jig for using a router with a wood lathe

jspurgeo

I want to reduce the outside diameter of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe so that the pipe will fit snugly into 1" sch. 40 pipe. I need to make a few hundred short nipples out of the 3/4" pipe. One end of a nipple will fit into a 3/4" fitting and the other end (with the reduced OD) will fit into a piece of 1" pipe.

I own a Jet mini wood lathe, and someone suggested that I could make a jig that would allow me to use a router with the lathe to shave the pipe. I believe the idea is to build some sort of box around the lathe that would support the router and allow me to move it along the length of the pipe as it is being turned. The person who described the box also suggested using a 3/4" router bit with a bottom end designed for cutting.

Has anyone built a jig like this? Can you give me any more specific advice about building a jig, or possibly alternative ways of solving my problem? Also, I don't own a router yet, so any advice about purchasing a router for this job would be appreciated as well.

Thank you,
John Spurgeon
Hillsboro, Oregon

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Hamlin

You may want to look at this for your jig. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...=tenon%20maker

As for routers, there are so many different brands, sizes, etc. You can only judge which one is right for you. If you do some searching through the forums, you'll find this is a subject that has been debated many times over.

I'm sure others will chime in with better advice.

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Dr.Zook

Welcome to the Router Forums John.

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richinva

Not sure why you would use the router when you have a lathe. Just turn the end down to fit, with the unaltered end in your chuck. I've made many PVC and PEX boxes for laying tools and both materials cut fine on the lathe.

I'd probably use a 60d. cone tailstock in the end of the pipe or you could just turn something to fit over your live center. If you don't have a chuck, turn a mandrel to fit into your MT and jam the pipe over it at the headstock.

Not sure how long your tenon needs to be, but unless you are looking for a constant friction fit, I'd sure try this before using the router.

You also may want to experiment with using PVC in conjunction with PEX, as the ID of one may be close to the OD of another..............

Keep us posted, I'd like to see how you solve it.

rich

jspurgeo

Hi Rich,

With a chuck, the lathe works fine for turning the pipe. My problem is really finding the right cutting tool and technique for holding and moving it. That's where the router and jig come in. You do raise good points, though. Maybe I need to consider other options before getting too fixated on the idea of a router and a jig.

I think a metal lathe might be more suited to the type of thing I'm trying to do, but I don't want to buy another lathe right now. It could be that I just need to work on my technique, once I've identified a good cutting tool.

I do have a dremel tool, and I've been experimenting with various bits - cutting the pipe while it's turning in the lathe. With the right bit, the dremel tool followed by a file produce acceptable results, but I'm sure the process can be improved.

I've also tried a small sand paper block (60 grit) and a wood chisel. The sandpaper clogs and doesn't cut very fast. The wood chisel is more difficult to control and can gouge the pipe if I'm not very careful. My disc/belt sander goes through the pipe like butter. It's very good for putting a square edge on the end of the pipe, but not so good for the degree of precision I'm trying to achieve with my tenons/nipples.

John

bobj3

Hi jspurgeo

You can use one of the many dowel makers,,(google it and you will see many) some have two blades that you can adjust to fit the size you want I'm sure, some come with more than two blades, they look like the a wood threaded in away, but the blades are on a skew angle...

I think using the lathe would be a very slow way to do it...
You can find one or two jigs on the forum that will fit the router to the lathe .
But it would be tricky to keep the pipe true in the pass...maybe with a BIG cove bit but it would still be tricky..and not very safe..


Good Luck wth your quest..

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richinva

Let me know how long a piece you're talking about and I'll turn one either tonight or in the AM and try and post a pic of the setup.

As far as tools, either a spindle gouge or a skew used as a scraper would be my first picks.

Let me know.

rich

jspurgeo

Rich,

My plan is to work with sections of 3/4" pipe that are about 12" long. I would shave 3/4" long sections, skipping 3/4" between sections. Then when I'm done, I would cut the pipe into 1.5" long nipples, giving me 8 nipples/ft.

John

richinva

John,

So.................3/4" pipe, one end 3/4" long, to slip fit into a 1" pipe, the other 3/4" remains as is to fit into a fitting.................

Is that it?

R

jspurgeo

Yes. That's basically it. I'll be gluing the pieces together with PVC cement, but the joint won't be under pressure. So the fit needs to accomodate that sort of application. Since the ID of the 1" pipe isn't tapered like fittings are, the length of the nipple can vary. In some cases, I may be connecting two pieces of 1" pipe separated by a short aluminum sleeve; that would require similar but different nipples.

By the way, I haven't had my lathe for very long and I'm just figuring out things as I go. Anyway, I finally got around to using the tool rest with my flat wood chisel, and that made a BiG difference. I feel sort of silly about this post now. A different cutting tool might work even better, but the chisel did OK.

John