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:'( I purchased the Vacu-Plate system from Oak Park and after modifying my table, found that all of their plates are manufactured with 1 1/2" openings. My Porter-Cable insert set is 1 1/4". Any ideas other than the obvious one of purchasing another set of guides? Does anyone make a converter?

Thanks in advance,
Walt

 

[kp91]

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=41778&cat=1,43000,51208&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=51152&cat=1,43000,51208&ap=1

The price here is right, shipping is pretty quick as well

 

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Thanks KP91,
I was trying to avoid spending anymore money on inserts. I have the Rockler Guide Set with seven guides and two centering bits. Even if I purchased the Lee Valley set I don't see that they have centering bits. (I may be wrong on that.) I was hoping that someone made a converter.

One other idea I had was to place my Porter-Cable plate under the Oak Park plate (with longer bolts) but I'd lose 1/4" on the top of the guide. I think a converter is what I'm looking for. Maybe I could find a machinist to make one.?.

Thanks again,

Walt

 

[Woodnut65]

Hi: Maybe you could buy a plate, or make a duplicate of the plate you have, and then drill out the center hole to 1 and 3/16ths, that size will take porter cabe bushings, or any bushings that are based on PC sizes. Woodnut65

 

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Thanks Woodnut65,
I ended up doing something similar but in reverse. I cut up one of my PC inserts on the scroll saw to 1 3/4". The reason I did it this way was that the PC insert contained the proper counterbore to accept the PC guide bushing. Then I fastened a 3/8" guide bushing to my conversion ring, hooked it up to the drill press and used a file to cut a groove to mate the conversion ring to the Vacu-plate counterbore. I had to make a plastic washer big enough to allow the PC guide nut to hold everything in place otherwise it would have just fallen through the Vacu-plate opening.

So, in the end it works great! However, I have a friend who is a machinist and he told me last night that he would make me an insert converter out of brass but in the meantime I'll use my homemade version. In any case, if I decide to order the proper sized guide bushings for my Vacu-plate I'll have both sets (They are somewhat different in the size of template that they will work with.)

On tonight's Router Workshop I noticed that the Vacu-plate that Bob was using had a large insert which contained a smaller insert that held the guide bushing in place. Too bad they don't still make that model. With a blank small insert I could have made my own 1 3/16" guide bushing insert or Oak Park could have made an insert for the PC guide bushings. I guess if you want to sell the larger guide bushings, that wouldn't be in their interest to do so.

Thanks guys, Walt