The Hybrid PantoRouter is an all-metal version of the original PantoRouter invented by Mathias Wandel and featured on his YouTube channel. Kuldeep Singh of Kyoto, Japan saw the wooden prototype on YouTube and was inspired to build a metal PantoRouter, which could be even more accurate and more easily reproduced. Kuldeep first experimented using steel, but later determined aluminum to be more advantageous.
Through Kuldeep’s continued R&D and Matthias’ assistance, the new Hybrid PantoRouter is now a highly functional joinery jig with numerous new features:
- Integrated templates for both mortise and tenon (M&T)
- Tapered templates allowing adjustment of the M&T fit
- A readily changeable and highly accurate guide-bearing mount
- An improved pantograph suspension system
- A tilting table to facilitate rapidly indexing and repeating compound angles
- A simple and accurate depth stop
- Lightweight yet rigid construction for mobility in the shop
Matthias Wandel shared this story about the origin of the PantoRouter idea:
“I wanted to build a machine to make tenons with rounded ends so they would fit nicely in the elongated holes from a slot mortiser. I figured a router tracing around the shape of the tenon would be the best way to do this, but I needed to come up with some way to guide the router.”
“The FMT jig sold by Leigh could do this, but the linkage used in that jig scales in one direction but not the other. While it would be simple to build a similar jig, making templates for it would be challenging because the templates need to be distorted for the final shape to be right. My idea was to use a pantograph, which would scale in X and Y, so the tenon template would still be the same shape, though larger.”
“I also wanted the work piece to be horizontal, so it could be any length. I figured a sturdy enough pantograph could support the weight of the router for this purpose. After experimenting a bit with the overall layout of the machine, I built a simple prototype to test the concept, and it worked! I then set out to design a better machine incorporating what I learned from the prototype, and then built it.”
“While the machine was designed specifically for tenons, I’ve since found many more uses for it. Because it’s template based, it’s really only limited by what sort of templates you make for the machine.”
The Hybrid PantoRouter allows you to create templates of your own design for functional and attractive joinery or creative designs. There’s no other tool or jig for woodworkers available today with the straightforward simplicity and the open-source potential to create truly unique and functional joinery, patterns and designs.
The Hybrid PantoRouter uses a guide bearing to follow a template which moves the router bit to cut a pattern identical in shape but half the size.
Using our engineered plastic templates and a combination of guide bearing and router bit the Hybrid PantoRouter can cut both the mortise and tenon for a perfect fit.
In addition to precision mortise and tenons, the Hybrid PantoRouter will make box joints, half-blind and through dovetails, sliding dovetails and any number of unusual shapes or multiple mortise and tenon combinations on a single set of work pieces.
The practical size limit for the workpiece is 4" high X 8" long. You can index the piece when cutting dovetails and box joints and make much longer pieces in multiple passes.
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