Router

[morpheus83uk]

Hello,

I am looking for a router and bits and hopefully come with a guide which will be able to cut 22.5 degree angles for me to be able to create octagonal tunnels for my animals. I would also like it to round edges and drill various holes.

I did have an issue which could have been solved with a router which was I drilled a hole for a bowl and the hole needed to be bigger but only by a few mm which was a nightmare with sandpaper as it was a 4 inch hole! I believe that a router would have just done this in seconds opposed to me with some sand paper for hours!

So for this as well!

Does anyone have any suggestions on routers etc? And also what other uses could I use it for?

Thanks

James

 

[big-all]

do you mean like stones/ bricks in an arch ??
if so table saw or pull saw but dependant on length

 

[morpheus83uk]

Sorry no I am doing this out of wood as the animals like to chew so it has to be made out of wood opposed to anything else.

 

[big-all]

i ment are you trying to cut long lengths or short sections
table saw is the right tool for the job
using a router will be difficult time consuming
will require a table or the board with a template for the wheel or bush to run against fixed to the work
you may need several passes dependant on wood thickness
can you not use plumbing pipe with the outside covered as they wont be able to chew the inside easily

 

[morpheus83uk]

Oh sorry I would say about a metre maximum no more than that as a length. I would need it for rounding edges of wood as well and I don't think I have room for a table saw which is why I was thinking a router would be best for the work I am doing.

I have tried plumbing pipe before but they just gnaw at the inside until they get a bit up which is an annoyance which is why it needs to be wood.

Thanks

James

 

[Dave54]

AS big-all says, a table saw with tilting table is the tool for the job really. You can get 22.5 degree router cutters, or make a false table to angle the workpiece to a straight cutter, using it as a small angled planer. You would need a router table with separately adjustable fences really to do that. You might be able to come up with a jig for doing the work with a guided cutter in a handheld router, but it's always difficult to hold thin / narrow work down securely and safely.
You can get bench top saws which are intended for use where there is little room. Another possibility is a bandsaw with tilting table to get the angle. Might need further work on the jointing edge though depending on the finish you are looking for.
As always with any power tool or machinery, particularly if you go down the table saw route, make sure you understand how to use it properly and safely, adn what the potential dangers are before starting work with it. This is a good starting point http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis16.pdf

 

[morpheus83uk]

Ah right so a quick google search suggests something like this for a bench top saw:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb... Power Tools&gclid=CJuVlcrKmMoCFUQUwwodwtQBRQ

I presume this is what you mean?

Thanks

James

 

[Dave54]

I was thinking more of something like this if you're short of space. Easy to store.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/scheppach-hs80-210mm-table-saw-240v/44937
But if you have room for one with legs, it saves having it take up room on the bench.

 

[big-all]

when using a table saw if you get wide enough planks you can get 2 or 3 sections from a width with 3 or 4 passes rather than the 2 per plank for a single plank
and for what its worth wood will be no better against the teeth
have you thought about a bitt off wood for them to chew in the pipe it wont stop them chewing the pipe but may distract them
can you not get the next size pipe up from the size you need then slip in a sacaraficial smaller pipe then change that as required

or hows about clay drainage pipe
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=clay+drainage+pipe&t=ffsb&ia=images

or this sort
http://www.knowlesdrainage.co.uk/content/land-field-drainage-markets.asp

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thanks I will check them out.

Big-All, Thanks but I need the wood as I have found out that they will do that anyway to grind their teeth down so it needs to be kiln dried pine so they can grind there teeth down and not swallow anything which will kill them (the joys of having chinchillas).

Thank you for your suggestions both of you I appreciate them both. I will have a look at the table top saws and maybe get one of them.

James

 

[Dave54]

What about using plastic or whatever pipe, and giving them a stick of some non-toxic wood to chew. I made our Hamster a little "house" out of an offcut of soil pipe with a a hole cut in the side with a hole saw. She liked that fine filled with bedding, and hardly chewed it at all. She had a piece of wood she chewed/