# Variant of Router Skis



## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

Hi,

I wanted to show you my variant of router skis I built - of course mainly with the router 

Since pictures say more than 1000 words, below please find 4 pictures, still here are some explanations to them:



Ski1: This is the overall jig, with router motor mounted - rather than two horizontal bars, I used just one, and to mount the router motor, a universal holder for 43mm neck drills (and router motors).
Ski3: This is the universal holder and my Kress 1050 FME-1 router motor
Ski4: This is the mount of the horizontal bar in the vertical bar. I used two 6mm/30mm cylinder-head screws with a washer each, riding in the slot, thus avoiding twisting of the horizontal bar. They mount into one threaded insert each in the fixture block for the horizontal bar
Ski5: This is the view from "inside" of the mount - the horizontal bar has a cut-out at the end, straddling the fixture piece, which has two matching notches. Additionally it has two more grooves to safely ride without twisting in the mortise on the inside of the vertical bar. Ok, maybe that was overkill - but better safe than sorry.

Overall dimensions: 


Horizontal bar is 50cm in length, 2.5 x 5 cm
Feet have 60cm length, 6cm x 8cm
Vertical bar is 46cm long, 2.5 x 7.5 cm, overlapped into the foot.

The advantage (for me) of this variant is, that I can tilt the router motor in all directions when needed - so I can cut somewhat different grooves with "normal" bits. My idea was, to eventually create mouldings with it for a computer desk, I'm planning to build somewhen in the future
And since I have a similar holder for my Proxxon motor (like a dremel tool), I can swap the two when needed for more delicate cuts.

Feel free to use the ideas, you might eventually develp your own variant....

I hope you like it,Martin​


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Another way to skin the cat, Martin.

As I told Harry the other day, at least he is getting us to think about what we do and how we can do it.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Nicely done Martin. What method are you using to level the cross bar?


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

Thanks, James and Mike

@Mike:

thanks to the width of the feet and the hight of the fixing block, it's almost automatically level - or better parallel to the workbench, in case that should not be level. And this even in a way, that my original intention, to fine tune hight by just moving one side that fraction of an inch to achive half that fraction hight adjustment in the middle, went awry, unless I want my side posts to stand on edge.
Other than that I just quickly crosscheck with a simple metal-ruler on left and right side.

Martin


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

@James - sorry, somehow that update got amiss

Yes, Harry (and some rare others) is really capable of not just realizing excellent projects, and even to broadcast them in a way others can duplicate them - his works really inspire to build own variants and bring in own ideas and new features. Of course the friendliness of the forum members has a big part there as well. It's sort of a world wide brain-storming 

This sharing of information and the inspiration coming from it is the really great thing about this forum, I really like above all other "positives".

As soon as I can get to it, I'll do some router base, based on Harry's original posts - just "my" way.
Will post about it when realized...

Martin


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Martin, I've been observing some of your other posts, and to me; this thread confirms that you are quite smart and "think outside of the box". There are a couple of things about these photos that I would like to comment on, beyond your ability to be open-minded (a.k.a. forward thinking): 

First is the structure under your ski setup - this may simply be something that you utilized for photographic purposes, or maybe you use it as an open-web clamping table. Either way, some of the machinists that have done work for me have big heavy steel tables in their shops - which enable clamping with various types of clamps in an almost infinite number of positions. Just food for thought!

Secondly, is the vertical boards within your ski variant. I noticed that you used routed slots in the wood. Had you considered utilizing T-Track? Since you have top and bottom board ends on each end of your free horizontal (movable) member, I am wondering if you discovered a difficulty if T-Track had been employed or if it was simply a choice item.

This is a very nice "variant" and looks to be smartly-designed and fabricated!

Trivia: I was born in Landstuhl, West Germany in the US Military Hospital. My Dad was with the US Army Corps of Engineers and was stationed in Toul, France - so we lived there for 14 months following my birth in 1953.

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Martin, very interesting concept, how about a few shots of it in action.


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

Thank you very much for your kind and encouraging words, Otis

The table was solely used for taking the photos outside of the garage - as I have to admit, my little workshop currently isn't in a state I'd like to show on any photo. I do have an old, but very solid wooden work bench in european style, which over time will hopefully be replaced (or accompanied if space allows) by a shop made multi-purpose workbench. It's supposed to have a 10cm distance grid of 20mm holes for fixtures and clamping - and I'm still thinking if to include a router table (to save space) or have a separate RT. Time will tell.
The T-Tracks, or rather lack of, were a choice of necessity. T-tracks are hard to obtain here, and pretty expensive - and thus currently far beyond my budget. What I could come up - and surely will once budget allows - is this or this, which can be used with my favoured carriage bolts. I might even use them for the workbench and a potentially separate router table and fence.

The world is small - I actually do know Landstuhl, as my godfather lives in that area (St. Ingbert) - although we are now living in the area of Landshut - similar name, but some hundred kilometers away in eastern part of Bavaria.

And to be true, I really look forward to each new post of you - always quite a source of information for me...

Kind Regards,
Martin


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

Thank you, Harry,

I fear, the shots in action might have to be delayed for a little time, still.

Mostly - as just mentioned in my update to Otis - my shop isn't in a state I'd dare to willingly show on photos - and time for my workshop needs to be shared with time for our little princess (even with ear protection, I'm not sure if the noise of a router might not still damage her young hearing, hence trying to avoid such noise when she comes into the shop)

I promise to provide action-photos as soon as ever possible !

Martin


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## Santé (Jan 14, 2010)

Hello,
Very nice montage I'm very interested. (I also have two Kress).
Is that the stiffness is sufficient? The horizontal bar seems small dimensions.
I thought about a similar montage but fixed to make the profile bars that I can push below the router would be tilted in all kinds of positions
(Google translation !)


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

Bonjour Daniel,

unfortunately my spoken and written french is horrible - I do understand more than I can express, though - so feel free to post the french along with the english translation 

I have promised Harry to post action photos as soon as possible - I plan to give the combination of Skis and the router a thorough workout on the way, and can then answer your question in detail as well.
So far I have only "played" a little with it - and impression is, it should be stable enough.
After all, a 1050W router can't be used to dig deep trenches in one go anyway - so light(er) passes are supposed.

Let's see - <thinking aloud> if I finish my part of cleaning the house tomorrow morning in time, I might have a little time left until noon to spend in the workshop (after Saturday noon, "loud" work isn't allowed on weekends ....) - no promises yet, though 

Martin


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

*Aren't daughters wonderful?*

Martin, Thank You for your kind comments. Take care of that little girl! Children are our most precious assets - always keep their (her) needs in the forefront of your thoughts. All three of our daughters (now ages 39, 36 & 34) were blessings to Joy and me. We also feel that our joint attempts to make learning be fun is one of the reasons that all three of them have exceeded in school and business and in their interpersonal relationships. Our notoriety is mainly based as Emily's Mom or Dad, Melissa's Mom or Dad or Rebecca's Mom or Dad. Our only sons (3) are in-laws and I am proud to say that all of them are fantastic as well! 

So many subjects can become most interesting when they become entangled with other things that are initially not so fun. My wife taught our daughters amazing memorization skills once she put them to music. We made biology, zoology and botany through plant and animals in our collections or in our care become interesting via exposure. Our girls enjoyed learning a wide variety of subjects because we tied-them-in with subjects that they found most interesting, and now each of my girls have children that are falling into these same patterns!

Thanks again, I am proud to call you a friend!


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

*Workout...*

Hi Otis, 

I really agree - when learning becomes fun, steps in progress suddenly become leaps. 

And although only aged 4, Sabine already loves to make shavings on a pull-shave I adjusted for her size. So she learns learning along with other fun stuff. 

The harder it was for me, to keep her out of the shop this morning to give the new router ski and the router a hard time - even equipped with the best ear protectors I could find her, I'm far from sure, if her young hearing wouldn't be damaged by the noise of a router in pain. 

Ok, let me tell you the story behind below pictures: 
A member of a german wood turners forum wanted to make perfectly round entangled rings. This caught my interest - as his drawing had drilled holes inside the rings for a bandsaw blade - which made me scratch my head. 
Tied up with him - he really snaps the blade, inserts into the hole, solders, cuts, snaps again, .... - a tedious job, and nothing I'd want to do to my bandsaw blade, to be honest(no criticism - just not my way). 
So I started thinking my ways of how to achieve it - which was the first reason to build my variant of the router skis - the other was pure interest in the Skis Harry had shown.... 

* Picture 1 shows the block of spruce I had around, marked for the two rings I intended to rout interlocked. 
* Pictures 2-4 show various progress on the project until final depth of the cutter - so that's the action photos for you, Harry  
* Picture 5 again shows the result of 4, taken to the bandsaw for trying to cut the excess off. 

The project isn't finished, although potentially stopped - here it's considered rude to make loud noise work on weekends after Saturday noon - and that's how far I got. Additionally, I now need to find a way of safely cutting the 2nd half of the excess away. 
Once that would be achieved, it'd perhaps just need a cut with a still to be built mini-ryoba to make the links loose, but entangled, and some cuts with a roundover bit to get everything smooth. 
I might eventually restart the project somewhen from where I got for now - or completely restart with some guides rather than doing everything freehand as I did today. 
In any way, as a proof of concept, I think I got as far as I needed, to say, that it can be done without snapping a bandsaw, and without cutting and re-glueing those rings - so let's see. 

To answer Daniels question - and Harry's unworded ones: 

The variant has pro's and con's: 
+ With the light router motor it's easy to handle - probably easier than with a necessarily heavier plunge router. 
+ Light cuts are a charm to do - although I really need to work on getting them accurate 
- Heavy cuts are too much for the universal holder - it moves / tilts just that tiny bit, which I don't want it to do 
- For work that needs constant re-adjusting of depth of cut (like my hogging out material to a depth of about 45mm in this case) any kind of easier (and more accurate) depth adjustment would be needed (Have my ideas on it already - probably a screw-advance holder for the router to replace that universal holder) 

Over all I'm pleased about the skis - will try some sign carving as soon as I can, using light cuts - but I'm happy I found the short comings, too - so I can avoid them in the future. 

Learning by doing  

Thanks for reading, and any comments you might have (constructive criticism very welcome) 

Martin


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

Martin, did that holder come with the router, or where did you get it?


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Chris Curl said:


> Martin, did that holder come with the router, or where did you get it?


+1. I was also curious about that. (the green rotary tool mount that clamps to the ski jig).


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## MartinW (Jun 26, 2013)

Chris, Mike,

Sorry, almost missed your updates.

The green holder was totally separate - it's originally meant for electric hand drills, which all here are standardized to a neck of 43mm (roughly translated 43mm Euro-Neck)
I got it from a machinist company called WABECO in Remscheid, Germany.
Here's the link to that universal holder - 10 EURo at the moment.

Martin


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

harrysin said:


> Martin, very interesting concept, how about a few shots of it in action.


Hello, Martin.

I agree with Harry. Very interesting option.


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