Do You Have An Overarm Router?

[John McClanahan]

This thing followed me home recently. It was once used in a printing shop to remove unwanted background elements from letterpress printing plates. The crank on top sets the bit depth. The foot pedal raises the motor up and down. The motor isn't strong enough for woodworking, but I think a Porter Cable motor will fit in the arm. The machine is painted a dark color and isn't as rusty as it looks. The problem is, I don't have the space for a dust collecting machine.

So, is a small overarm router a good addition to shop tools, or is it more of a specialty item?

Thanks, John

Sorry for the rotated photo. It is correct on my desktop.(?)

[johnny means]

How long is the plunge action? With a different motor it might make a really cool boring machine or mortiser. Of course, a pin router can be useful too.

[Chris Parks]

When I did my apprenticeship in the days of hot lead as a compositor we had a small but very neat sliding table saw. I wish I had one now.

[John McClanahan]

Johnny, the plunge is short. Only about an inch. I thought about a pin router. I would need to add the pin to the cast iron table.

Chris, I have the saw, too. I will show it off later.

John

[Jeff Duncan]

I can't say whether or not you'll find a use for it, however overarm routers in general are production tools most often used with templates for routing lots and lots of parts accurately. They have of course been mostly replaced by CNC machines in larger shops these days. If you have projects where you'll want to make duplicate parts and you can make the unit rigid and powerful enough, it could be useful?

good luck,
JeffD

[Kirk Poore]

Yes, I have a small Duro overarm router. I use it a lot. It is extremely handy for producing a flat background on relief carved panels, for routing dados, and for doing pin routing with patterns. Since it will drop into a hole like plunge router, I also use it to round off the edges on interior holes. I think I've reduced the amount of time I use my Porter-Cable hand held by about 80%. (I have a shaper for edge work, so the PC wasn't being used for that either.)

If you do modify that for use with a router, go with a small one so the base doesn't block the view, and put a clear plastic guard on it. Mine throws out a lot of fragments, not just chips. Also, with a guard you can deflect the chips towards a collection port.

Kirk