[mopar]

hi:

my real name is jun sanchez and i am from the philippines. i make acrylic display cases for a living (sample pix of a few of them are included herewith).






do note that my cases are 100% hand-built without the aid of any special tool or machine (except for a bench grinder which was converted into a sander). they are hand-cut, hand-sanded and hand-rubbed/buffed. so you can imagine the amount of time i spend just to finish each case. since i want to increase my production, i know that mechanizing is the only way to go. i would like to start by making a table router.

since makita is widely-available in my country, i am most likely to buy this brand. these are the makita models that i can choose from: 3620, 3601B, 3600H, 3612 and 3612BR. Which of these models, do you think are the best for a newbie like me? i also need help on how i can start making a table for it.

any suggestion on this matter will be greatly appreciated. you may also contact me via my e-mail address - junsanchezs2003 (at) yahoo.com

thank you so much.

jun

 

[BobandRick]

Nice looking cases jun!

I think you need a solid router and my choice is the 3612BR because it is the larger of the bunch and will last longer in production.

1) In your case I think you will want to eliminate the sanding and buffing stages of the process. The router is a good choice. For this I think you need to set the router up as a jointer. See the link for more info.
http://www.routerforums.com/showthread.php?t=242

2) As for the router table the quickest way is to mount the router to a piece plywood then hang the plywood and router over the edge of the work bench. Permanently set up this router with the jointer fence to trim the rough cut edges and you will save yourself many hours of hard work.

3) Router bits are the next item you need take a look at metal cutting end mills with the negative rake, these do a great job on the acrylic. Positive rake router bits as made for wood don't work so well with acrylic.

Good luck Jun

 

[Mark]

Hey Jun!

Glad you decided to join, you did an excellent job on your cases and I also really like your car collection.

Jun, I edited your post and fixed your email address you posted, if you posted your email address like (ex; [email protected] ) spam bots will crawl our site and spam your email address, so just for future notice put your email like ( Mark (at) Mark.com ) it'll prevent from any spam.

 

[Dr.Zook]

Welcome to the forums Jun. Glad to have you here. Those are really nice looking cases. Your collection of cars aren't bad either. Keep up the good work.

Dave
the "Doctor"

 

[mopar]

first, i would like to thank all of you for the warm reception inspite of the fact that i work on a material, acrylic, that is different from what most of you work on. you guys sure know how to make a newbie feel very welcomed

bobandrick:

i followed this link - http://www.routerforums.com/showthread.php?t=242 - and learned something new about how really versatile a router is. although this is a much better approach than my present system, i think setting the router as a jointer still requires that i hand pre-cut the acrylic? and cutting the acrylic by hand is something that i want to eliminate as often as possible.

thanks a lot and more feedback please.
_____________
mark:

thanks a lot for the tip on the proper way to post my e-mail address. point well-taken.
____________

dr zook:

thanks for welcoming me and for appreciating my work and my collection.

 

[mopar]

more questions:

will a plunge-type or fixed-based router be an issue if i mount it (more or less permanently) on a table? which one should i buy? the problem with most makita routers that are avilable in my country is that most are plunge-type.

is there a website that provides a step-by-step guide (complete with detailed pictures) to making a table router?

i'm sorry if i ask my questions one or two at a time. i just ask whatever comes off my head. pls expect more naive questions from me. but like you said: the only stupid question is the question that is not asked (i like that).

thanks and best regards.

mopar

 

[BobandRick]

Do you want to use the router to cut the acrylic? Or can you purchase a table saw as well.

 

[mopar]

Do you want to use the router to cut the acrylic? Or can you purchase a table saw as well.

buying a table saw is not included in my immediate plan. so, i will be using the router (mounted upside down to a table) to cut the acrylic to its exact dimensions, without the need to further sand it to size. given the amount of work that i do, there will be times that the router will be cutting acrylic, perhaps, the entire day.

since the acrylic will be cut by feeding it manually to the router table, do you think i will get good and exact cuts consistently? will i be subjecting the router to unreasonable work? your question above seems to suggest that i first cut the acrylic slightly oversized using a table saw then feed the acrylic to a router/jointer to get the exact size.

thank you so much for your help.

my best regards.

mopar

 

[Glenmore]

Welcome to the forums jun.

 

[mopar]

Welcome to the forums jun.

thanks a lot, glenmore!

my best regards

mopar

 

[-Sam-]

Hey mopar, welcome to the forums! Nice collection of cars you have there! If I remember right, Is it Kumustaka?

 

[mopar]

Hey mopar, welcome to the forums! Nice collection of cars you have there! If I remember right, Is it Kumustaka?

whoa! someone who speaks my language. you're absolutely right, sam, and "kumusta ka?" also.

thanks for the warm reception. have you read my querries? should i go to another forum topic to ask my questions again?

thanks again and i hope to hear more from you.

my best regards.

jun

 

[-Sam-]

Hey Jun,

Yes I have been reading your post. If you have any other questions, you can start a new post under the topic that fits your question. Lots of experienced woodworkers here as you can tell. Enjoy!