renegade Roto-Zip

[Chip]

Have ya ever had any experience with a roto-zip trying to cut out a door in the vertical position,,, Let me tell ya a secret,,, If ya havent tried it or dont have to try it,,,DONT,, my starting point and my ending point are now about 2 1/4" offset,,, Can I say OOOOPS !!!!!!!!! now I am gonna learn a new skill,,, how to epoxy a piece of wood back together and make it so no one would ever notice,,, or should I just disassemble the side and start over,,, the couices are neither good,,, Do I ask the 7' tall ugley blonde to dance or the 4', sumu wrestler ,,, the choices just arnt good,,,

pics arnt gonna follow cause its just too dang ugley ,,,

the bottom line is my template slipped and thats the rest of that story,,

chipper

[Guy]

Dear Chip,

Too bad Chip. Damn! Fire off an email to Doug Hodder and Steve Frederick, just in case they do not check in today.

I have been worrying about using the Roto-zip, with my hands in braces and it getting away from me. Same worry with the spin of a router.

I hope you get it repaired to the point where you will not even see it.

[Chris C]

Chip,

The three most important words when working with a roto-zip (or router) are "jigs, jigs, jigs"................and I'm not meaning the kind you dance to!

[Chip]

Chris,,, amen to that brother,,, and then three more words,,,, and no they are not what ya are thinking,,,,,



its JIG JIG JIG saw,,,, I can control a jig saw but dat thar rotozipper blade sure can get away from ya,,,, and another problem is the different density's of the wood and glue,,, when that blade hits a hard spot it takes off on its own course,,,

I can fix it I think but I shur didnt want to have this problem right now

stuff like this make ya go to drinking,,,,,,, more,,,,,

chipper

[Geron]

Yeah, I used a roto zip to cut out dry wall around electrical boxes. Got a bunch of oversize cover plates. It don't work like they show it on TV

Very handy tool but like a teenager, sensitive and often a mind of its own.

g

[doug hodder]

Chip....like Chris said...use a jig or at least a guide...you can stick it down using some small nails/screws, clamps depending on the situation, or if you are doing the aluminum...double stick tape like the VHB 3M tape as a guide...I use them anytime I'm cutting out a curve or straight line through a piece of material that I can't afford to screw up....a sheet of cheap masonite 1/8"-1/4 works well also for openings like windows/vents or whatever...cheap enough that you can use it to heat the shop afterwards....any saw or spinning bit is going to take the path of least resistance.....sorry to hear of your problem... Doug

[bledsoe3]

Chip, sorry to hear about your little accident. Here's an idea, buy a sheet of 1/8" luan and glue it to the side of your tear after you've made your repair. I did this just to get a really clean finish. After the glue dried, I used a router to trim the profile. No nail/screw holes to fill and no football plugs either. Only sanding marks from glue show for now.

If you're doing AL sides, that will cover it too.

[BILLYL]

OK - I had a similiar problem with a router bit that had a bearing go lose on me.

I have been considering buying a RotoZip. Are they worth the money. Got a router and got me a Dremel. Will it add more functions?

Thanks
Bill

[Chip]

Bill I havent got a clue,,, I borrowed this one and I am sure glad I didnt buy it,,, I cant see where it would ever pay for its self,,, Now if I were a craftsman and not a wood butcher things might be different,, I am thinking real hard about a good jig saw and retire my older one,, One other problem I had was the bits breaking ,, after trial and several errors I found out I had the bit too far into the coupler,,,

Aint life fun,,,

chipper

[Larwyn]

I am trying to reply from a palm pilot, so wil not be surprised if this does not go well.

I find my rotozip to be little more than a laminate trimmer, only it has lots of neat accessories. I have not used mine much but am impressed with it so far. Much more useful to me than a dremel, which I usually find to be ALMOST enough tool for whatever job I am trying to get it to do.

[SteveH]

Chip,

Sorry to hear about the Roto-zip. About the glue...try mixing some epoxy with some of the sawdust from the piece of wood you were cutting. It may turn out looking OK after you sand it smooth. We do that all the time working with R/C models.

[Steve Frederick]

the bottom line is my template slipped and thats the rest of that story,,

chipper

Been there!! Done it!!! I know a ton of hide-em-tricks!!
Ever notice that "accent strip" on the lower portion of my 'Diner?
Something about the roto-zip bits..If you need to make a deep cut, do it in small steps. The bit will wander in the bottom of the cut when pushed a little. I use steps of about 1/4" at a pass.

[Chip]

Well I got an easy fix,,,, sometimes ya cant see the forrest for the trees ,,, I was all set to mix up epoxy and sawdust,,, run dowels into both sides of the cut,, sort of like re-bars in concrete and fill in the 1/8" gap,,, Man I was not looking forward to this task, but other than tearing it down and starting with a fresh piece of plywood for the side I couldnt come up with anything,,, Rick from Easley lives close to me and is in the process of building,,, well good ole rick and I hashed over a couple ideas,,, this afternoon Rick in all his brilliance said why dont ya just cut the door a little bigger and cut out a new door from a piece of wood,,, duhhh!

the answer to fix a boo boo is simple if ya can just K.I.S.S.,,, I am now thinking Damn why didnt I think of that,,, My door is now 1/2" wider than originally cut,, Thanks Rick,,,,,,,,,,,

chipper,,,, a happier camper than I was last night

[madjack]

K.I.S.S. is a truly amazing principle, ain't it Chipper ..............................................

[Guest]

K.I.S.S. is a truly amazing principle, ain't it Chipper ..............................................

I've heard that Norwegians sometimes have a little difficulty with that one...