jim Koepke]

Many of the tools I need are too complicated for a beginner like me to build successfully IMO, but the router looks like something that I could do a good job of relatively easily as it appears to be a very simple system.

My only hesitation is performance. Can I make a wooden router that will get the job done as well as an old Stanley or a new tool like the Veritas?

Some of my best learning experiences have come from things done that didn't work as planned.

A hand powered router is vastly different than an electron burning router.

Knowing more about your upcoming project would help to determine what your needs encompass.

It is highly unlikely that you could make a wooden bodied router that would rival the performance of a new Veritas. However, a wooden bodied router may perform as well or even better for a particular use when compared to a manufactured router.

Check this thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?119557-Simple-OWT-tutoral&highlight=woman's%20tooth

Be sure to scroll down to the "tenon router." The tenon router is one example of a shop built tool that will do its job better than a new Veritas router plane.

jtk

[Dustin Keys]

It is highly unlikely that you could make a wooden bodied router that would rival the performance of a new Veritas. However, a wooden bodied router may perform as well or even better for a particular use when compared to a manufactured router.

jtk

Thanks Jim, could you elaborate on this point though? What is the Veritas router or a simlar option going to do decidedly better than a wooden one? I'm trying to understand what the tradeoffs are with building my own.

D

[Jim Koepke]

What is the Veritas router or a simlar option going to do decidedly better than a wooden one? I'm trying to understand what the tradeoffs are with building my own.


The Veritas will have a precision ground sole and a blade adjuster to start with. Nice, but not as important for a router built for a dedicated use.

jtk

[Adam Cherubini]

Can I make a wooden router that will get the job done as well as an old Stanley or a new tool like the Veritas?


Quick answer is probably not. Last I looked the LV had a cool micro adjusting feature. Turning an allen key into something usable as a cutter isn't trivial. Personally, I prefer the OWT style of router. It uses a plow plane iron for a cutter. If you have (or will have) a plow, a set of these irons can do double duty. The cutting angle is significantly different (almost a scraper) and you have a very small foot, good for small areas. Plus you get an adjustable width of cut which can be nice. These were traditionally user made, but are liable to be a bit mroe difficult to make than what you were thinking.

That said, I agree with Jim, good to try and struggle a bit. It's all part of your woodworking education. There are only a few things I look back on doing and thinking it was a waste of time.

Here are some details about OWTs from Alf's page:

http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/wwrouterplane.html

[Jim Neeley]

The electron router is little more than a portable spinning motor with a chuck by itself. The flexibility comes when you purchase the blades for it.

Likewise, doing it by hand requires different profiles of blades. The difference is not all of them fit in the same "chuck" (plane body). For some activities a router plane fits. For some, a molding plane, for some a spokeshave, etc. It depends on what you are trying to achieve. It's wonderfully silent and, when sharp, a really fun experience though. :)

Actually, routers are like that too.. there are trim routers, plunge routers, large powerful routers and small agile routers. Much like the different plane bodies.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

What's the project coming up that you plan the need for a router? What part of it do need the router for?

[Richard Line]

I have made a router plane, well the body for one. I am using the LV router blades to avoid trying to make a good blade from an allen wrench. Making the body and blade holding wasn't hard. Most importantly, the plane works quite well. However, what it definitely lacks in comparison to the LV large router plane is the easy and controlled blade adjustment and a provision for a fence. I haven't missed the fence yet. Adjusting the blade depth, for a finished depth can be done by setting the plane on a couple of drill bits of the desired size and dropping blade down to rest on the bench surface.

One advantage of making the body is you can make it to the size you want/need easily. For example, if working tenons you might make one side extra long to help support it as you work out toward the end.

I'm happy with my hand made plane, but I'd trade it for the LV larger router plane in a micro-second.

[Zach Dillinger]

I have a Stanley 71, a Stanley 71 1/2, LV blades for the two, a shop-built OWT, and an OWT by Griffiths Norwich. I prefer, out of all of them, the Griffiths with my plow plane irons. It works great and just feels right. The Stanleys, in my opinion, just feel weird. Its a precision tool, not a hogging out tool, so the scraping action of the OWT is nice.

[Garrett Ellis]

A hand powered router is vastly different than an electron burning router.

Knowing more about your upcoming project would help to determine what your needs encompass.

This is an important point - what is your project and what parts are you planning on using the router plane? I have a veritas, and I love it, but it doesn't really get used for the same tasks an electric router would.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Go ahead and make one. It's not a huge project. I suggest getting the blade(s) from Lee Valley rather than grinding from a allen wrench, which is not easy to do properly. I tried twice and eventually decided to just buy them from Lee Valley. My wooden one is a bit small so, eventually I hope to get a LN or LV large router.

[Peter Pedisich]

That said, I agree with Jim, good to try and struggle a bit. It's all part of your woodworking education. There are only a few things I look back on doing and thinking it was a waste of time.

Brilliant! ...couldn't agree more.

[Dustin Keys]

Thanks for all the feedback. The first project I need it for is a saw bench (was going to use the $5.87 saw bench plans Chris Schwarz published). I could probably build it without a router, but I need one anyway and this project calls for it so now is as good a time as any.

I don't want to build this for one specific task, it needs to be a general purpose router such as the Veritas. I'm sure there will be times when I'll want to throw something together for a specific purpose, but in this case I need a basic, versatile router plane.

I could make a depth stop pretty easily. I'm giving some thought to the depth adjustment though. I might be able to build that into a wooden router, but need to think about it some more. I think it's possible but I need to mess with it a little and see if I can think of a way to do it that will work well. After looking at the way the Veritas works, I don't see why I couldn't build the same type of mechanism into a wooden body router.

I keep seeing the terms D-handle router and OWT being applied to basically the same design, yet several of you are distinguishing between them as if they are different types of routers. Can someone explain the difference? I believe the one that I'm considering building is a D handle, but I see lots of people calling it an OWT as well so I thought they were two terms for the same thing.

D

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Dustin

My "OWT" is more correctly a wooden router plane. Since I built it originally, two modifications have been made.
The first was to use Veritas blades rather than the hex key blade, since these are far more capable. It is important to create a rigid hold mechanism.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/UpgradingTheOWT_html_m3ba8390.jpg

A depth stop for the blade is very important at this lends a higher level of precision to the results.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/UpgradingTheOWT_html_59880358.jpg

There is no reason why you cannot do precise work with a router plane such as this, as I have. Nevertheless, a metal Veritas router plane is in a class of its own and, it you can afford one, well worth purchasing.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I went a long time without having a router plane. I think it's a great tool to have, and when I need it, I'm very glad I have it. But if you're talking about leveling the bottom of the lap joints and stuff in a saw bench with a router plane, while that ends up being a good use for the tool, when I made my saw benches, I used a wide chisel. A wide chisel is well suited to this task, and I think something like a saw bench is a great place to practice using a chisel to level an area like this, which I think is an important skill to master. But a saw bench doesn't have to be pretty, and some judicious screws can pull things together a little tighter where need be.

I use a 40mm chisel for all sorts of stuff. Levelling tenon cheeks, chamfering edges, removing a bit of proud material, undercutting tenon shoulders, even smoothing surfaces in few spots. The chisel isn't always the best tool for a job, but I think it's an important skill to learn. I think the "Exercises in Woodworking" exercise of squaring a small block with a chisel is a great thing to learn.

This isn't an attempt to dissuade you from getting a router plane, but just a suggestion that this is a great project to build skill - skill and inventory aren't always at odds, but it's easy to let the latter get in front of the former.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Another thing to add - the old stanley routers can often be had pretty cheaply used.

And as others have said, using the Veritas blades is a good option (for the Stanleys as well) and then if you get a metal router plane, you've got two planes that can use the same blades, so even if you ditch the original router, you've got blades of use to you.

[Richard Line]

If your next project is Chris' saw bench, then I would suggest a slightly different approach to building them, or at least dressing up the leg/top joints. Chris does use a router plane, but a shoulder plane will work pretty well also. However, here is a suggestion that builds on Chris' approach. He gangs the legs together and the tops, so he can dress all legs (or tops) at one time. This is a great approach. For you, I would suggest using a block plane (low angle is my pick) or a bench plane to do most of the final dressing, and then Joshua's recommendation of a chisel to do the final dressing, and the corners that the plane couldn't work.

Ganging or clamping 4 legs at a time or the 2 tops together will give you a much larger surface to register on and dress. That should help a lot in getting well aligned and dressed joint surfaces.

[Jim Koepke]

The first project I need it for is a saw bench (was going to use the $5.87 saw bench plans Chris Schwarz published).

There are many ways to build a saw bench. My recollection is the Chris Schwarz saw benches have perpendicular legs as opposed to splayed legs like a typical saw horse. My preference is for a little splaying on the legs for stability. Mine tend to get used for more than just sawing.

Here is a post on my making a saw table:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?146777-Saw-Table-Project

It is easy to vary its construction by just changing the angles from 15º to 0º.

A few have been built since the linked post. My joinery has improved with each one made. Each one's construction has given me new insights. With "cull" lumber from the orange borg, my material cost on many of them has been less than $2.

jtk