Overarm routing

[Lowell D Sites]

I have been interested in getting and using an overarm router system. There seems to be very little interest today by woodworkers in a good afordable overarm or overhead router. I don't understand why most router users seem to prefer working blind with a regular router table or freehand routing, when you can use an overhead router system and see what you are doing. A few years ago Sears Craftsman put out a nice unit, and several other machine companys did also, but that seems to be a thing of the past. Does anyone know of anyone building such a unit today?  I am posting a picture of the Craftsman unit that I spoke about. It is shown on the front of a book.

Lowell

 

[Gary roofner]

These are what are known as pin routers shopsmith may still make a pin router here is a link.

http://www.shopsmith.com/academy/routing2/index.htm

[Ken Kortch]

I'm guessing its fear of fingers getting mixed up with the router bit ... kind of like the move away from radial arm saws.  Putting the bit on the bottom allows the wood to act as a sort of guard - so long as its movement is controlled (proper feeding, fingerboards, ...).

... but I'm NO expert ... just a beginner myself

[Robert Brennan]

Hello Lowell,

I investigated the same principle after not being able to afford a decent sized CNC Machine.

The only one I found was called a Torque Workcenter, and they come as a fixed O/H router or a more sophisticated mobile unit.

Both were also expensive for my home workshop conditions so I never followed up on them..

Regards

Robert Brennan

[Jay Boutwell]

Hi Lowell, I use a pin router frequently when I am cutting design engravings into cabinet doors, drawers, and rail & stiles and other projects.  I use it with spiral upcut bits for doing design cutting that is almost impossible to cut of needed verticle depth of cuts into wood using a hand held or dremel tooling.  I fine it works well.  I also use it with the router mounted under the table for cutting flush cuts against a templet when making the arched rails of cabinet doors.  The one I have is a shop smith and I mount different mid sized porter cable routers in it.

The attached picture is with the arm moved to the right of center of the table.  Normally I have a router in the upper arm however I have removed it to use on a job site where I needed this router.  There is one mounted under the table and when I have one in the upper arm and need to use it as a pin router I just remove the bit from the table mounter router and insert a cover plate over the hole, move the pin router arm over the table and start cutting.  Excellent tooling to have.

[Lowell D Sites]

Hi, All:

 Jay, what kind of machine is the one that you show in the picture that you posted? Would it hold a porter Cable

laminate router like the 310M that I have? It looks like a nice set up. I am about to give up and try to build one.

I built and used an over pin router set up, but, you still are routing blind.

Thanks.

Lowell

[Jay Boutwell]

Lowell it is one made by shopsmith and was made about 25 years or so ago.  It holds the mid sized routers and does have some hard rubber adapter made like a pad that allows you to use the small router like laminate routers.  I never have put one in it as I have found the larger router to be all I need and also gives me the ability to use a 1/2" dia shanked bits.  When I mount a router in the top I can either remove the lower router or just remove the bit and place a cover over the hole.  The way you see it now it has a router under the table with a flush trim bit protruding.  I use it for flush trimming the arched rails with the templet and also the arched panel as the step just before cutting the pattern in the arched rail and the arch on the panel before cutting the raised panels.
 
Lowell D Sites said:

Hi, All:

 Jay, what kind of machine is the one that you show in the picture that you posted? Would it hold a porter Cable

laminate router like the 310M that I have? It looks like a nice set up. I am about to give up and try to build one.

I built and used an over pin router set up, but, you still are routing blind.

Thanks.

Lowell