Demonstrating the pantorouter (2010) [video] | Hacker News Reader

Demonstrating the pantorouter (2010) [video]

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42 pointscurtis10 comments

I love Matthias' channel. I don't actively do any woodworking (though I did begin my college career as an industrial designer so I have a modicum of experience) but it's still really enjoyable to watch him make thing and the very clever solutions he often comes up with. I discovered it a few months ago and always come back when he posts a new video.

Its a nifty machine, and he has some really interesting videos on his site (woodgears.ca); one of the fun ones is his experimentation making a better mouse trap.

For the joints that he's making with the machine I'm a bit skeptical that this is really the best way to do it. At about $1000 for a pre-built metal one shipped to the US, you can avoid some of the fiddling you would have to do to construct the machine itself (but still need a router motor). However, this is more expensive than the special purpose jigs, and I'm not convinced you're going to have better results.

He demonstrated the integral dowels, but frankly, with glue being stronger than wood, I'm not sure that it really is better than just a doweling jig for that purpose.

For example, with the $150 Porter Cable dovetail jig, you are going to get a few patterns and be able to do dovetails much quicker than with this machine.

He clearly enjoys working with his machinery (e.g., he built a dust collector and band saw from scratch), so I'm sure he had a lot of fun designing and building it. And there are many reader-built panto-routers too, so some people certainly like it.

The porter cable jig is frustrating to use and requires the workpiece to be held vertically which limits the length of board you can use with it.

The pantorouter is so much faster when cutting m&ts and so much more versatile than any other tool in its' price bracket I think it's an incredible value even at $1000. Heck the only thing that really comes close is the Leigh D4r which runs 600 bucks and doesn't allow nearly the variety of cuts the pantorouter allows.

The best part of the pantorouter is that you can think up a crazy joint (I've cut an 'S' shaped through m&t), cut it out on the bandsaw, do minimal cleanup, and because of the 2:1 reduction it comes out silky smooth on the finished piece.

The initial setup of the PC4212 is certainly fiddly and takes some test joints; but so does the panto router. Once it is dialed in for the particular thickness you're using; I find that I can cut as many joints as I want. I've never had a problem with the length of the boards, since I mount mine on a 36" bench and that is plenty for the drawer sides that I'm doing. With the panto router, you can't cut both sides of the joint at once, so you're going to need to get all your tails, then all your pins.

I don't deny that this is a nifty and versatile machine, I just don't think it is going to be better than the special purpose jigs. Thankfully, no one tells me what machines I can use, and no one tells you what machines you can use. Improving your own personal methodology for things over the course of different projects is half the fun.

you're correct that it might not be the best tool for cutting dovetails, but after trying just about every method under the sun for M&Ts, this tool does have its benefits. Cutting double tenons on both ends of an 8' sofa rail would certainly have been easier with a pantorouter. (although using it for through-mortises seems at best ugly and at worst blasphemous).

|...and I'm not convinced you're going to have better results.

|he built a dust collector and band saw from scratch

I'm guessing he isn't building things because they are the cheapest option, he's likely building them to say he did.

> he's likely building them to say he did.

Or he's building them because building something from scratch is interesting. Clearly you're not an engineer/developer/tinkerer/creator.

I've talked with this guy on the phone a long time ago. If it's the guy I'm thinking about he was early at RIM, cashed out, and has been doing stuff like this for years.

He clearly does it because he's an engineer's engineer, he's doing it for the sheer joy of building things. Super fun guy (and I'm a woodworking guy, not as clever as him but I can appreciate what he does).

|Clearly you're not an engineer/developer/tinkerer/creator.

Quite the assumptions.

Sorry for using a simple figure of speech.

I like his visual explanation of how it works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wZ1v4PIsYI

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