Hand Router Plane out of Allen Key

[pfredX1]

I bought this big old Allen key at a yard sale for the express purpose of making a router plane iron out of it. You're better off just buying a router plane iron. But I got the hex key so I was bound and determined to grind it into a blade so I did. Having done it I'm qualified to say just get a real blade. Grinding the key is a pain and seating it in the tool sucks too. Real blades are square shank not hex. At one point I even thought about making the key a broach to cut the profile. But I was like nah that's too involved. In any event you can make a square seat a lot easier than the hex. All of that having been said using an Allen key does work. It's just not worth the trouble.

Anyways here's the pictures or it didn't happen.

[DIYer]

Thanks pfredX1! We've added your Hand Router Plane to our Routing category,
as well as to your builder page: pfredX1's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Hand Router Plane by pfredX1

tags: router, hand tools

[Karl_H]

I looked at the pics and thought "I might try that!"
Then I read the descriptions and warnings.

I don't really need a router plane.

[pfredX1]

Even if you have power routers hand routers are still handy. It's OK to make them too. But grinding an Allen key makes it a lot more work. I don't think the blades cost more than $15. If I had a wet grinder I could have ground it faster. But I did most of the grinding with an angle grinder. So I'd have to stop every couple of seconds and wet the metal down so I didn't ruin the temper of the steel. I spent more time brushing water on that key than grinding it. Then there's the whole bedding a half a hex shape issue. I got mine sitting there but it's far from ideal. Cutting that trench inside the body of the router is a bit of a trick. Kind of like trying to carve your initials inside a piece of pipe or something. I did manage to come up with a slick way of cutting the relief for the eye bolt that holds the cutter in place. I got a milling machine so I mounted a slot cutter in it and just got it down in there. Other people kind of work it in with skinny chisels by hand. I've watched videos of them doing it and it don't look like fun to me. Running that slot cutter sideways was one, two, three. I drilled them holes out on my mill too. They're no joke. https://i.imgur.com/tKOTIQ3.jpg