I decided to buy a new Ryobi router, finally arrived an hour ago. They discontinued the palm router so I bought the model 163. Also bought a 110/220 1200W transformer (super expensive)
Well, this thing is totally unsafe to make the fin boxes or fin plugs; I mean, I use one with similar power and RPM s but with kind of spring that keep the bits “inside” the base of the router then you turn the tool put it on the boxes guide and push down so you can make the desired groove; also and very important, it s have a guide in mm to help to do a precise cut; so, not handy as a palm router but very good.
But with these type of routers I do not know how to handle it right. They have a “fixed” cut and without any real guide, only a depth adjustment knob but somewhat useless to make the plug holes.
-what s the best way to deal with them?
I put the bit then turns on and whats then? You know, you have the guides onto the shaped blank and this beast at 25000rpm s WITH the bit “outside”…I need to put it exactly on the guide hole…
Im thinking to start the cut with a very shallow pass the then another and so on…man, what a waste of money
May be one of you, carpenters, can provide some insights about.
I have a Ryobi panel router and it is kind of scary. I only use it for routing fin boxes and I only use it for foam cuts. One thing that I do is drill a hole through the glass and align the router bit to the hole for the initial plunge. This keeps the bit from skipping on the glass… NOTE: I only use it for my probox fin boxes, so I have the proper jigs and bit. Watch this to see what I am talking about: http://proboxhawaii.com/pages/install_movie.html
I also have a plunge router and I tend to use that a lot more. All my 10" box cuts and all wood cuts are with the big router. I also do a shallow route by hand inside the jig maybe 1/2 way and then do the full cut on the second pass.
Another word of wisdom with routers: Cut with the direction that the blade spins - cutting backward causes heat and FIRE! I caught a stringer on fire ONCE. It does happen…
Some call this climb cutting, there are reasons to do it in some machine operations, but generally speaking, on a surfboard, cutting into the blade will yield the cleanest cut and minimize any chatter. The key is to take your time.
…yes, plunge router is what I use; I did not know that designation.
-the link you provide do not exist.
-The problem that I see to align the router with the hole, for that initial cut you say, is that the motor is fixed to the base so I need to have the bit set to the desired depth…
Hi 'Verb, Howzit? A plunge router is the safest and easiest however, with the one you have it is a different procedure. There are a couple of ways to go about it. One, you place the router flat on the template with the bit retracted, (backed off) and turn on router and slowly turn to desired depth. Two, you have the bit depth pre-set and turn it on and hold the tool so the edge of the base is in contact with the template. Then you s-l-o-w-l-y tilt the base flat and roll in the bit into the blank. You can pre-drill a hole for the bit to tilt into or use the bit to cut into the board. Of course with any procedure using a router ALWAYS use a very firm hand and grip, no matter what you are routing. Some use a piece of tape around the router body to mark final depth of cut and slowly work the bit down. With a sharp bit you can go full depth on the foam but as you probably know, take the stringer down in a few passes to stop it from grenadeing on you.But it is better to go with a few passes at increasingly deeper cuts. The best bit to use is a spiral fluted cutter that "downcuts" or, downshears the material. An upcut spiral will pull the glass loose from the foam if not carefull. Also, 1/2" or 10mm diameter shank is easier, safer, and will last the longest. I'll have to look up your particular model and check depth adjustment mode. Hope this helps.
Hey Reverb, I looked up your particular router and good news, it has a screw depth adjustment like a worm drive.. This will allow you to maintain a good grip with one hand with the base flat. Set up template, lay router base flat with bit above surface. Turn on the router and with one hand screw the depth down to 5mm deep or so and plow away. Keep going deeper with each following pass. This is much safer than the router body turning inside the base for adjustment. Put a mark or tape on the body where the final depth will be and gradually work your way down. Good luck and keep turning out those beautiful Eggs!
Sorry about the link. Anyway, in the video, he does the plunge by putting the back of the router on the board/jig and tilting the bit down into the hole. Link
…hello fellas, thanks for your time; in the meantime I decided to have a go on several plugs that I need to install today;
now reading your lasts responses I see that I did similar tests.
Tblank, that is a depth knob that I mentioned previously, but do not work for this application, its not a guide.
This router cannot be used with one hand, so it s not a palm router nor a plunge router…it s a palm router on steroids.
Ryobi discontinued the other for this thing that are in the middle of both worlds and is useless because do not do anything better than a plunger or a trimmer router.
So I cannot going deeper with that knob because the motor is fixed to the base, so is not possible to adjust the depth “on a fly”; you should stop and unlock a tab then adjust the depth, lock again, etc, but that is not all, you cannot adjust any depth because the tool do not have a guide, a ruler, so you do not what s measure you have at the moment. Also, you never know what s your depth…I just put the bits then take a caliper and took measurements from the base!! what a crappy product! Totally inaccurate.
-However I did the one hand trick and the possibilities that all goes wrong are high, mostly onto the stringers