Compression Router/Mortise Comp Router?

[nat_wheatley]

What's the difference between these types of bit?

[bleeth]

A compression router (standard) will usually have a longer up-cut area as well as more efficient plunge geometry at the tip making it good for cutting out parts with a cleaner cut top and bottom and causing less stress on the bearings of your router while plunging. A Mortise type will usually have a shallower upcut portion and flat end machining making it better for shallower dados in things like cabinet sides. You can also get compression cutters with deeper upcut and flat bottom machining for deeper dados.
All I want for Christmas is a tool-changer so I can have all three of these babies as well as my 5mm bit useable for cutting cab parts more efficiently with no manual tool changing!! Tool-changing will probably be the only reason I ever go elsewhere than SB for my flat bed CNC.

[mikeacg]

Maybe if enough of us ask, they will build it for us? I'm with you, Dave!

Mike

[jimmya]

Shopbot tool-changer Shopbot tool-changer Shopbot tool-changer
NEED I SAY MORE SHOPBOT

[jerry_stanek]

If you have the Porter cable router look at the Midwest rapid quick change tool changer. John Forney has one that he showed us at his camp shopbot

[bleeth]

They were working on one a few years ago but it hit the back burner. With the PRS Alpha large bed it would be a natural at this point IMHO. I understand that by the time you bought a new fully equipped Alpha it would be far from the entry level pricing of a basic bot but for the Alpha to truly live up to it's advertised use as "the machine for serious production work" it is not really an option but rather required equipment. Without it it is sort of like buying a Vette with a hand crank starter!!

[Gary Campbell]

Dave..
Too bad you dont have a PRS... My project for 2009 is to make a tool changer that works on both my A & Z. You can send a big development check and I will mfgr it to be backwards compatible.

Gary

[mikeacg]

Gary,

Think PRSAlpha Buddy 48"!!!

Ha ha! I'm making pinned jigs so I can run all of one tool and then switch and run all of the next on production stuff but a tool changer would be easy to justify (though my bookkeeper might not see it that way...)

Good to hear that they are considering it though! So far I have been very impressed!!

Mike

[Gary Campbell]

Mike...
I dont think that most buddy users would be willing to give up the space required for the changer or the $5-7K it would cost to add one. That would be in addition to Alpha with spindle pricing. It would include place holders for 8 to 10 tools. Now you know why we all dont have one.
Gary

[bleeth]

Gary: By the time I paid the development check and we had a working module I could buy a Haas with a proven history!!