A few years ago I bought a used Crafstman router and table with the best
of intentions. Never used one. Well, I am very busy with two careers, so
it has sat unused.
So now I am building something that I can use it for. It is basically a
small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
house a guitar amplifier. Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. I would like to round
off the outer lengths and corners.
What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
Thanks very much,
MK
"Michael L Kankiewicz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> A few years ago I bought a used Crafstman router and table with the best
> of intentions. Never used one. Well, I am very busy with two careers, so
> it has sat unused.
>
> So now I am building something that I can use it for. It is basically a
> small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
> house a guitar amplifier. Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. I would like to round
> off the outer lengths and corners.
>
> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
> increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
> the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>
> Thanks very much,
> MK
Using roundover bits to take off sharp edges of cabinets/projects is easy to
do and quite common. Figure out the size of the bit, usually expressed in
terms of the radius of the cut. then adjust the bit to do an even roundover
by trying it out on some scrap. Then go to it. On softer woods, you can
often do it in one cut. but slow and easy makes for better work. On stuff
like this, you can make multiple cuts by just pressing the router against
the wood easily.
I often go over everything after I am done, just to make sure I got
everything and did not leave any gaps or unmachined areas. And depending on
how the cabinets are put together, you can do the rounding over after they
are assembled. One thing to consider is that you can make some cuts ahead of
time and put them together and the corners will not match.
I don't know if you will have any holes in these cabinets. Sometimes I put
in holes in drawers without hardware for a handle of sorts. Those I do
ahead of time. I have rarely used anything over a 1/4" roundover bit.
On Aug 27, 12:35=A0pm, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]>
wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Aug 2009, [email protected] wrote:
> > On Aug 27, 9:18=A0am, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]> wrote=
:
>
> >> So now I am building something that I can use it for. =A0It is basical=
ly a
> >> small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
> >> house a guitar amplifier. =A0Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. =A0I would like t=
o round
> >> off the outer lengths and corners.
>
> > A four sided box isn't a stable shape. =A0You should have something for
> > a cross-brace (triangles are stable) or back panel. =A0It doesn't have
> > to be a complete back, perhaps a back with a cutout.
>
> Thanks. =A0It doesn't need to be very stable - It will completely surroun=
d
> the amp, sort of like a "cover," =A0attached by 4 rack screws in the fron=
t.
> Here is a picture of something similar:
>
> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2231/2413277857_a81b9d1973.jpg
The problem with doing the routing after it's put together is that it
won't be very strong without the electronics inside. I wouldn't put
the electronics through the vibration and dust so I'd vote for
rounding over before assembly. That'll make the corners "interesting",
so perhaps it would be better to do a rough cut before to get most of
the wood hogged out and then a cleanup pass after? If you're only
rounding over 1/8-1/4", just do that after.
On Aug 27, 10:18=A0am, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]>
wrote:
> A few years ago I bought a used Crafstman router and table with the best
> of intentions. =A0Never used one. =A0Well, I am very busy with two career=
s, so
> it has sat unused.
>
> So now I am building something that I can use it for. =A0It is basically =
a
> small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
> house a guitar amplifier. =A0Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. =A0I would like to r=
ound
> off the outer lengths and corners.
>
> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
> increments, getting larger every time? =A0Or should I set the router to d=
o
> the full profile cut one time through? =A0I am using poplar. =A0Also, is =
it
> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>
> Thanks very much,
> MK
Doing multiple runs prevents burning. Light burning can be fixed
easily by sand paper though. The trick is, as soon as you see any
burning whatsoever, stop making cuts and let the blade cool off a
bit. If you get excessive burning, then switch to doing multiple
cuts. For rounded edges doing multiple cuts can be done by lowering
the blade a bit for the first cut, and then raise it again for the
final cut.
John
On Aug 27, 9:18=A0am, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]> wrote:
> A few years ago I bought a used Crafstman router and table with the best
> of intentions. =A0Never used one. =A0Well, I am very busy with two career=
s, so
> it has sat unused.
>
> So now I am building something that I can use it for. =A0It is basically =
a
> small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
> house a guitar amplifier. =A0Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. =A0I would like to r=
ound
> off the outer lengths and corners.
A four sided box isn't a stable shape. You should have something for
a cross-brace (triangles are stable) or back panel. It doesn't have
to be a complete back, perhaps a back with a cutout.
> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
> increments, getting larger every time? =A0Or should I set the router to d=
o
> the full profile cut one time through? =A0I am using poplar. =A0Also, is =
it
> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
How much of a round over? 1/8"? Are only the top and bottom being
rounded? What about the corners? If only the top and bottom panels,
I'd do it before assembly. If the corners (all three sides) have to
be done, I'd to it after assembly. Are you going to finish the box
before or after assembly? In short, it depends. ;-)
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while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools.
---559023410-959030623-1251394518=:5498
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE
On Thu, 27 Aug 2009, [email protected] wrote:
> On Aug 27, 9:18=A0am, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> So now I am building something that I can use it for. =A0It is basically=
a
>> small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
>> house a guitar amplifier. =A0Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. =A0I would like to =
round
>> off the outer lengths and corners.
>
> A four sided box isn't a stable shape. You should have something for
> a cross-brace (triangles are stable) or back panel. It doesn't have
> to be a complete back, perhaps a back with a cutout.
Thanks. It doesn't need to be very stable - It will completely surround=20
the amp, sort of like a "cover," attached by 4 rack screws in the front.=
=20
Here is a picture of something similar:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2231/2413277857_a81b9d1973.jpg
>> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
>> increments, getting larger every time? =A0Or should I set the router to =
do
>> the full profile cut one time through? =A0I am using poplar. =A0Also, is=
it
>> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>
> How much of a round over? 1/8"? Are only the top and bottom being
> rounded? What about the corners? If only the top and bottom panels,
> I'd do it before assembly. If the corners (all three sides) have to
> be done, I'd to it after assembly. Are you going to finish the box
> before or after assembly? In short, it depends. ;-)
=09=09=09=09=09-------------------------------
=09=09=09=09=09Michael Kankiewicz
=09=09=09=09=09Manager, Capen Multimedia Center
=09=09=09=09=09221 Capen Hall
=09=09=09=09=09University at Buffalo
=09=09=09=09=09Buffalo, NY 14260
=09=09=09=09=09P 716-645-1329
=09=09=09=09=09F 716-645-3710
=09=09=09=09=09e [email protected]
---559023410-959030623-1251394518=:5498--
On Thu, 27 Aug 2009, Keith Nuttle wrote:
> SonomaProducts.com wrote:
>> Looks like you want to do it after it's put together. As other stated,
>> can probably do full depth cut as long as it isn't like a 3/4" radius
>> round over.
>
>>>
>>> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
>>> increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
>>> the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
>>> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>>>
>>> Thanks very much,
>>> MK
>>
>
> Define put together: I believe I would do all of the construction including
> routing before I installed any electronics.
Of course. I'm a routing novice, but I'm not *dumb* :)
On Thu, 27 Aug 2009, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
>
> What kind of amp? I built something similar for my buddies Mesa Boogie
> Big Block 800 watt bass amp.
Purely coincidence, but the same kind in the picture - Pearce G1.
Currently it's in its original combo cabinet identical to this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16522994@N07/2414101464/in/photostream/
But it weighs about 70 lbs and I want to use the head separately with a
lighter extended range cab that I just bought: Raezer's Edge Stealth 12ER
(400Watts only 33 lbs!)
http://www.raezers-edge.com/p_stealth12_er.html
As far as the radius goes, I'd like it to have pretty much the same shape
as both cabs above. By any chance can any of you tell from the above
pictures how wide the radius is?
Thanks, MK
ps - I hope to stain it to match the panel at the bottom of the cab, and
then add black metal corners. They sound awesome together, I hope I can
get them to look awesome too.
"Michael L Kankiewicz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
> increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
> the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
It depends on how much round over you're taking off. Best suggestion is to
test it out on a scrap piece of poplar. One thing you should watch out for
is tear out right at the end of a run with the router. To minimize that
happening, you can back up the end of the cut with another piece of wood. If
that's not feasible, then slow your routing down, but know that slowing it
down too much will mean that you'll burn your wood. It's a middle of the
road approach.
Looks like you want to do it after it's put together. As other stated,
can probably do full depth cut as long as it isn't like a 3/4" radius
round over.
If cutting by hand held then move the router to the left. If the
router is mounted in a table then move the part to the left.
You will get blow out as you exit an edge where you are cutting across
the grain. In some cases you can avoid this by adding another piece
butted against the edge (a backer). But in some cases you can't. So
then multiple finer cuts can help but the best plan is to be sure to
cut the cross grain section of a corner first and then when you cut
the other side in line with the grain you should cut away the blow
out. So some planning about which sides to do first is needed.
What kind of amp? I built something similar for my buddies Mesa Boogie
Big Block 800 watt bass amp.
On Aug 27, 7:18=A0am, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]> wrote:
> A few years ago I bought a used Crafstman router and table with the best
> of intentions. =A0Never used one. =A0Well, I am very busy with two career=
s, so
> it has sat unused.
>
> So now I am building something that I can use it for. =A0It is basically =
a
> small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
> house a guitar amplifier. =A0Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. =A0I would like to r=
ound
> off the outer lengths and corners.
>
> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
> increments, getting larger every time? =A0Or should I set the router to d=
o
> the full profile cut one time through? =A0I am using poplar. =A0Also, is =
it
> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>
> Thanks very much,
> MK
assuming the material is 3/4 or 5/8" thick or maybe even 1/2" I would
say that is 1/4" to 3/8" radius round over. It looks like it is about
1/2 the thickness of the material.
On Aug 27, 1:02=A0pm, Michael L Kankiewicz <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Aug 2009, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
>
> > What kind of amp? I built something similar for my buddies Mesa Boogie
> > Big Block 800 watt bass amp.
>
> Purely coincidence, but the same kind in the picture - Pearce G1.
> Currently it's in its original combo cabinet identical to this:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/16522994@N07/2414101464/in/photostream/
>
> But it weighs about 70 lbs and I want to use the head separately with a
> lighter extended range cab that I just bought: =A0Raezer's Edge Stealth 1=
2ER
> (400Watts only 33 lbs!)
>
> http://www.raezers-edge.com/p_stealth12_er.html
>
> As far as the radius goes, I'd like it to have pretty much the same shape
> as both cabs above. =A0By any chance can any of you tell from the above
> pictures how wide the radius is?
>
> Thanks, MK
>
> ps - I hope to stain it to match the panel at the bottom of the cab, and
> then add black metal corners. =A0They sound awesome together, I hope I ca=
n
> get them to look awesome too.
On Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:18:25 -0400, Michael L Kankiewicz
<[email protected]> wrote:
>What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
>increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
>the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
>best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
You have some good suggestions so far.
If you have to buy a round-over bit, get one with a ball bearing
pilot. Although it might not be terribly necessary with poplar it
will make life easier. Also, if you want to route it after assembly
beware (during assembly) of where any fasteners might be. You don't
want to run over fasteners with your brand new router bit.
Mike O.
SonomaProducts.com wrote:
> Looks like you want to do it after it's put together. As other stated,
> can probably do full depth cut as long as it isn't like a 3/4" radius
> round over.
>>
>> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
>> increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
>> the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
>> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>>
>> Thanks very much,
>> MK
>
Define put together: I believe I would do all of the construction
including routing before I installed any electronics.
Michael L Kankiewicz wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Aug 2009, Keith Nuttle wrote:
>
>> SonomaProducts.com wrote:
>>> Looks like you want to do it after it's put together. As other stated,
>>> can probably do full depth cut as long as it isn't like a 3/4" radius
>>> round over.
>>
>>>>
>>>> What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
>>>> increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router
>>>> to do
>>>> the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
>>>> best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks very much,
>>>> MK
>>>
>>
>> Define put together: I believe I would do all of the construction
>> including routing before I installed any electronics.
>
>
> Of course. I'm a routing novice, but I'm not *dumb* :)
I have managed people for a many years. The most frequent question not
asked is the most simple. It usually causes the biggest problem. ie Did
you use the correct size pipet? Always is immediately answered YES, but
sometime comes back NO, when they check the dirty glassware.
Sorry did not mean to insinuate you were dumb, it was a just something
that had to be stated.
On Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:18:25 -0400, Michael L Kankiewicz
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>A few years ago I bought a used Crafstman router and table with the best
>of intentions. Never used one. Well, I am very busy with two careers, so
>it has sat unused.
>
>So now I am building something that I can use it for. It is basically a
>small four-sided cabinet (top, bottom, two sides, no front or back) to
>house a guitar amplifier. Roughly 17w x 6h x 11d. I would like to round
>off the outer lengths and corners.
>
>What I am wondering is, do I need to take the wood off in small
>increments, getting larger every time? Or should I set the router to do
>the full profile cut one time through? I am using poplar. Also, is it
>best to do each board before, or run the whole cabinet after assembly?
>
>Thanks very much,
>MK
Two passes are usually the recommendation. The last pass should take
off a little bit, maybe 1/16". Assemble first, then round.