Replies

1. 
   mwenz | Sep 24, 2006 08:24pm | #1

   Hi,

   Long moldings are problematic on a WR. I don't do heavy--large--profiles on the WR. But I didn't do them on a router table either. I use a small Jet shaper for what the WR doesn't do well.

   Another issue would be tenons on a long rail, such as a bed or what not. There are workarounds, such as mounting the Rat on its back on a bench, but I use a bandsaw for most of those situations.

   Basically, if the work you are doing will fit vertically under the Rat's mounting, or there is enough horizontal space left/right, it can do a great job. I only use mine when pressed for time on a commission, or the commission's budget will not support handcutting joinery, which I prefer.

   Take care, Mike

2. 
   jhounshell | Oct 02, 2006 05:41am | #2

   I always had problems working thin stock on my 'rat, until I really put my mind to it and built a jig to hold and move the stock under the router. I guess that is the most interesting thing about this machine, if you really think about how to solve a problem, you'll come up with something that you never could have done on a table. It is a great and fun machine, I recommend everyone should purchase one.

1. 
   bladeburner | Oct 02, 2006 02:50pm | #3

   Hello, I'm a new 'Ratter and would be intrested in seeing your jig.

   [email protected]

   Thanks, Joe

3. 
   Lataxe | Oct 02, 2006 03:55pm | #4

   Ton,

   As Mr Hell has pointed out, there are many weird jigs that Woodrat owners (and the inventor himself) have come up with to make the Rat do many more things than the numerous things it already does "out of the box".

   However, as a long time Rat user and person with an aversion to elaborate jigs, I would say that a router table works better for long, heavy pieces that you want to mold or profile.  This is because the rat in router table mode is upside down, so you have no table between the workpiece and the pull of gravity.

   You can make simple platforms or mounts that fit in the woodrat vices and provide a means to clamp on workpieces.  The handle of the woodrat then gives you the means to feed the mount+workpiece into the bit at an even rate.  You can also climb cut safely with such an arrangement, as everything is strapped down. 

   You can also make a very simple "platform" consisting of two bristle-up brushes in the woodrat's two vices.  The brushes support the workpiece as you push it past the bit.  I have to say this is not a good technique for hefty workpieces.  The brushes have to be at just the right height and musn't slip. Also, you can't get good "feel" when pushing the work, as it is underneath the woodrat's router-mounting platform.

   Using a mounting jig, you are relying on your clamps to hold the workpiece in place.  With a router table, you often use your hands to control the workpiece.  I confess that I prefer the hand method, as clamps can slip and cause a wobble in your profile or whatever.  So I use both the rat and a router table, depending on the job to be done.

   In short, a Woodrat can be a router table - but in becoming one it needs a bit more set up than does a normal router table.  On the other hand, the Rat will do far more than any router table can, including those safe climb cuts.

   NB To cut tenons on the end of long rails with the Rat, mount the Rat high on a tall wall and work whilst stood on a stepladder or other safe platform.

   Lataxe