Router bed for cedar pies. Mmm.

[Baltimoreed]

I had a bunch of trees taken down years ago and a couple were cedars. Not wanting to waste the nice large trunks I cut them into pies and let it dry out under my barn porch. Having caught up some on my rifle builds I started to create my table last week. Looking at what others have done my table is a little bit more complicated. As my old antique router was too small I’ve got a 2.5 hp 1/2 inch machine coming. I might put some 3/4 inch bench dogs [to help hold my pies] in my table’s plywood base depending on if they move around when I start planing them down. I’ve got stops on the slide in both directions and added a teflon base for the router base with aluminum guides to hold the base to the slide. I also added wheels and wheeled guides for the L-R slide movement. I built it tall as my pies are kinda thick. First time I’ve ever done pie tables or pie stools so I wasn’t sure how thick to cut the logs. But I can always run my 2x10 sides through my table saw again. I'll know more when my router gets here. I’ve got one more piece of aluminum to install on the slide.
Pictures tomorrow.

[Baltimoreed]

Here’s my pie planing build. Used a 3’x4’ plywood base so I’m thinking of doing 2 at a time. Might be too frictionless with the wheels, won’t know until I start cutting. Looks tall but I can always add a layer of 2x4 under my workpiece.
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Hope my router gets here today. Ready to try it out.
Just looked up the tracking on my router and I might have gotten got, looks like the guys a scammer with all the negative feedback he has with comments like what’s happening to me. Not good, what’s wrong with people. Ebay refunded my money so guy was a crook or a flake.

Update-buying a Bosch 1617vsk 2.25 hp router this week. Going to convert a dead chest freezer into a drying kiln. My cedar is showing 9-11% moisture but I looked hard at it and do have bugs holes on the outside edges. I want to cut it down first and then kill the beetles.

[kingstrider]

Hopefully it all works out for you. I used to use a similar setup when I started building guitars before I bought a planer. The wheels seem like a good idea.

[Baltimoreed]

Made my first pie today after a few setbacks. My fleabay router buy failed, my money got returned though and then I had to go to several lowes to find a Bosch 1617evs router kit. Appears that I've made my sides too tall and with the sliding plate I have issues with getting my blade down to my work so I’m doing it the other way and raising the work 1/4 inch at a time to the blade. It’s working but it is slow. I’m going to swap the bases tomorrow and try the other. The router bed runs great though, my router slides and the whole unit rolls smoothly. It does make a mountain of sawdust.

Update—-I’ve done 6 so far, I’m adding 1/8 in thick pieces of luan plywood under my pie once i get it close enough with 2x4 and 3/4 boards. Pix soon.

Update 10-23....22 done now. My router extension came, just installed it, try it tomorrow. I’m going to have to fire up my chainsaw and halve some of my newer slabs. I cut them big in a hurry as I figured that the guy who had given me the cedar would back out before I got the whole tree on my trailer. He stopped me before I got to the nice bottom. Indiangiver.

[Gewehr-Guy]

That cedar sliced thin would make nice clock faces. And your setup looks like the start of a Krag gunstock duplicating machine !

[Pressman]

Nice project, I had been thinking how to work down the two large slabs I have stashed away. ears ago my father converted an old Sears radial arm saw into an overarm router. It worked well and I used it to level out two large walnut slabs for small coffee tables and a crab apple for a stool.

Thanks for posting.
Ken