Hi Gary and welcome. You can make letters with straight bits, round nose bits, vee bits, or lettering bits like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Freud-20-574...44778671&sr=8-4&keywords=lettering+router+bit It all depends on the look you want.
New from Oregon
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Glad you decided to join the fun. I probably do three times as many DIY projects as I do woodworking (more precise) projects. Learning to measure is actually something I had to work with. Some measurements are critical, others are a bit more forgiving. A lot has to do with whether you are going to cut inside or outside your mark. And many times, you use a knife to make the mark when it's important. For the inside parts of, say, a bookshelf or cabinet, I prefer to use what's called a story stick, which is a piece of scrap where you fit it in place and use a knife to mark where you're going to cut. Then you use that mark on the stick to mark the piece you're cutting.
On trick is to get a small "block" plane (See picture) which, when really really sharp, lets you make small adjustments to length for a precise fit. Hint, cut slightly longer then trim it back to fit in tiny layers. You are not alone.
At any rate, welcome to the club. Attached is a pdf of the 17 plus things that really helped me get going with woodworking. It has pictures, covers a lot of ground and may keep you from wasting money on stuff you really don't need.
The secret of the block plane is sharpening it to razor sharp level, which can be done with sand paper of increasingly fine grit. Look up sharpening hand planes for how to do it. A block plane is really handy for lots of stuff.
On trick is to get a small "block" plane (See picture) which, when really really sharp, lets you make small adjustments to length for a precise fit. Hint, cut slightly longer then trim it back to fit in tiny layers. You are not alone.
At any rate, welcome to the club. Attached is a pdf of the 17 plus things that really helped me get going with woodworking. It has pictures, covers a lot of ground and may keep you from wasting money on stuff you really don't need.
The secret of the block plane is sharpening it to razor sharp level, which can be done with sand paper of increasingly fine grit. Look up sharpening hand planes for how to do it. A block plane is really handy for lots of stuff.
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First off, thank you everyone for the welcome. I was surprised to find a forum dedicated to routers from a Google search.
The old router that was my fathers is a Sears 315.17400. On the manual he wrote the date and price. February 17, 1981 at $59.25. I have gone thru the manual, looked at the router and did some searching online and I still have no clue as to whether this takes 1/2-inch shanks of just 1/4-inch shanks. The 4 router bits that are with the router are all 1/4-inch. Will this router take 1/2-inch shanks?
Thank you for that link. I have not yet seen such a router bit and it took a while to find it on the Freud site. It looks perfect, but a little on the large side. I only plan on making small signs with small lettering, most likely 1 ½ -inches tall to maybe 2-inches as in the sign in the photo below. Now that I’ve had some time trying to make letters, I can see that the sign in the photo below is crudely made.
The old router that was my fathers is a Sears 315.17400. On the manual he wrote the date and price. February 17, 1981 at $59.25. I have gone thru the manual, looked at the router and did some searching online and I still have no clue as to whether this takes 1/2-inch shanks of just 1/4-inch shanks. The 4 router bits that are with the router are all 1/4-inch. Will this router take 1/2-inch shanks?
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For sign making, a light weight router, called a trim router, is handy. A plunge base is also very helpful. It lets you place the router, then push the bit down into the wood to track and form the letter(s). There are lots of people here who make signs this way. If you post a request for input on making signs with a router, many of them will respond. The title of th epost will draw them out. BTW, here is a picture of a plunge router. It is a second base segment and allows you to both facilitate plunging neatly into the workpiece, and also to limit how deep the bit will go. The one in the picture is very light weight and fairly easy to control freehand. I favor the Bosch "Colt" trim router, but there are some other brands that folks here like.
I like this picture because you can see where the motor for the router fits into the plunge base. You can see the two spring loaded shafts that let you plunge straight down, and you can see the 3-step stop where you can set the limit on the depth of plunge. The large handles make it easy to guide around your letters or carving.
I like this picture because you can see where the motor for the router fits into the plunge base. You can see the two spring loaded shafts that let you plunge straight down, and you can see the 3-step stop where you can set the limit on the depth of plunge. The large handles make it easy to guide around your letters or carving.
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