OPR with Pix

[charlese]

Hi,

...First thing I noticed Chuck was that in the pictures the part called the "deflector" is not mounted... I had to retrofit my system with that, the casting was not drilled for it... mine is an early model. Any reason that did not get used??

Second thing was about router selection. Mine came with a sears 1/4" router that included a bracket for a light from the router....
Ed

Used the deflector for the first set-up - in the vertical position - according to instructions. When mounting the router ( a Porter Cable 890) found that the deflector was just in the way! The 890 has a push button collet lock to enable one wrench collet changes. The housing for this lock would not fit through the deflector. The deflector also hampered the placement of the router]
I had a choice - either cut away the center of the deflector, or dis-mount it. Couldn't see destroying a new piece of plastic (that I didn't understand anyway) so stuck it in a drawer with allen wrenches and inserts for the OPR. Still don't know of a useful purpose for the deflector!

Reviewed your postings of the Joint Matic. They are quite comprehensive! Thanks! Now - for the first time. I almost understand what how that machine operates. Did you make the cute tilting jig (made from oak with toilet bolts)? I see you can use that for making a dovetail in a miter joint. My stifled imagination stops there. Can you tell me more uses? Without thinking any further, I think you can accomplish that "mitered dovetail" on an OPR fairly easily... by tilting the table, but you would need to install a miter Gage slot into the present OPR table.

After reviewing your posts re: the J-M I am thinking the best thing for me is to make an additional "home made" replacement table out of MDF for the OPR horizontal operations only. The new table would resemble the "base" of the J-M. It would have a fixed fence (kind of replacing the "Slider"), with slots to accommodate hold downs. The table base would have a cut out to allow the bit to be below the table (as the J-M) and have a miter slot. This needs more thought!

[reible]

Used the deflector for the first set-up - in the vertical position - according to instructions. When mounting the router ( a Porter Cable 890) found that the deflector was just in the way! The 890 has a push button collet lock to enable one wrench collet changes. The housing for this lock would not fit through the deflector. The deflector also hampered the placement of the router]
I had a choice - either cut away the center of the deflector, or dis-mount it. Couldn't see destroying a new piece of plastic (that I didn't understand anyway) so stuck it in a drawer with allen wrenches and inserts for the OPR. Still don't know of a useful purpose for the deflector!

Hi,

From what I heard... no personal experence... the deflector was added because chunks of wood were ending up getting into the bottom of the router and in some cases causing damage to the fan or other parts. Of couse newer routers may not have this problem but this is something you might want to have a look at. You still need air flow so the deflector has to mount just away from the bottom of the router.

Reviewed your postings of the Joint Matic. They are quite comprehensive! Thanks! Now - for the first time. I almost understand what how that machine operates. Did you make the cute tilting jig (made from oak with toilet bolts)?

Yes the bevel miter gauge was my version of the one that shopsmith use to sell. In fact I have all the parts for one of those offical ones except for two very critical ones... figures right? The part that tips up called the angle plate and the angle plate fence. I have seem the real jigs on sale at ebay but they go for more then I'm willing to pay...

I see you can use that for making a dovetail in a miter joint. My stifled imagination stops there. Can you tell me more uses? Without thinking any further, I think you can accomplish that "mitered dovetail" on an OPR fairly easily... by tilting the table, but you would need to install a miter Gage slot into the present OPR table.

In addition to the picture frame miter joint shown you can also do a bevel cut (sliding dovetail) to sides of boxes. One other cool thing I know about is when making a table you can do the brace between the rails (at the corners) as a dovetail brace between the rails... locks things up tight. I don't know if you can picture that but anyway, yea it has other uses.

After reviewing your posts re: the J-M I am thinking the best thing for me is to make an additional "home made" replacement table out of MDF for the OPR horizontal operations only. The new table would resemble the "base" of the J-M. It would have a fixed fence (kind of replacing the "Slider"), with slots to accommodate hold downs. The table base would have a cut out to allow the bit to be below the table (as the J-M) and have a miter slot. This needs more thought!

When I figured out how the new OPR worked I could see that shopsmith sort of missed the boat on the horizontal uses. I think maybe some one thought that up after it was designed. I think you have the right idea about a second table top.

With present equipment you can do some of the J-M functions but without the cut out in the table you compromise some things. On the J-M the face of the project goes down against the base so all cuts are referenced off that one surface.... this I think is a big deal. Same thing with the need for a slider, both for having a surface to work off of and for doing hold downs. I think both of those functions can be addressed.

One problem I can for see is the limits of the OPR table height adjustment. You have only one inch of adjustment with out having to reset it. Depending on what function you are try to do this could be a problem. Take making box joints on a box that is even just 4" tall... or half-blind dovetail joints on boxes. Those might best be done on another machine.

Anyway I think Chuck has the right idea... maybe we can see what ideas he has for us.... we will appoint him lead person on the project.

Ed

[charlese]

One problem I can for see is the limits of the OPR table height adjustment. You have only one inch of adjustment with out having to reset it. Depending on what function you are try to do this could be a problem. Take making box joints on a box that is even just 4" tall... or half-blind dovetail joints on boxes. Those might best be done on another machine.

Anyway I think Chuck has the right idea... maybe we can see what ideas he has for us.... we will appoint him lead person on the project.

Ed

The height adjustment should only be limited to the distance between the bit and how low the table will go. By starting at the lowest table setting you can raise the table as high as the adjustable collar will take you - then with a locked table you can retract the collar to small and slide it down. Then you can start all over again. If you start in the middle of a box side - you have probably about 8" (didn't measure this - it's a guess) - Then turn the work piece bottom up and work from the middle again. This way you can get maybe a 16" box with box joints.

Don't depend on me as a lead! I think whoever goes to Nick's class will be able to tell us a lot.

[reible]

The height adjustment should only be limited to the distance between the bit and how low the table will go. By starting at the lowest table setting you can raise the table as high as the adjustable collar will take you - then with a locked table you can retract the collar to small and slide it down. Then you can start all over again. If you start in the middle of a box side - you have probably about 8" (didn't measure this - it's a guess) - Then turn the work piece bottom up and work from the middle again. This way you can get maybe a 16" box with box joints.

Don't depend on me as a lead! I think whoever goes to Nick's class will be able to tell us a lot.

Hi,

Key word is height adjustment, the total height is not an issue. I'm just saying this is a lot of turning to be doing as well are moving positions.

For the moment lets look at this in terms of how I would do this on a J-M arrangement but with the OPR limits. Lets say we want to make a box that is 3-3/8" tall. The material is 3/8" and we want to do a 3/8" box joint. We group the side and we group the front and back.

We want the front/back to have a full width at the top and bottom. So the first cut will be to the sides, and the bit (3/8") is zeroed at table height being the center of the bit. The bit needs to move up 3 turns to make a full cut. You cut both of the ends of the sides, then turn 6 {turns = 9} times and do the front/back stack. You turn 6 more times {turns = 15} and make the next cut on the sides. At this point you have only 1 turn left. Part of the reposition will be turning it back to zero (15 turns). [Recap: 1 cut on front/back, two on sides, total vertical distance 1-1/8"]

Take two.

6 turns, make cut on front/back. Six more turns {turns = 12} and do the sides. At this point you have only 4 turns left so another reset.
[Recap: totals]

Repeat above. [Recap: totals; 3 cuts on front/back, 4 on sides, total vertical distance = 2-5/8"]

Repeat above. [Recap: totals; 4 cuts on front/back, 5 on sides, total vertical distance = 3-1/4"] One box done.

It can be done but that is a lot of turns (90 to 102) and moves (4). You could do some cheating but if you get mixed up then it is all over for that box.

Now maybe Nick has keen way to do this??? So who is going to the class and find out for us???

Ed