Router flexshaft

You can buy the Craftsman All-in-one tool for less than $50. You can get a flex tool to attach to it. No flex tools are sold that work on the end of a router.

I don't believe flex shafts can stand up to high router RPMs.

B.

On the low end of most routers they sure can. Foredoms run in the 20k rpm. Dremels can go up to 30k rpm but the flexshafts really are rated at around

15-20k, I think (which is what I'm using now). RPM isn't a problem. Torque of the router isn't a problem. Actually, it'd be a nice change of pace from what I'm dealing with now.

It's that connection from the router to the flexshaft that's the main problem. I was just wondering if a company has made it work or not. I hate to throw things away that might have a use. But I do have a limit!

- Andrew

Hi Andrew,

You could probably sell tickets to watch your first demo!! Be careful. :)

Tom

Andy I have the Foredom Flexible Shaft and this has a ¼" dia Female Connection at the Drive End and I simply inserted a ¼" dia length of Silver Steel and fixed with the Grub Screw provided in the Connection End.

This then fits neatly into the ¼" Collet of my Router.

RVS

I'd strongly recommend getting a good speed controller for that setup. flex shafts are really useful at the low end anyhow.

Absolutely! That's what I had had in mind too. I'm going to investigate Richards' recommendation of a flexshaft a bit more and see if it'll do what I want with relative safety along with the speed control.

I hate to throw stuff away and this is the only use I could think of for it in a woodturning sense. Hmmmm Actually, I just thought of another use. I guess I could just make a mount for it on the lathe and use it for surface treaments, flutes, threads, etc. I've never done that before so that would be a good alternative too.

- Andrew

Hey Andrew,

Last year at Provo, I attended a demo by Ray Husky from Tennessee. I was especially interested in attending his demo because of his unique approach to turning using only scrapers and his use of "different" tools and chucking methods. All the tools he used were homemade and so were his chucks.

One of the things he had was an old router that had been converted into a sort of spindle carver. It was simply a baseless router held in a vise. And using homemade bits he used it very efficiently to both cut and burn wheat patterns, flowers, and other designs on some of the items he turned.

It was a simple set up he had been using for years and he was very fast with it. He quickly and accurately freehanded several different designs.

Seems to me different methods could be used to hold a rig like that making it useful for other work also. It could be equipped with a flexible shaft easily if you find a way way of conneting it via the collet.

I think the foredom shafts and sheaths would hold up well especially if you kept the shaft well greased and use it without sever bends. It should have good torque and its possible the foredom foot speed control could be used with it.

Bertie

snip....

I'd worry about the foredom shaft breaking. they're designed for 1/16 HP or so motors. they can handle the rpm just fine, but when I load up my foredom the motor slows- Andrews router motor is gonna apply a lot more torque to that 1/8" wound wire drive shaft. I *have* broken the shaft on my foredom......

Well it may break the shaft but the possibility that something wont work always exists when we who like to "rig up " something that is or would be basically junk to start with. :)

However that don' t stop us from thinking and trying to make something work especially if we already may have stuff laying around.

As far as the Foredom shaft, I'm pretty sure most popular and best selling Foredom has been the CC model. It normally came with a 1/10 Hp motor and i've used one like that in heavy woodcarving for over 20 years. Its still going strong although i've had to replace the brushes and brush holders.

And yes, i've broken a few shaft over the years especially before I learned how to use the tool most effectively. As far as i can remember the ones I've broken were from catching in the cloth of my shirt while using a Karbide Kutzall brand carbide cutter and instead of gradually slowing down like it may while cutting hard material the cutting tool just stops and the torque from the spinning motor wrings and twists the flexible into which of course breaks it.

However Foredom shafts and Foredoms motors have changed a lot in the past few years. They now have motors and shafts that operate up to

20,000 rpm and 1/4 and 1/3 HP rated motors. They also have a different kind of industrial shafts that have a square drive that is stand on the 1/4 HP H series model.

And there are also other brands and models of industrial flex shafts that are used in industry that may work just fine. I once had a fish scaler that had a very heavy duty shaft compared to the size of the motor.

Bertie