Router less

[Richardgregory]

Without using a router what other method - technique can be used to hollow out a control panel for a joystick?  And how would one go about starting it.

[macattack]

Drill a bunch of holes, using a drill bit, spade bit, hole cutter etc, then clean out what's left with a good chisel.

[Richardgregory]

Thanks - that kinda affirms what I suspected.  But I guess many hours later as compared to a few mins with a router.....oh well.

[knave]

Depending on the thickness of your panel I've seen some under-mounted directly to the wood with a longer joystick. So you could just drill a hole. 

That said you might be able to rent or borrow a router. In my area there are a couple agencies that rent out tools.

[Vigo]

You don't need to drill more than one hole if you have a compass/keyhole saw. Being that this is a $4 saw, there is no reason to not buy one.

[Vigo]

Oh, second read I see you probably are referring to flush mounting as well. Chisels all the way. If you ever worked with chisels, it really is not bad. only 5 minutes or so.

Here, this is how to mortise a hinge with a chisel, it would be the same process for chiseling out a mortise for a flush mount joystick plate, you would just do it after you cut out your main hole.

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/mortising-hinge-chisel.aspx

[shponglefan]

If you were building a CP from scratch, you could glue thinner pieces together.  So for example, if you wanted a 3/4" CP with a 1/4" deep area routed out, you could use 1/4" and 1/2" thick pieces.  Then you could cut out the region you wanted in the 1/4" piece, then glue it to the 1/2" piece.  End result would be a 1/4" deep recessed area.

[Richardgregory]

Thanks for the tips folks......+ the link really helped!  Well, before the time of routers, I'm sure woodworkers restored to chisels and other tools to make things possible, so I'm going to go that way.  I can see how much it'll cost to rent a router, and I don't know if I want to go out and buy one just for this purpose.

[knave]

I think I picked up my router for $25 off of craigslist, worth it in the long run.

[PL1]

Start by chain drilling like Macattack mentioned earlier.

Use a Dremel tool (preferrably using the Dremel router accessory) to clean up the edge.


Scott

[Typefighter01]

If you were building a CP from scratch, you could glue thinner pieces together.  So for example, if you wanted a 3/4" CP with a 1/4" deep area routed out, you could use 1/4" and 1/2" thick pieces.  Then you could cut out the region you wanted in the 1/4" piece, then glue it to the 1/2" piece.  End result would be a 1/4" deep recessed area.

Excellent idea there shponglefan 

[Richardgregory]

What a briliant idea.  Definitely a different way to look at it.