Hi,
Many thanks David for your comprehensive information regarding oil tempered hardboard and the use of router jigs to aid speed and accuracy. I do like the comb jointing router jig you introduced me to and as you know I made my own version of the jig from offcuts and put it to good use. I'm all in favour of making jigs where repetition is involved as they afford exact copies with speed once the jig is constructed. I would add that it pays to go to some trouble to make top class jigs as the extra time spent will pay dividends long term. Many jigs such as the comb jointing one can be made from offcuts costing extremely little in monetary terms and there is satisfaction to be gained from making a good jig. For jigs I use screws or other mechanical fixings and ensure all sharp edges are nicely rounded.
For general use I tend to secure hardboard with oval wire nails 18mm long. In normal hardboard they drive home easily but it can be a different story driving these nails through oil tempered hardboard. As the name implies this board is tempered and extremely hard and can cause the nails to curl up. MDF can be bought in a number of grades and the grade I use which is cheap and readily available is moisture resistant. I've used this grade of MDF for back panels and it also make a perfect substrate for veneering but both sides must be veneered to prevent distortion.
Thanks for the kind prod regarding my Ekco TV restoration with regard to turning it into a Bulletin article Gary it is much appreciated. A few weeks ago I made a start on the article but it is very time consuming as all such articles are to do. I intended to submit the article in four parts to cover four issues of the Bulletin as the restoration was a difficult one resulting in me working four months on the cabinet alone. I hope I'm not being over sensitive regarding submitting articles and having them published but for everyone who does submit articles they have gone to some considerable trouble to do so and I've now seen two what I would consider unfair letters in the letters pages of the Bulletin. The first one was a while ago when a friend of mine who had done a beautiful cabinet restoration was openly accused of "Over restoration". The second letter in the current issue of the Bulletin comes across to me as rather harsh insomuch that the letter is written in such manner that it pulls apart a previous article also submitted by a very good friend of mine.
Text can be taken a number of ways and without face to face contact what is written with good intentions can become quite offensive. In the case of the over restoration which I add I totally disagree with why doesn't the writer submit his own restorations showing how he thinks cabinets should be restored; perhaps a few coats of Danish oil would be appropriate in his case? This also applies to the current letter; rather than dissect an excellent article submitted and printed in good faith for the enjoyment of other members why doesn't the writer submit his own article thereby giving an alternative view; this to me would have been the fairer and more diplomatic approach.
I'm sorry to bang on about this but I think to date I've had 11 articles successfully published in the Bulletin without any adverse comments so perhaps I'm lucky but considering the content of my articles they tend to be different to the usual radio/TV related articles. There are usually many ways to do a job and when an article is submitted it shows the way the author has done it; with hindsight I'm sure we could all fine tune such jobs doing certain things differently but to take the time and trouble which can be considerable in submitting articles only to receive adverse comments does little to encourage a person like me from submitting further articles. I'm still what I would call a novice and my restorations turn into sagas because I have to learn so much along the way which I try to share to encourage others to have a go as do my fellow authors. It is difficult enough doing a restoration with all the problems involved but to keep breaking off to take digital images really can cause loss of concentration; taking pictures can test my patience to the limit because I'm not a skilled photographer and doing my restorations are usually done in a black hole in the long winters we endure. When we submit articles we do so to further our hobby and to encourage others to have a go; we do this without wanted reward of any kind and we put our own time and resources into it. Having rambled on at length I would like to still submit the TV article Gary if ever I get the time to put it together.
As with any machine Gary routers can be dangerous so I don't blame you being cautious as it would be reckless to mess around with a machine without confidence to handle it. David has done an excellent job in describing using a router in both a table and on his excellent jigs but if I may I would like to expand a bit further in the use of a router. Many routing jobs can be done using the router freehand but this is where safety of the operator is more at risk. The big professional type routers of around 2000 watts will take a hefty bite out of the hardest timbers so will easily take a bite out of the operator given the slightest chance. Fortunately with plunging routers if used correctly the cutter (bit) is retracted until the plunge is applied then after the pass the plunge is released allowing the cutter (bit) to be retracted.
Direction of cut is very important because one way the cut pulls the cutter into the work which is the correct way whereas the other way the cutter tries to climb out of the work; this I believe will be more noticeable during freehand routing as there is a lot going on during the cut; the router can be cumbersome and the bigger the router the more cumbersome it becomes; if possible the best results are obtained by supporting the router base each side of the cutter as a novice tends to let the router tilt which affects the cut angles.
Whilst talking to my chum Mike Phelan a few weeks ago Mike mentioned that he was building a clock case and was using MDF for the base but although the base had been glued up from three layers of MDF it needed a cove moulding running around. Mike has a router and table but like many others isn't a big fan of routers so I offered to run the cove for him which I easily did using the router freehand. I used a cove cutter with a bearing guide attached to it; these cutters are common place and come in many sizes and profiles. The bearing limits the width of cut at the maximum for the particular cutter but if a shallower cut is required then a fence can be used. The depth of cut is set by the depth adjustment on the actual router body and a single cutter can produce various sized profiles once the technique of adjustment is grasped.
This cove was a very easy one to produce; the cutter was run full width to the bearing and the depth was adjusted by eye against the MDF. For a novice this adjusting can be difficult as the springs of the plunging mechanism are constantly a problem; I find the easiest way to adjust in this situation is to set the depth against the work by eye then simply lock the plunge using the locking lever. Now I can simply remove the router and set the depth limit stop David previously mentioned. Most plunging routers are now fitted with a turret on the router base plate giving three plunge depths and these are used in conjunction with a metal rod that slides up and down on the router body which can be locked in position by the thumbscrew.
As I was completing the cut in one pass I dropped the depth rod onto the turret stop and locked it in place; by the way the turret stop revolves allowing three different cut depths to be selected at will. Now with the stop adjust I released the locking lever allowing the cutter to retract.
Securing small items such as this clock base can be a real problem as otherwise the router would chase it around the bench which would be dangerous. I secured a piece of 4" x 2" timber in the engineering vice and there was just enough room to use a cramp to secure the base to this; I had to do three single cuts repositioning the base after each cut to complete the moulding. It's a pity I didn't take pictures of the set up but I'm pleased to add pictures of the actual moulding and Mike has since painted the base and added the clock mechanism kindly giving me permission to add the picture. A bit of MDF used with imagination can produce some wonderful items; I like the clock face and am looking forward to seeing the finished clock.
It's time I got something done before yet another day passes quickly by.
Kind regards, Col.
Many thanks for fixing the image of Mike's clock Joe; I couldn't get it to show and assumed it to be the file size causing the problem. Much appreciated.
Fixed - Joe
Many thanks David for your comprehensive information regarding oil tempered hardboard and the use of router jigs to aid speed and accuracy. I do like the comb jointing router jig you introduced me to and as you know I made my own version of the jig from offcuts and put it to good use. I'm all in favour of making jigs where repetition is involved as they afford exact copies with speed once the jig is constructed. I would add that it pays to go to some trouble to make top class jigs as the extra time spent will pay dividends long term. Many jigs such as the comb jointing one can be made from offcuts costing extremely little in monetary terms and there is satisfaction to be gained from making a good jig. For jigs I use screws or other mechanical fixings and ensure all sharp edges are nicely rounded.
For general use I tend to secure hardboard with oval wire nails 18mm long. In normal hardboard they drive home easily but it can be a different story driving these nails through oil tempered hardboard. As the name implies this board is tempered and extremely hard and can cause the nails to curl up. MDF can be bought in a number of grades and the grade I use which is cheap and readily available is moisture resistant. I've used this grade of MDF for back panels and it also make a perfect substrate for veneering but both sides must be veneered to prevent distortion.
Thanks for the kind prod regarding my Ekco TV restoration with regard to turning it into a Bulletin article Gary it is much appreciated. A few weeks ago I made a start on the article but it is very time consuming as all such articles are to do. I intended to submit the article in four parts to cover four issues of the Bulletin as the restoration was a difficult one resulting in me working four months on the cabinet alone. I hope I'm not being over sensitive regarding submitting articles and having them published but for everyone who does submit articles they have gone to some considerable trouble to do so and I've now seen two what I would consider unfair letters in the letters pages of the Bulletin. The first one was a while ago when a friend of mine who had done a beautiful cabinet restoration was openly accused of "Over restoration". The second letter in the current issue of the Bulletin comes across to me as rather harsh insomuch that the letter is written in such manner that it pulls apart a previous article also submitted by a very good friend of mine.
Text can be taken a number of ways and without face to face contact what is written with good intentions can become quite offensive. In the case of the over restoration which I add I totally disagree with why doesn't the writer submit his own restorations showing how he thinks cabinets should be restored; perhaps a few coats of Danish oil would be appropriate in his case? This also applies to the current letter; rather than dissect an excellent article submitted and printed in good faith for the enjoyment of other members why doesn't the writer submit his own article thereby giving an alternative view; this to me would have been the fairer and more diplomatic approach.
I'm sorry to bang on about this but I think to date I've had 11 articles successfully published in the Bulletin without any adverse comments so perhaps I'm lucky but considering the content of my articles they tend to be different to the usual radio/TV related articles. There are usually many ways to do a job and when an article is submitted it shows the way the author has done it; with hindsight I'm sure we could all fine tune such jobs doing certain things differently but to take the time and trouble which can be considerable in submitting articles only to receive adverse comments does little to encourage a person like me from submitting further articles. I'm still what I would call a novice and my restorations turn into sagas because I have to learn so much along the way which I try to share to encourage others to have a go as do my fellow authors. It is difficult enough doing a restoration with all the problems involved but to keep breaking off to take digital images really can cause loss of concentration; taking pictures can test my patience to the limit because I'm not a skilled photographer and doing my restorations are usually done in a black hole in the long winters we endure. When we submit articles we do so to further our hobby and to encourage others to have a go; we do this without wanted reward of any kind and we put our own time and resources into it. Having rambled on at length I would like to still submit the TV article Gary if ever I get the time to put it together.
As with any machine Gary routers can be dangerous so I don't blame you being cautious as it would be reckless to mess around with a machine without confidence to handle it. David has done an excellent job in describing using a router in both a table and on his excellent jigs but if I may I would like to expand a bit further in the use of a router. Many routing jobs can be done using the router freehand but this is where safety of the operator is more at risk. The big professional type routers of around 2000 watts will take a hefty bite out of the hardest timbers so will easily take a bite out of the operator given the slightest chance. Fortunately with plunging routers if used correctly the cutter (bit) is retracted until the plunge is applied then after the pass the plunge is released allowing the cutter (bit) to be retracted.
Direction of cut is very important because one way the cut pulls the cutter into the work which is the correct way whereas the other way the cutter tries to climb out of the work; this I believe will be more noticeable during freehand routing as there is a lot going on during the cut; the router can be cumbersome and the bigger the router the more cumbersome it becomes; if possible the best results are obtained by supporting the router base each side of the cutter as a novice tends to let the router tilt which affects the cut angles.
Whilst talking to my chum Mike Phelan a few weeks ago Mike mentioned that he was building a clock case and was using MDF for the base but although the base had been glued up from three layers of MDF it needed a cove moulding running around. Mike has a router and table but like many others isn't a big fan of routers so I offered to run the cove for him which I easily did using the router freehand. I used a cove cutter with a bearing guide attached to it; these cutters are common place and come in many sizes and profiles. The bearing limits the width of cut at the maximum for the particular cutter but if a shallower cut is required then a fence can be used. The depth of cut is set by the depth adjustment on the actual router body and a single cutter can produce various sized profiles once the technique of adjustment is grasped.
This cove was a very easy one to produce; the cutter was run full width to the bearing and the depth was adjusted by eye against the MDF. For a novice this adjusting can be difficult as the springs of the plunging mechanism are constantly a problem; I find the easiest way to adjust in this situation is to set the depth against the work by eye then simply lock the plunge using the locking lever. Now I can simply remove the router and set the depth limit stop David previously mentioned. Most plunging routers are now fitted with a turret on the router base plate giving three plunge depths and these are used in conjunction with a metal rod that slides up and down on the router body which can be locked in position by the thumbscrew.
As I was completing the cut in one pass I dropped the depth rod onto the turret stop and locked it in place; by the way the turret stop revolves allowing three different cut depths to be selected at will. Now with the stop adjust I released the locking lever allowing the cutter to retract.
Securing small items such as this clock base can be a real problem as otherwise the router would chase it around the bench which would be dangerous. I secured a piece of 4" x 2" timber in the engineering vice and there was just enough room to use a cramp to secure the base to this; I had to do three single cuts repositioning the base after each cut to complete the moulding. It's a pity I didn't take pictures of the set up but I'm pleased to add pictures of the actual moulding and Mike has since painted the base and added the clock mechanism kindly giving me permission to add the picture. A bit of MDF used with imagination can produce some wonderful items; I like the clock face and am looking forward to seeing the finished clock.
It's time I got something done before yet another day passes quickly by.
Kind regards, Col.
Many thanks for fixing the image of Mike's clock Joe; I couldn't get it to show and assumed it to be the file size causing the problem. Much appreciated.
Fixed - Joe
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
