You can easily convert a radial-arm saw to a pin router. This tool will open up a whole new world of operations, and make many familiar tasks, such as rabbeting for bookshelves or cutting mortises and slots, much easier.

To convert my Sears 10-in. saw, I merely duplicated on the lathe, in rock maple, the saw-motor attachment plug where it fits the motor support arm. I laminated the ring assembly that holds the router from plywood. Then I glued and bolted together the laminated rings and the maple plug to form a single unit. Details of this fixture would vary to suit the saw/router combination. For specifics about setting up the pin and using templates, see Fine Woodworking #29, pp. 63-65. Also, if the setup is combined with a machinists’ dual-feed rotary table to hold and move the work, very precise work is possible.

The router is normally used in the vertical position, but it can be rotated to any orientation (just like the saw) for special routing cuts.

Donald Wigfield, Moneta, Va.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, October 1983 No. 42

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