Birchwood

Fellas, I really hate to keep bothering you with my new guy problems but I am going nuts over this one. I bought two different "sign making" kits from the tool catalogs,. You know the ones. I just cannot get them to make a simple sign for me. Biggest problem: the weight of my router invariably distorts,warps,twists,deforms the #$@!%%#@ letter templates in their "cradle". Today I ground up a couple more cheap black plastic letter guides and ONE nice bushing and probably ONE nice expensive bit!!!
Any help at all? Is there such a thing as a lettering kit that actually works!!

Advertising

Glenmore

I had the same problem when I tried to make my sign. They are sitting on a shelf ever since personally I think it might be that plastic bushing that comes with it. I think that it doesn't support the router and it just bend the template letters just enough. I not sure on it but it does sound good. Let's see if we can find the answer I hope I'm right I'm getting my set of brass bushings and that's why I buying the to do up some signs for Chrismas presents this year.

reible

Sounds like we need some quick advice here...... First I have an old Sears one letter at a time system that has been around for a lot of years.

When I first got the kit I had a plain 1/4" sears router and the metal bushings for it. The trick was to keep the bit off the wood and the bushing in the plastic letter then turn it on and start the routing. If the bit was set to deep you would hit the wood before the bushing was in the template.... the router would then well you know..... You only need to have that happen once.

When I got a plunge router that problem was solved as you can be flat in position when you start the cut. At this point I should mention that you need to be using bits that are designed to plunge.... ones that have the cutter all the way to the bottom of the bit. This is not usually a problem unless you are using straight bit.

This brings us to the new sign making kit I got this spring. This is one that holds a string of letters and I think the name was signcrafter, it uses the turnlock guide bushings.... you can check the name but it is something like that. Anyway the reason I picked that one is that it has a couple of supports that keep the rails from flexing... when you are pushing against the spring in a plunge router there are some forces at work and unsupported rails will flex. Now if you don't have this system take a look at a catalog or web site to see what I'm talking about. You don't need to go and buy a new one of these but you do need to come up with some support for under the rails....

OK I've got to go but I hope this gives you some direction.......

Ed

boardfoot

Birchwood,
I have the Signcrafter and it works ok. Not great, but ok. You have to be a little carefull not to put excessive pressure on it when routing, otherwise the depth of the letters will be different from the ends to the center, as it will flex just a little if you over do it.You dont need extra long bits with it either. I think Lowes carries them.
Good Luck!
Boardfoot

Mike

I have the Craftsman $26 kit and it works ok. Take your time adjusting everything, this is the key. I may of put a bit too much side pressure on mine as I did a slight trim job on the Craftsman plastic bushing. I have since sold both my Craftsman routers and the next time I will be using a Bosch 1617 in the plunge base with brass collars. Patience is the key.

__________________
Mike
Please edit your profile with a name and location so we can better assist you.

template tom

My suggestion is to make a 'Router Support' that will support the router and will not be resting on the jig in use. The 'Ski Mode' is the obvious choice. Please forgive me if I do not get back to you for the next fornight as I am heading off to Cairns on Monday orning but I thought I would get my reply in early before I go.
Tom

Visteonguy

I have had extreamly good luck with this method of making signs,,, I just use a very small trim router with a solid carbide 1/4 "ball nose" end mill in it,,, I use that because it gives me a radius at the base of the letters or picture you are making in the sign. If you wanted a sharp corner ,,, use a flat bottom bit.
I replaced the base of the router with a piece of 1/4 inch plexiglass that is about a foot square to give it a large foot print, and drilled a hole on two opposing sides and mounted a couple of dowels for handles to guide the router. All routing is done free hand .
To get the design on the wood, there are several methods. One is to use the computer. I just go to some word program and find the type of Font that I want for my sign and then type out what I want it to say and print up what ever I end up with that pleases me. Once I have a hard copy in my hands,,, ( If I cannot get it to print up large enough out of my printer on the computer,,, I take it to a copy machnine that enlarges or take it to a copy shop like "KinKo's" and they can make it as large as you want it,
Then take your final copy and lay it on the wood and under it,, lay some carbon paper and run a pencil over your sign so the imprint will press down through the carbon paper and when you are done,,, remove your copy and carbon paper and you now should have the outline of your sign transfered to your wood and ready to start to rout out what you do not want. Either rout out the letters or rout out the surrounding spaces and leave the letters standing high,,, I like that look best myself
Another method I use, and get great results, is to use an "Opaque Projector". You just place your subject under the projector and shine it on the wood sign you are going to make and then take a pencil and outline the picture that is now being shown on your slab of wood. This is a secret of artist and sign painters that they never tell you about,,, I learned it when I took some air brush classes and was amazed when I tried it,,,,, with that projector,,, you can paint ANYTHING !!!,,,, and that also goes now for signs, now that I have tried it on wood,, It works fantastic and you are not stuck making the same kind of lettering when you have to use those letter templates.
Once you try either of these methods and see what you can now produce,,, for free !! you will probably collect all your templates and take them to the curb for the next trash day. Really.
This may sound a bit complicated but if you try it,, you will see there's nothing to it,,, and you will blow your friends minds,,, as long as you do not tell them or show them the secret of how you did it.
I have tried to send in a couple of pictures so you can see them,,, but so far,, have not had luck in getting them through,,,,
But I will be happy to answer any questions that I can.

GoonMan

Hello visteonguy, Welcome to the RouterForums

Please see this tip on How to shrink images by reible. We are size limited to about 95 kb.


Also thanks for the lettering tip.

__________________
Regards
Randy

PC Support Forums, Free on line virus Scan, The Parasite Fight,
Subratam.org -> Kill Spyware Forums A.S.A.P. Proud member since 2004 ~

EPC

I've used the signcrafter by milescraft co. Works pretty good from what I've done. Using a lot of soft/hard scrap woods (cedar the best). using the 2 1/2" letters, with 1/2" core box 1/4" shank bit, with the pc693 router. I can see rail support being important. When using up to 7 letters its ok. Whe using 8-9 or more letters in one word or multiple words, there are supports for the rails. Then I've found that the size of the router comes into play. I was thinking of using a trim router pc310, $159.00, a little more than the pc7310,$99.00 at one home depot. Although I did see the 7310 for $79.00 at one H.Depot. The trim would be smaller & lighter while resting on the rails. But I wanted to use it mainly for free handed stuff which I haven't tried yet. I also bought the router attachment for my dremel to try free hand stuff 1st (haven't tried yet either), before I bought the pc310. Has anyone have pro's/cons on the trim routers for lettering? Hope the above info is of some help.

Visteonguy

Epc, I use small Trim routers that I have bought from a company called Harbor Freight, If you live in the U.S. maybe you have heard of them ? I have bought them for as little as $14, I got a catalog this morning and I see they are going for $19 in that catalog but the prices seem go up and down like ya change socks. They work fine for me,, and are so cheap that have bought several of them and just leave different router bits in each one so I do not have to waste time changing them for the particular job that needs to be done.
All I have done to modify them for free hand routing is to make a very large base plate for each of them so they span a good distance between the letters or image that you are making on your sign.. Its so easy to do and the results are spectacular.
Try a free hand sign and you will amaze yourself with the finnished sign, and the skys the limit on the compositions of your signs then,