A bit over a week ago I mentioned a thought I’d had about the copy attachment for the Torque Workcentre. To provide some extra clarity for what I was talking about, I took some photos to detail the idea.
What I was suggesting was for the copy pin to be adapted to take the standard router bit bearings. These come in a variety of sizes, allowing patterns to be finetuned to the result, or to compensate for a pattern that was a bit rough, or to start with a roughing pass, then change to a smaller bit that matches the template for the final pass.
Collection of Bearings
This is a couple of sets of bearings I have – obviously a consistent set with the same internal diameter, and a regular increase in size from bearing to bearing.
Current Copy Attachment
What I am proposing is the bearing set is able to be attached (individually of course!) to the bottom of the pin here, on the Torque Workcentre copy attachment.
Bearing Pin Detail
Some close-up shots, showing how the bearings are currently attached to a copy router bit. The centre pin with an internal thread for a hex bolt. It may seem flimsy, but this bearing deals with the forces of routing, with rotational speeds up to 22000 RPM (or more).
Fixing the Bearing
The bearing, when fully inserted onto the shaft sits proud. This is important, because the bolt needs to impact on the centre of the bearing, holding the centre of the bearing solidly, with the outside race free to turn.
These are all sealed bearings, given the environment they are expected to operate in.
Filed under: Tools Tagged: Bearing, Copy Attachment, Torque Workcentre
