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Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=47382		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Burton LeGeyt [ Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Hey everyone,

I've been wanting to upgrade my circle cutting jig for so long and finally had a need to get it done- It came out nice enough that I wanted to share some pics of it.

It is pretty basic in design, the main carriage rides on 2 rails and is powered by a central screw. There is an extension off of the front with bronze bushings that rotate around a 1/4" pin. The long ball headed lever is a locking mechanism and the indicator measures the travel.

It will cut from a 1 1/4" to an 8 1/2" circle which should cover just about any rosette related needs and then some. I was so glad when Bosch finally came out with a plunge base for the Colt. I knew that the Dewalt had one but wasn't excited about having to buy a whole new router. Building it around the plunge base (and not having to also build in a downfeed for the router) made the project easier to tackle and I can't wait to put it through the paces.

Thanks for looking!

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Author:  Michaeldc [ Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Beautiful piece of work!
Author:  Jim Watts [ Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
well, ya gotta like that!
Nice design. Mine is sort of like that only I use gauge blocks instead of an indicator to make adjustments. I've been meaning to upgrade to an indicator for about 20 yrs now. Maybe someday, but I doubt it if my track record is any indication. :(
Really a nice job Burton.
Author:  Pat Foster [ Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Nice work, Burton. Your designs and executions have always impressed me.

Pat
Author:  Zac Stout [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
That's great, Burton. I'm going to school to be a machinist and I hope I can make something that nice one day!
Author:  Terence Kennedy [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Snazzy! The micrometer is a nice touch.
Author:  George L [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Sweet! Well done, Burton, as always.
Author:  Rod True [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Drool!
Author:  Colin North [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 3:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Beautiful piece of work Burton.
Does the Bosch have a fine depth adjustment?
Author:  Gary Gill [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 5:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Very nice work. What lathe and mill do you have?
Author:  Burton LeGeyt [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:36 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Thanks for the comments guys! I appreciate it.

Colin, it does have (a sort of) one on the rotating stop for the depth rod but just having that is better than the wonky screw downfeed on the non-plunge base that I used before. I am very excited to be able to quickly enter and exit the cut with the plunge feature, I have always wanted that. I expect that I will follow Jim's lead and use my gage blocks to set the depth of cut after leveling off on top of the spruce. That sort of precision in terms of the depth of the channel will be very welcome too.

Gary, I have a 3/4 size Clausing mill and a (very) old Hardinge lathe at home. They certainly could have made this tool but I took advantage of access I have to some newer tools at work and mostly used those. Specifically a ProtoTrak K2 mill and a newer (but still old) Hardinge TFB-H.
Author:  giltzow [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Beautiful work - Mike
Author:  jack [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Nice Burton....
Author:  jfmckenna [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
I would like to have that if for any reason just to look at it, hold it and play with it. What a superb looking machine.
Author:  DannyV [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Beautiful work. Doesn't matter what it might be, it's nice to see anything well made.
Author:  Tim L [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Hey Burton,

Nice work. I really liked the way you designed the pivots to be in the center and added some outrigger mass to balance the weight. That extra length allows you enough room to easily mount the indicator too. Where's the rotational auto feed? beehive
Author:  meddlingfool [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
That's some next level action. Can you make the width adjuster knob go on top with gears and a big star knob? 'Cause with enough repeats, the tele knob gets angstful...
Author:  Barry Daniels [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Very nice looking rig, Burton. I have also been waiting for the Bosch plunge base. However, in this application the plunge base seems a bit overkill, since we only need to plunge 40 or 50 thousandths. I overcame the need for the plunge base by using a couple of top cutoffs to hold the router above the plate. When I am ready to cut, I pull the cutoffs out and let the router jig settle into place and start routing. The benefit for me is that I don't have to keep resetting the depth. Leaving the depth setting locked in place eliminates another potential for slop/error.
Author:  Burton LeGeyt [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Thanks!

Tim,
I was hoping you would chime in. About the rotational drive I was thinking I would go low tech, mount a sail and mast and strap a big fan to the other side. Waddaya think? [:Y:]

Ed, That is exactly what I had hoped to do- In the interest of getting it done though I didn't follow through and just made the smaller knob. If I ever come back to it then a set of miter gears are the next thing to install and a nice big dial on the top where it is easy to access.

Barry, You are right of course, it is a bit overkill. You could argue that the whole thing is! I've been doing something similar to you with my old setup and while it has worked fine I won't miss it.
Author:  meddlingfool [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
The more work I have to do, the more overkill I want to get.
Author:  Tim L [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Me
I would have just taken a picture of my hands :)
Author:  Mike Collins [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
incredible work of art !
and a needed one!

Mike
Author:  david farmer [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 3:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
Beautiful tool Burton!
Every plunge mechanism I have laid my hands on, including a $400 Festool, has an annoying amount of play in the slides, allowing a lot of racking. Is that Colt base pretty tight? or is the play just not relevant in use?
Author:  Burton LeGeyt [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
David,

Hmmm.. I have had the opposite experience with plunge bases, I haven't used one I thought had much, if any, slop. The Bosch base feels great, tight and smooth. I haven't actually made a cut with it yet, though. We have the Dewalt laminate trimmer with a plunge base at work and that one feels great, I have had no concerns when using it.
Author:  James Orr [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Upgraded rosette/circle cutter
The dial indicator [:Y:] [:Y:] [:Y:]
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