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Updated: Sep 7th, 2007 - 12:28:45 |
I’m a sucker for tools and gadgets. I’ll admit that up front. I buy a
lot of stuff that looks good in the ad but when I finally get it and
use it I am often disappointed. When I saw a write up about the
Perecman router base and template set a bell went off and I placed my
order. Everything arrived from SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com) about four days after I placed my order. That was a good start.
The first thing you need to know before rushing out to buy this tool is
that you will need to own a Dremel Router base. You will be using some
of the parts from the Dremel base along with the Perecman items. Here’s
what the $29.99 kit consists of. A clear Plexiglass base that replaces
the base that comes with a Dremel router attachment, a router bit and
five clear Plexiglass servo templates.
To use the tool, you just unscrew two Phillips head screws from the
Dremel router base and pull the black plastic base off of the gizmo
that holds the rotary tool. Then all you do is reinstall the new clear
base with the bronze guide bushing mounted in it. This bushing glides
along the edge of the templates that come with the kit or ones that you
make yourself. That step took all of five minutes. Now, you just put
your Dremel tool in the router base and you are almost ready to go to
work.
One thing I immediately noticed was that the Perecman base is made from
a clear material, which allows you to see what your router bit, is
doing. A black base doesn’t provide this “window” onto your work. I
liked that feature a lot.
The kit comes with a bit that looks a lot like the kind of bit that
comes with the larger Rotozip type tools but with a slightly shorter
bit length. It is 1/8” in diameter. The guide bushing is designed to be
used with a 1/8” bit. You could use a smaller bit but not a larger one.
I received the following templates with my kit:
A 2” round template that is sized perfectly for the Hitec servo
mounting cans or for a variety of standard sized or even larger servos.
I also received templates for Hitec HS55, HS81, HS85 and HS225 servos.
There are small pin sized holes drilled through the templates so that
you can mount them to your work surface with straight pins like you’d
find in any sewing box. The holes are counter sunk so that the head of
the pin sits below the surface of the template.
If you are positioning the templates onto a wood covered foam core wing
you’d just push the pins into the wing. The small holes can be filled
with spackle or balsa colored wood filler. If you don’t want to put
pinholes in your wings you can simply tape the template to the surface
of your wing. I tried both methods and they work just as promised.
The resulting cut out provides a perfectly sized and tight fitting
opening. The only thing you have to do after making the cut is make a
small clearance slot for the wire that exits from your servo. I asked
Ed Berris, the owner of SkyKing, why they don’t include this little
clearance notch in the template. He said that the bit would make a
larger notch than necessary so they leave this step up to the builder.
A sharp blade in a hobby knife does the work in a couple of seconds.
I also tried this tool in an EPP slope wing that I was building. Boy is
this thing slick. I cut a perfectly sized servo opening in my wing and
was able to create a perfectly flat servo pocket floor that allowed the
servo to fit flush with the top of my wing. The fit is so snug that is
absolutely not necessary to glue the servo in place. You can simply
place covering material over the servo. Naturally, if you were using it
on a high-speed plane I’d suggest a little goop or epoxy just to be
sure.
The Perecman router base set has other uses that I tested as well. I
wanted to cut some spar slots in a foam wing. I made a template out of
¼” hard board. I simply cut a slot using my table saw to cut the slot
to the right width. I did a blind cut where I placed the hardboard
material on my saw table and then raised the blade. This provides a
straight slot that is closed on both ends. I pinned this template to
the foam core to secure it for the cut. I plunged the bit into the foam
and let the guide-bushing ride along the edge of my template. Man is
this easy!
If you were doing production work this thing would really speed up the process and it would assure perfect accuracy every time.
If you have servos that aren’t listed above you can easily create your own templates using ¼” Plexiglass or hardboard.
I’m sure I’ll find other uses for this tool attachment. It’s worth
every penny that I paid for it. It not only guarantees perfect results
time after time but it helps me build nicer looking models. I’ve been
asked more than once how I get such perfect servo pockets. Now you know
too.
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© Copyright 2007 by rchobbyresource.com
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