Routing options

[RayB]

Is there a way to "route" without an actual router?

Here's my dilemma: I own a regular black n decker router, but it's too big and powerful for small precise jobs.

I also own a Dremel. I bought the Dremel router kit, but whatta ya know, my model is too small for it.

So what can I do? I want to route out about 1/16" to 1/8" of an area in a precise rectangle.

 

[mccoy178]

Sounds like its time to drill a hole and then chisel out the edges.  Thats a tiny rectangle.

[DrewKaree]

Take that Dremel kit back and use the money to buy a laminate trim router.  They'll handle the smaller-shanked bits and work perfectly for what you're talking about.

Alternately, you can clamp up some 2x4's to either side of the hole you want to route to give your router base something more stable to ride on while you route

[DrewKaree]

Ryobi makes a cordless one as well, but having to buy the batteries and charger will end up making it more expensive than these if you don't own any of their stuff, plus other than Porter Cable, I wouldn't expect much battery life out of a cordless router.  Home Depot carries any of these:

[Jabba]

I'd use a small sharp chisel assuming you don't need to bore a square all the way through the board, just a recessed bit for a square screw hole, etc...

[bb040]

you might try a roto zip...

[Avery]

There is a trick they used to do for decorative metal inlay where they would make sheet metal stencil, fasten that down and then hit the wood with a litte fork like dubus mounted in a drill press (think really agresive wire brush).

I don't know if this would work for you, but you're talking about such a small area....

If you only hava a couple of these to do, I'd carve them out with an Xacto knife.

[DrewKaree]

I think you're talking about a needle scaler

[Avery]

No, it definitly spun, that way you could control the depth of cut.

I read about this somewhere, I think in a book on old tools.  I don't know if anybody is doing this sort of thing any more or if they've even done it for the past 50 years.   I just threw it out there in case it gave Ray some flash of inspiration.