1970's Vintage Router Kit

[twistsol]

My daughter's neigbor had a house fire a couple of years ago and stored stuff in her garage in exchange for yard work and snow removal. As he was moving out a few weeks ago he asked If I could use this. It belonged to his dad.

It is a fixed base router with a set of door hinges templates, circle cutting guide, edge guide, and a mount to turn it into a power planer. The manual has a copyright of 1971, the case is steel and the whole setup seems to weigh as much as my truck. The hinge jig is something I've needed in the past but I have no immediate use for it. The power plane adapter is both intriguing and somewhat terrifying. I'm definitely reading the manual and practicing before I attempt to use that.

[LCHIEN]

1/2 collet or just 1/4"?

I mean if you're like the above average woodworker you already have 3 or more routers... all a bit more modern.

[twistsol]

It is 1/4", but as you said I may have some other more modern routers laying about somewhere as well.

[leehljp]

I have a Black & Decker Router (1/4") that was given to me about 12-14 years ago. It is from the '70s I think. The fellow that gave into me passed away a couple of years after that. I think of him often - he was a teacher in one of out Sunday School classes and We have a weekly mens meeting in that room. His photo is on the bulletin board in that room.

https://www.sawdustzone.org/filedata/fetch?id=860857

[capncarl]

It’s scarey some of the accessory uses some older tools had. I suppose the planer feature would bel simular to the flattening jigs now used with routers, but hot that have encountered. Nothing more scary than a chainsaw blade attachment for your 5” grinder. This is just death in a small package!

[twistsol]

It’s scarey some of the accessory uses some older tools had. I suppose the planer feature would bel simular to the flattening jigs now used with routers, but hot that have encountered. Nothing more scary than a chainsaw blade attachment for your 5” grinder. This is just death in a small package!

I think it would be akin to a wildly unbalanced version of the tool below.

[Jim Frye]

I have Ryobi’s version of the electric hand plane. It actually works pretty well. Takes a bit of learning curve like any other tool.

[LCHIEN]

Using a 1/4" shank bit for power planing with a router makes me nervous. Usually with the rails the bit extension is long and the bit is fairly large diameter to speed up the planing.

If a large diameter bit with a long extension catches on something that's a lot of side force on a small diameter shank.

[Jim Frye]

Happened to me many years ago. I was using a hand me down B&D 1/4” router with a trigger switch in one handle. I was using a 1/2” RO bit on a TYP hand rail when the bit caught on a solid knot, bent the bit shaft, and launched things into a finger removing most of an index fingernail. Most of my 1/4” shanked bits have been replaced with 1/2” shanked bits and only get used in my low hp trim router.

[capncarl]

As much as I hate to say it, but old tools like this are of little use today unless for a decoration on the wall or shelf. A year or so ago I posted about a once used circular saw a friend gave me that belonged to his dad. All metal body in a nice metal box, complete with original blade, instructions and literature. The cord was cracked like a sack of Fretos so I temporarily taped it up, opened up the saw lubricated the bearings and bushings. It ran great, so I replaced the cord and gave it a whirl. It lit up in a shower or sparks and melted the trigger switch, which was the only plastic thing on the saw. I opened it up and it looked like the motor wiring was as bad as the cord, so no repairs for this fine old saw.

I have a number of power tools that the cords are cracking and flaking off. How much of their internal wiring is in the same condition?

[leehljp]

60% of my shop/wood work is done with tools and technology that was not available 25-30 years ago - lithium battery technology and brushless motors. The lithium/brushless world has cut down on my being tied to within an extension cord of an outlet. The other 40% is my TS, BS and lathe. I can't remember the last time I used a corded drill. I will say I use my corded Bosch jigsaw almost as much as I do my cordless jigsaw, which is a testament to Bosch's jigsaw! The only other corded tool I use often is my fein multi-tool.

[capncarl]

I purchased this Vintage shaper kit for a Craftsman power tool. I was led to believe that it is for a tablesaw. It moves the term dangerous into a new level.

[twistsol]

My dad had that same kit and used it on his radial arm saw with the motor horizontal. I think it is in my shop in one of the boxes of stuff I'll never use.

[leehljp]

I purchased this Vintage shaper kit for a Craftsman power tool. I was led to believe that it is for a tablesaw. It moves the term dangerous into a new level.

I remember those. My dad had a set also but I never saw him use them. Dad did a lot of tongue and groove (LOTS of it) but he did it on a planer, if I remember correctly.

[capncarl]

A wood shop near me has a narrow planer/jointer/shaper machine contraption that uses tooling simular to the photo above. I don’t think it is anywhere as dangerous as trying to shape a board from the bottom on a table saw and have it flung at you… or shaping a board on a radial arm saw and having it snatched out of your hand s and bounce off the ceiling and lights, then hitting you in the head! Anyway, the wood shop occasionally cuts custom crown or base molding, but they have to send a sample of the original wood to some machine shop to have cut custom cutters. Lots of $$$ involved , but then lots of time to install and adjust the tooling …. Then lots of wood wasted tuning the shaper. Really Rich People’s stuff.