This weekend I bought a larger router to use almost solely in my router table. I unpackaged it this morning and I'm fiddling with it on my desk. Here's another crappy cell phone pic:
I've read several good reviews about these Triton routers. My first impression was how thoroughly they designed the dust collection. While the shielding would obscure the view of the bit if you were running it manually, for a router table application it looks like it'll kick ass. No above-table height adjustment though, which is unfortunate.
23 comments:
I almost picked that router up..but i got the Bosch EVS 1619(i think) router, big monster!
I looked at that router, but thought that it looked like the type of router that a gaylord might be into.
And what d'ya know...
hey cody, what kind of person gets the bosch combo kit?
Cody
As a gaylord I am deeply offended by your comments.
did you just call me a gaylord?
=(
and what do you think of drawer let go cody?
sorry there were some glaring spelling mistakes take would have prompted some name calling, probably in reference to my french heritage.
i don't think any of cody's drawers fit... he's probably going to call you a gaylord again and tell you to use steel runners. i guess the japaness fit their drawers top to bottom, and i think the argument there is that the seasonal movements are lessened by this approach. klager was telling me about this. he needs a blog now.
Ok ok, this is getting out of hand.
Nick, I think Let-Go is a touchy subject. Jacques is absolutely correct, I've never built a drawer that fit, and I've built lots of 'em. I suppose there's a couple reasons. I built a tea-cabinet with 8 little drawers (or maybe it was 10?) and while all the drawers didn't have a perfect let-go fit, they fit nicely. For about an hour. We had a show at the school and as I was hanging my cabinet on the wall I looked outside and it was just starting to rain. The show began soon after and the drawers, of course, swelled just enough to seize up. I spent the evening watching people try to open the drawers in my cabinet and almost pull the thing off the wall. The next day I planed all the drawer sides enough so that while the drawers don't rattle, they are a fairly loose fit. I think let-go, and this is a statement that will piss lots of hardcore Krenovians off, is one of those idealistic little things that is nice to learn to do, but draws a very fine line between a piece of furniture being beautiful and being a disaster. Imagine a client spending thousands on a desk only to find that they can't remove the drawers once they get it home? Chances are, they don't give a shit about Krenov, all they know is they spent a bundle on something that can't perform the most basic of tasks - drawers that open and close! Mike Mulroney and I just had a conversation recently on this topic. There comes a point with furniture making where we're incorporating techniques and details that only other woodworkers can understand and appreciate. Yet they increase the amount of hand work involved in the piece, and ultimately, the price. We're expecting people to pay for our idealism, which I don't think is realistic. It would be great to find some rich philanthropic soul who writes us blank cheques and tells us to build whatever we like, but c'mon, that's rare.
Uh... and that's what I think of let-go.
that was a pretty eloquant description of a probably pretty common moral dilema that most of use have. i definately find myself trying to find a balance between what i'm only doing for myself (like trying to get a surface that is all good off of my handplane) and getting paid a decent wage for all the hours that furniture takes. most of the time, i use sandpaper, on some projects, i don't even touch my plane for the duration of it. but, at the end of the day, i think i need to work in a way that keeps me satisfied and live with the consequence of a meager living (or in my case, live with my parents). can you guys tell that i've just recently reread all the krenov books?
idealism won't get us anywhere in the market place, but maybe it'll keep us warm inside, and hopefully we'll be able to find people who like our things, and have a bit of money to spend.
Ah, im curious about this top to bottom fitting of drawers.
I read hat when you fit a drawer in the summer, you should just be able to slip a piece of paper between the to of the drawer and the partition, a nickle in the winter. i remember seeing a Krenovian cabinet someone built and when i tried the drawer, it wouldn't come out because it swelled up. it's a shame.
i just love that when you push in one drawer, the other one gets pushed out. freakin' awesome.
And do people care? no absolutely not, some do, but most of them really dont care if the drawer has handcut dovetails or router cut ones. So why bother cutting them by hand? Well for me, at the end of the day, its MY name on that desk or cabinet and i want to do the best work i can possibly do without feeling soulless at the end of the day.
Let-go is one of those things that is a sensitive subject like Cody says. When I asked Brian Newell if he fit his drawers using it he laughed and said that let-go was woodworker "vanity". It is a nice thing when it is there but would bug the shit out of me too if my drawers in my kitchen locked up every year. To tell you the truth I have never pulled a drawer right out and onto the floor so it's necessity is also questionable. But I like the feel of it when it is present. My feelings are mixed. That's from an aesthetic standpoint.
From and economical one, I would not put it in unless the client asked for it and was willing to pay for.
That Japanese way seems way quicker to do. Have you tried it yet Jacques?
no i haven't tried the japanese thing yet. to be honest, i haven't made a drawer since being at IP. i've had to readjust my english brown oak cabinet and it's needs more readjustment, and so does my veneered piece. the tolerances at schools, the vanity, are absolutely too tight, even for veneered work. i think that remembering that wood moves and designing in total accordance with it, and having perfect tolerances is a damned near impossible thing to do, or maybe i'm just still learning. either way, i still make mistakes. hopefully i'm still learning as well.
Damn, seems like theres a lot of sticky drawers going around...but are the problems due to keeping the opening of the reveal so tight?, because the drawer wouldn't expand much in thickness.
not so much the opening/reveal, because the drawer front doesn't move length wise. it's more the drawer sides to the case. and yes, it's a fine line between something that runs year round, and something that rattles, or conversely, something that sticks.
I have to chime in with my two bits. I dont claim to be a devout Krenovian, Ive only visited IP and COTR to get a glimpse at the magic that goes on at these schools. Its my feeling that there is a responsiblity to do the finest work possible. There are millions of people out there doing work of adequate quality, a door that swings and shuts, joints that hold up to gravity and everyday use, design thats functional. I think the issue of a let-go drawer can be argued forever but its my feelings that the point is moot. A well built drawer is one that functions perfectly on the soggiest fall day and thats about all you can do. I doubt anyone is willing to pour their heart into a piece that only works half the year. As we all know, wood is a medium thats prone to movement,we as woodworkers know that and anyone willing to pay for our work should be informed that perfection in every single aspect can be elusive. Having a drawer that sticks or rattles can be a forgivable, being the result of the nature of wood. What cant be forgiven is a flawed surface, poorly executed grain orientation or joinery that wont stand up to generations of use. These are the aspects that a craftsperson has full control over. One of Krenovs book was With Wakened Hands, a fine idea but isnt the mind the most powerful tool we use? After going through the Krenov series of books or better yet going through a school based on the books there has to be an obligation to carry on his tradition of uncompromising workmanship. Its the students of these schools that all us "adequate" woodworkers look to for the benchmark of quality. So Jacques, Ian, Cody and any other alumni out there please dont let us down, we need all the help and inspiration you can spare.
Rane, you're a gaylord. I blame the yoga.
Damn, I was just thinking about using Blumotion drawer systems. Thanks for the comment Rane. Your point is well taken. That was a good topic of discussion.
Cody, you should have know better than to try to steal an old stalkers idea. I put the patent down on threaded metal tenons years ago. Mine even come with caps in various semi-exotic wood species from every corner of the amazon. Now If I were you and Im glad Im not, I would get rid of that useless desk and put your workbench in front of you. It would have the added benefit of being a much better background for all your new tools.
I do recall one particularly stunning use of the threaded metal tenon caps. I believe it was padauk plugs in maple? Very bold, nice work Wardwell!
I agree with the desk/workbench comment. Unfortunately my desk is much more proficient at paying my big fat mortgage! After this weekend though, I'll be in the shop working on kitchen cabinets for awhile. That is, once I get the shop built.
hey cody, it's been a while... you must have got something done on something. come on, throw me a bone. i don't feel like i'm alive if i don't get cody updates. don't leave me hanging.
Oh c'mon, you don't 'feel alive' without me updating my blog?? That's so sad Jacques! Sorry man, I've got drywallers working on my house and I'm trying to stay one step ahead of them = no woodworking musings. I did however replace all the original posts in my basement with teleposts. The originals are 6' long 5"x5" fir. The house is 120 years old, who knows how old the posts are. Maybe I'll brave the cold in my garage and run one of them across my jointer and take some pics.
fir's nice... that could be a really good score, baring that they're not all checked to hell.
what are you making your kitchen out of? what town are you in anyhow? i might drop by someday, my sis is around peace river, so i roam the alberta prairie from time to time.
Have a merry x-mas Cody!
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