Introducing myself

[AndyGTC]

Hi everyone,

Recently discovered this forum whilst hunting down some tips and tricks. what a great source of information!!

I'm a small home based custom drum builder based in Southern England and use my router(s) a lot for my work, from making drum shell moulds to cutting bearing edges on drums. I have to say, alongside my lathe my routers (I have 4, three 1/2" models and one 1/4" model) have to be my favourite workshop tool. I've recently designed a variation on the home-made circle cutting jig. I have to cut circles varying in diameter from 8" to 24" and thought it was about time I made something that would be easily adjustable and more importantly super accurate. I'm now in the process of finishing the construction of this. I just need to add a sliding scale marker and it should be done. Maybe I can post a picture when it's all complete.

I play in a couple of bands as well so along with my 'proper' (but oh so boring) day job and my family (4 kids!!) I'm pretty busy. Quick reference guides on the internet are therefore a real bonus for me. I'm very pleased to have discovered this site therefore!

Anyway, that's me in a nutshell. Hope to be a frequent visitor here for more tips as I discover how much more my routers can do. Keep up the great work!

Andy

[cranbrook2]

Hi and welcome Andy.
this is a great site full of very usefull information and lots of great people.
john

[AndyGTC]

Originally Posted by cranbrook2

Hi and welcome Andy.
this is a great site full of very usefull information and lots of great people.
john

Thanks John, appreciate the welcome.

You're not wrong. I've been reading through thread after thread (when I should be working )!! Some fascinating stuff here. Thanks again.

[Mark]

Hey Andy, welcome to the forums

[bobj3]

Hi Andy

PLEASE post a picture of the circle cutting jig, and like you I have made many and have got one or two from Rockler I'm now making a new type also that will be easy to make and it will be accurate.
Most need to be screwed to the base ( a big pain) of the router this will not need to be,this one just needs a brass guide installed in the router base and it can use a 1/4" to 3/4" router bits and with one pin you're cutting the hole out.

Looking forward to seeing yours

Bj

[AndyGTC]

Hi Bob & Mark,

Again, thanks for the friendly welcomes.

Yup, I'll post a picture certainly. Assuming it works of course!! I'm using the router's guidebush for this one but I can adapt it to actually mount the router on the jig via the router base if that doesn't work sufficiently well enough. I also plan on using one pin mounted through a sliding assembly with 2 rules either side to make sure that I'm accurate. With drum moulds you have to be very accurate due to the fact that if you're oversized things like heads (skins) and hoops won't fit and if you're undersized, the drum lugs will not align properly. Hopefully my variation on the jig will make this a lot easier. As with all these things there's a certain amount of trial and error and re-thinking involved! Still, it's fun planning and working it all out.

[Dr.Zook]

Hi Andy and welcome to the forums. Sounds like you have an interesting side line. Think maybe you could post a pic or two of your finished drums? or unfinished. I'd like to see one.

[AndyGTC]

Originally Posted by Dr.Zook

Hi Andy and welcome to the forums. Sounds like you have an interesting side line. Think maybe you could post a pic or two of your finished drums? or unfinished. I'd like to see one.

Sure thing. Here you go.

[karateed]

Wow!!!, these are beautiful........keep up the excellent work and welcome to the forum.......I'm a relative newbie, been around about 1 year doing some small projects and am totally amazed at what people are doing. One thing this forum has done for me is fired my imagination to the point I'm hungry for an education in this hobby. One day I hope to take a full-fledged wood working course so I can turn out quality work like yours....of course that takes hours and hours of practise but in a few years I should be retired and then....well....the sky is the limit and my time will be my own....

Great job on the drums Andy......:-)

[MichaelHaney]

Welcome aboard Andy!

I am sure you will have a lot of good interaction with everyone in this forum based on the craftsmanship shown in your photographs. This is a unique group of wood workers that are passionate about their craft or hobby; and like you, they all bring different experiences and ideas to the table. Differences; we cover a broad geographic area, age range, and skill level. You will probably even find our taste in humor when you go into the "Off Topic" section. Anyway, welcome aboard.

Most respectfully

Michael Haney