Roy Noble Router Attachment
© Frank Ford, 11/18/98; Photos by FF, 11/18/98
From our old pal, Roy Noble, comes an elegantly simple and slick attachment for the ubiquitous rotary tool. It's a very precise and easy to use plunge router table, and it looks just like this:
It's made of heavy 1/2" acrylic and the tool simply screws into the top plate:
A very easy to adjust depth stop is screwed through the top plate:
And there's a pair of return springs between the two plates.
This crazy acrylic parallelagram is a locking mechanism that grips both posts simultaneously for a super secure lock with just a touch:
I use mine without any springs, but you can use one or two, depending on how you like 'em:
The locking mechanism is an accessory I've chosen to do without:
Just the two regular thumbscrews are plenty enough for me, because most of the time I use the tool without locking the bearings.
Bearings are really what this tool is all about:
If you haven't encountered the "Frelon" bearings, you're in for a treat. They have absolutely no play at all! Completely solid, and almost frictionless, they ride up and down on the hardened 1/2" steel posts to provide absolute repeatability of positioning.
I have never found a router table that would allow me to do a plunge cut when routing a bridge. In the past I've always raised and lowered the bit within the collet to avoid positional errors. Finally, I can simply use the depth adjustment on the router table with confidence.
Here's an important tip:
Roy says to buy the Black and Decker rotary tool instead of the Dremel because the bearings are better. THIS IS IMPORTANT. My last two Dremels are absolute crap. There is so much play in the front bearings that the bits wobble like crazy, and they are useless for precision routing.
Order this fine tool from L.M.I. (Tell 'em I sent you. . .)
Back to Index Page