Routing

[Corazones]

I have never used a router before. I want to machine some plain timber down to make a profile suitable for a window frame - i.e. with a rebate for the glass and a slight slope beyond it. I tried doing this with a circular saw but could not achieve the desired accuracy. Will a router do the job, and if so what bits do I need?

 

[fitter]

Try www.tooled-up.com.

Scroll down, on the left hand side near the bottom click on Trend, then on routing accessories.

I have never done what you want to do but I think you might need two seperate bits.

I have used a bearing guided rebate bits and they are quite easy to get on with.

I would suggest you try a few on some scrap wood first.

 

[masona]

I want to machine some plain timber down to make a profile suitable for a window frame - i.e. with a rebate for the glass and a slight slope beyond it.

Did you know you can buy this timber ready made cut out to make the window frame you want, it will save you a lot of messing around and cheaper. My local timber merchants sell all type of window jamb and georgian window type.

 

[fitter]

Come on Masona, were's the fun in buying what you want off the shelf.

Think what you are missing, the expense of a cutter you may never use again, the frustration of getting it to do what you want, the piles of dust everywhere, the piles of test pieces and the biggest mystery of all, what happens from the last perfect test piece to the c**p results you get on the first piece of expensive timber you have just done.

 

[Corazones]

Thanks everyone for your views on this. I'll try the local timber yard first - good idea - but I doubt if they'll have what I want as it is for a tiny window and must be smaller than standard. To be more precise, it's for one of those foot-high openings in the loft of a 300-year-old farmhouse in the mountains of Spain, where you don't want to let too much heat in through a 3ft-thick wall.
The fun starts, of course, when you try and make a decent job of jointing the corners of a frame made out of a moulding incorporating a rebate. I've tried this before and eventually got it right, after many attempts. It would be so much easier to do mitred joints, but they would have no strength at all. Is there a simple way of calculating the shape of, say, a half-lap joint, which I've found to be quite adequate on such a small size?

 

[masona]

Come on Masona, were's the fun in buying what you want off the shelf.

Depends if you want a holiday to Spain or not.

Corazones
A bit awkward explaining on the forum, I see if I can find a website.

To be honest, it might cheaper to have one made up from your local joinery.

 

[MANDATE]

Guess what? Today I saw a 'biscuit cutter' approx 35mm diam. 3mm thick to fit a router ( or a drill) it had 3 guide bearings different sizes to govern depth. Cost about £5, it could be ideal for a mitre/biscuit joint.