Hello there!
I’m building a few skateboards, and using a handheld router with a roundover bit to make the edges nice and round. The only problem I’m encountering is that the surface of the skateboard is that the surface of the skateboard is not perfectly flat. It is curved up at the back, and there is a little bit of concave curvature left to right as well. Because of this, the flat bottom surface of the router (called a subbase, perhaps?) does not lie flush against the surface of the board, and the roundover cut by the bit does not maintain a consistent depth relative to the edge of the board.
I was thinking I might fix this problem by simply replacing that flat bottom surface (subbase) with one that is much smaller in area, like one square inch, rather than the eight or nine square inches the currently supports the router base. Is this commonly done in woodworking when one has to round the edge of something that is not perfectly flat? Does it sound safe? I imagine I’d have to be very careful to hold the router perfectly vertical…
Thank you for your help!
Joe
Replies
Hi Joe,
I would use the router while the wood is still flat, before bending the curves into it. If the boards came with the curves already in place, you might try the router for the flat parts and use a file or rasp to match the roundover on the curved parts as closely as possible.I think that you would find a 1 sq. inch base to be too unstable and run the risk of having the bit gouge out some of the edge...not to mention your fingers and other body parts. Dremel makes a router stand that works with their tools, but I don't know if they make roundover bits to go with them.
Jim
Router table and reference pin
I have routed roundovers on complex curves using my router table and a pivot pin in my insert plate... just went slow and made sure to use at least two passes, with the final pass being more or a skimming cut to get a good finish. That will take care of the outside bend, and you should be able to get at most of the inside bend with your current baseplate and just finish off the bit you can't reach with a spokeshave. I don't think using a smaller baseplate is a safe method here and I don't reccomend it. If you don't have a router table just drill a hole in some MDF, mount the router to that and clamp it to your bench - drill and glue in a small dowel and you have a simple router table with a pivot pin for very little $.
Of course you could always just use a spokeshave on the whole thing and skip the setup I just mentioned if thats too much bother. Your call.
-Ian
You may be able to use a trim router with an offset base. These are used for getting into corners when doing laminate countertop work. The base plate is fairly small and you could make a smaller one. The bit is offset and with some thought, it would likely reach where you need it.
http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-7312-Offset-Laminate-Trimmer/dp/B0000222Z5
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