Radial Arm Router ! (or How I Created a Beast)

Intro: Radial Arm Router ! (or How I Created a Beast)

Radial Arm Saw to Radial Arm Router adapter.

Hi there,
This is another piece coming from the Insane Asylum. I've had this idea for a long time and I honestly wondered why one never existed. So I built my own.

Allow me to introduce The Radial Arm Router (and part time saw).

I've been working on several different versions of this. And this is the most solid idea we could come up with.

STEP 1: Unhiding the Router Mount

To enable the mount for use.
Remove blade guard,

Remove blade (see it now , yeah, the ugly piece of angle steel)

Swing the motor around on X axis, till shaft faces you.

Hit the bevel release, and swing the motor down on Z.

Shazam! (as pictured now, unfinished) mount is visible and use position.

STEP 2: Sizing Up Things

STEP 3: Backing Mount to Saw

STEP 4: Router Mount

STEP 5: Vertical Motion Tests

Doing motion tests.

STEP 6: Problems - and Unused Designs - Photos I Don't Know What to Do With

STEP 7: A Test That Is Turning Into a Project.

STEP 8: Frankenstiens Cedar Heart Comes to Shape on Its Own!

Another thanks to Mike, An ancient #61 of a tribe called the Horned Frogs for the donation of the teeth of the beast.

Thanks Mike.

STEP 9: Carving a Box on a Heart, Then Hollowing Out the Heart and Learning

STEP 10: Router Mounted in Final Config - Dust /splatter Sheild in Place

STEP 11: Mount Details -

STEP 12: Action Shots With New Camera , in the Cut !

I got me a new camera.

Gendax 2 In 1 OTG Micro USB Waterproof Endoscope , 8mm Borescope Inspection Camera With 6LED 2.0MP HD Camera For Android system phone tablet computer and Windows system

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LECFZL6/

Pretty cool. Video recording isn't working. But i can take some stills. View is pretty impressive even with a ton of dust in the air.

Comments

[BacknBlack]

if anyone has an extra set, i could use a hole saw set. preferably Diablo, as i have some of their stuff already. just incase you're in a generous mood.

[BacknBlack]

Sections 11 and 12 coming together. i guess i really need to write some text on these. Anyone got a specfic question?

[BacknBlack]

9 and 10 added.

Other sections new pictures.

Check it out. It works :)

[BacknBlack]

Sections 7 and 8 added today.

Something is growing

[BacknBlack]

Work in progress.

Ask questions, i'll be adding a description as i write them.

[-sinner-]

Why not just mount the Jacobs chuck right to the spindle exposed? I would only worry that the RPM of the Radial Arm Saw is much too low to spin a router bit fast enough. Since you are not using the spindle on the saw, why go to the trouble of pointing it down? Couldn't you just mount the router adapter on the 'off'side and keep all the X, Y and Z adjustments built into the saw?

[BacknBlack]

Mounting to spindle.
Speed too low. Saw motor turns max at 3250. Routers are a few thousand to 25,000 RPM.

Pointing the mount orientation down is just a happenstance of how it mounts.

Evidently there mount that clamped onto the blade side of the motor housing that allowed a router to be mounted. But Sears doesn't sell it anymore.

How i have mounted this allows me to cut from side (unfavorable torque) to having the blade directly under the arm.

As far as adjustments. The green thing that the router is propped up on right now is a XY table. This machine will be able to do light wood/metal milling. Below ferrous.

All the adjustments are still as they were from the factory. I can have the mount in place just waiting to be rotated out when needed. The detents in rotational positioning are not effected.

I can swing the saw L/R.
Raise/lower. (the router has its on depth
gauge). Bevel. It all still works. And it can be brought into play right now in under 5 minutes. (or 5 minutes after i get thru building everything)

[NelsonStudios]

Before I got rid of my RAS (too much room in my shop, being used as storage) I was able to use it with a chuck on the spindle but only for very large bits. It wasn't ideal but it did work. I think the idea of a radial arm router is a useful one.

[BacknBlack]

i had the same line of thought.

i just happened upon the materials to make this one work. the mount is crazy strong.

if only i had invented this 20+ yrs ago when sears was still selling these beasts

[BacknBlack]

I've added another block of pictures.

added some definitions.

still building it.

next is lots of fun drilling and tapping