Help me find a router alternative

Re: Help me find a router alternative

William R. Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Did you see the recent posts discussing Tony Murland's offerings of a bundle of fifty or a hundred assorted "user" wooden molding planes? While the total cost looks a little steep (100 for $750, IIRC), that's less than a lot of router bits on a per function basis.

Re: Help me find a router alternative

joel

>I use a 45 all the time. It works great and I don't have the urge to get individular special purpose metal planes. It does take some getting used to but that is all. You can get wooden versions of some of the more common stuff easily new or if you are nervous about getting a used tool you can pay the price for a top quiality used 45 from a good dealer or buy a new clifton multiplane.

Re: Help me find a router alternative

Tom Williams

>William,

Yes I did, and it piqued my interest enough to check out his site. It wouldn't solve the plow need, though I did see he had separately a couple of inexpensive wooden "drawer" plows. I haven't yet been hit with the H&R craving, but rebates and T&G would get certainly get used. Might be worth an email.

Tom

Re: Help me find a router alternative

Tom Williams

>Thanks Joel. I've heard they can be a bit fussy to set up so it's useful to hear a different perspective. Ernie's recent posting has me more interested in a skew fillester but I'm not going to pay $300 for a Stanley 289. I'm hoping to get to a MWTCA meet next week and look forward to handling a 45 or similar (though I doubt they'll let me put it to wood).

Tom

Look for a Record 405 also

Harold Blair - Traditional Craftsman

>I use a Record 405 (English equivalent of the Stanley 45). Works great for a number of different tasks. Takes a little getting used to but well worth the effort.

Re: Help me find a router alternative

Alan Hamilton

>Tom,

I have a Stanley 12-250 combination plane that does all the jobs you mentioned--plus many others. It has not yet failed to do anything it is supposed to do, and it does each job very well with a minimum of set-up time and trial. I recommend them without reservations.

They were available new, the last time I looked--but I haven't looked lately--from Highland Hardware, Woodcraft and Garrett-Wade. But there's something stirring in the back of my rememberer that they are no longer made/sold/imported. I hope not; they are very good tools.

Alan

Re: Help me find a router alternative

paul womack

>A skew blade isn't essential for rebate work, although it's nice. You can get a HELL of a lot done with a Stanley (or Record) #050 combination plane. If you're keen on big scale rebating, I would recommend a woodie moving fillister. These have better blades than (dramatically more expensive) Stanley #289, and are mocer to look at; and they cost far, far, it's not even funny by how much, less.

In short, start with a decent combination plane, add the rebate plane of your choice, and see how you ya' go from there.

BugBear

router alternative, sort of...

Jonathan Kaplan (OR)

>Tom,

I recently needed to make some 1/4" grooves and didn't want to bother with the electric router, so I cobbled together together the ugly little grooving plane below. Once I got the bugs worked out, it worked well -- I really enjoy using it now. Of course, you'd need to make one for each size groove, and to cut cross-grain dedos you need to scribe w/ a knife first and often with this, but it *does* work. (The holes in the side are for the detachable fence, which is adjusted with a combination of washers, nuts, and random scraps of wood -- I'm sure there are better ways, but this was a quick project!)

My next project is to make a 'bullnosed' model so I can make stopped grooves more easily.

I cut off the working end of my 1/4" Marples chisel for the 'iron', which unfortunately requires sharpening fairly often, but it was easy, at least.

Something like this might work for you...

Jonathan

Re: router alternative, sort of...

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Love the idea of using cheap chisels for the blades, wow, what a lot of work that avoids, useful for a lot of plane types.

Thanks,

Pam, who's now off to cut off some no name Chinese cheapos

Ingenious

Tom Williams

>You did that to avoid turning on the router? You have my most sincere admiration.

Tom

Re: Ingenious

Jonathan Kaplan (OR)

>"Turning on the router" involves plugging it in, setting up dust collection of one sort or another, getting the fence set up, making various jigs so I don't mess up the parts, etc etc. And I still somehow end up with not-quite perfect cuts, etc.

Making the plane might have taken me a bit longer even so, but it was way more fun! And I didn't have to wear eye or ear protection to do it. :)

Jonathan