Computer guided router - Interesting!

[Eric Knapp]

This looks really interesting. If it works as advertised I can see many applications for instrument builders. It's sort of like a hand-guided CNC with a computer and sensors keeping the cuts precise. You could probably carve an archtop with it. There are probably some limitations that are not obvious but it sure points to a higher tech future for woodworkers.

https://shapertools.com

Thoughts?

-Eric

[Eric Knapp]

Looks like it won't do 3D relief in its first iteration so no archtops yet. It could still do a lot of other tasks.

-Eric

[Randolph Rhett]

I think it is all going to depend on how well it compensates for the human error. Of course it shows it making perfect cuts, but as anyone who has tried to free hand rout anything knows it is very hard to control. Especially making full depth passes while climb cutting!

If it really works as advertised it could really become an essential shop tool. Big "if", however.

[Alan Carruth]

I've heard about this before. The router floats in the base, with actuators of some sort, so you guide the base along the desired line. more or less, and the router compensates for the jitter. From the video it looks as though you need to define the line before hand, so it might not be able to, say, follow a line you draw on the work, or an edge that's defined by the intersection of two different color woods. It certainly should be able to cut contour levels for an archtop, starting at the outside of the plate and working inward, once you've defined those in a drawing program.

[Joel Nowland]

Eric

Thank you very much for posting this. I've never heard of a hand held computer guided router.

I wonder how it would do on inlaying?

Joel

[Eric Knapp]

Eric

Thank you very much for posting this. I've never heard of a hand held computer guided router.

I wonder how it would do on inlaying?

Joel

I suspect it would do inlaying extremely well if the setup was done carefully. With this thing it looks like the prep is everything. If you can draw your inlay pattern on a computer you can transfer it to this router. Of course, this will be true if it works as they are demonstrating it. It looks promising.

-Eric

[Eric Baack]

you could build a CNC router setup for that sort of price. It would be one of the wooden versions but those are very usable as well.