# Router cut wood gears



## pinehunter (Oct 18, 2016)

I am looking to cut wood gears as decoration similar to paper templates attached - comments would be appreciated.

Regards

pinehunter


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Ask Oliver. He's cut lots of them for his projects.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Never done gears, but have done lots of complicated routing. I'd just glue the paper down, and carefully cut it out, which is what I normally do when making my masters. Then you can use that and clone as many as you want.


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## pinehunter (Oct 18, 2016)

Hi - JOAT thanks for the info.

Regards

pinehunter


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

I usually cut my gears on a scroll saw although you could cut yours very quickly on a bandsaw. You don't show a central shaft hole but if you add one you can then use it as a pivot point to sand the gears into a perfect circle on a disk sander after you have cut the teeth. Or use the central shaft hole to cut the circular shape with a router and then cut the teeth on the bandsaw or scroll saw. I haven't found a good way to cut my gear teeth with a router.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Gaffboat said:


> I haven't found a good way to cut my gear teeth with a router.


Dunno if I do it a 'good' way, but works for me. Almost everything I do, the first thing I do is make a really nice master - that way I can rout nice copies. Never done gears, but other projects just as complex. Way I would do them, is make a 'perfect' master. This could mean just one gear tooth, and likely would, I'm not that good. I'd cut a round circle, tack my master down, and rout the one tooth. Then I'd loosen the nails, carefully line the master for the next tooth, tack down, rout, and repeat until all the teeth are done. A bit time consuming, and a bit of a PITA to do, but you get teeth that are all the same. And if I planned on making more, I'd glue the finished gear down, then using the finished gear, rout it out, so I'd wind up with a 1" thick master (I use 1/2" plywood), then I could turn out as many identical duplicates as I wanted. Of course, if you wanted a different size gear, you'd have to go thru the whole drill again. I always scrollsaw something like that out just a hair large, then sand it to the final shape. It all works very well for me, not sure how it will do for someone else - I do tend to do somethings different from other people, but on the otherhand, I am the only one that needs to be happy with the finished product.


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Dave, I made plywood gears for my gear driven rope machine by sticking a pattern on the plywood , then cutting them out with a band saw and finishing with a file and sandpaper. That project peaked my interest about how patternmakers made patterns for casting larger gears...which I found to be extremely complicated. This is my result of a wall decoration 2" thick teeth and 22-1/2" in diameter.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

I believe some people drill holes at the bottom between the teeth and then cut with a saw. Matthias uses wooden gears a lot, he must have some info on his site: Woodworking for engineers but I believe he uses a band saw.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

pinehunter said:


> I am looking to cut wood gears as decoration similar to paper templates attached - comments would be appreciated.
> 
> Regards
> 
> ...




Dave...how big do you need the gears...? Typically, you would drill holes concentrically on a piece of wood. Then by slicing through the center, as in making a smaller circle, it leaves half holes looking like gear teeth. Some sanding is required...

Now if your gears are large, bearing guided bit, template, etc...

In any event, take a look at this


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Two words for you:
*Matthias Wandel*

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

Two words for you:
Matthias Wandel: https://woodgears.ca/ Has a ton of information about gears and how to make them.


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## pinehunter (Oct 18, 2016)

Hi Gaffboat and JOAT thanks for your advice. At the moment I am cutting blanks from 6mm ply to try things out.

Regards

dave


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## pinehunter (Oct 18, 2016)

Hi - Thanks to everyone for help with gear cutting. I now have a system that works using a router.











TenGees I don't no whether or Knot I should go inGOGneato on the matter.

Regards

dave


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Nickp said:


> In any event, take a look at this


Interesting video. But hard to believe that all that pricey tools and no scrollsaw or bandsaw. I have never tried gears, but will be doing a project somewhat similar, but won't be doing near a complicated setup as him. 

I will be making tires/wheels for my monster truck bank projects. And routing tread on them. I started by drawing circle sizes I thought I would need on 1/4" graph paper. Then guided by the compass point dent, using a ruler, drew a line up the paper, and across. Then measured the distance between the lines, at the largest circle. Then marked that at the halfway point, drew more lines. Same at each smaller circle. By looking it all looks evenly spaced, and didn't take long at all. 

I will be making a fence for the router, probably a chunk of 2X4, with a notch cut just large enough to fit the 1/2" bit I use. The bit will stick out maybe 1/8". Almost forgot, will glue the paper to plywood, then turn to the largest line. I'll carefully line one of the pencil lines up with the bit, slide it forward until the fence stops the wheel, which should give a grove about 1/8", or slightly less, in the wheel - instant tread. Then repeat all around the wheel. Then nail that down to a piece of plywood that has been rough cut to a circle, then rout it, and instant treaded wheel. Sand the disc down to the next smaller line, repeat. Actually, the routed discs will be glued down, then routed out, giving me a 1" thick master. I muchly prefer the 1" masters, as it give more to grasp, and I think they are safer than thinner masters/templates. The finished wheels will be from 1" thick to probably 3".l Just route one 1/2" piece out, glue it to another piece, rout it. Then glue that to another piece, rout it. Repeat until you get the thickness you want. Oh yes, the master has a hole in the center to simulate a wheel. When I rout out the wheel I will not rout out the hole in the piece that goes inside. I don't know how accurate my way would be for gears, but for what I want it for, it should be more than adequate.


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## pinehunter (Oct 18, 2016)

Wood gears cut with router


Regards

pinehunter


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Nice job Dave


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## Gaffboat (Mar 11, 2012)

@pinehunter

Nice looking gears, Dave. Now you need to show us how your jig works. What diameter are the gears?


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## pinehunter (Oct 18, 2016)

Hi Oliver and Rick thanks for your comments. The operation of the jig is easy. The general setup is as shown and the sled holding the gear blank is run against the battens. The left hand batten guides the cutter to machine the right hand side of a tooth and vice versa for the left hand side of a tooth. The circular marks close to the circumference of the blank index the curved teeth roots and are the positions for the cutter. The blank sits on a 1/8" thick splech piece and is secured in position with the wedges. I think the pictures will explain everthing.
Regards dave.


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