Several months ago, I bought an old wooden router at an antique store for $20. The price tag said it was a Japanese woodworking tool. I guess it could be if a Japanese guy used it. Looked like a home made wooden router plane to me. I bought the tool simply for the hardware, and the Stanley router bit it that came with it.
I search online and came up with a wooden router plan and printed it out. Then I measured, drew, and bore the three holes for the body on a piece of 2″ thick cherry.
A few minutes on the band saw I had the new body of the router.
The hardest part in making the body was cutting the mortise for the blade holder. I jabbed at the wood with chisels, knives and drill bits in order for the piece to fit. I ended up getting the piece in the hole and then tightening in the back in order to crush the wood fibers into shape. It took a few attemps, but after a few minutes, it finally fit.
Once the hardware was in, I stuck the blade back in to see how the final fit. Once I was satisfied, I sanded the body and applied a few coats of shellac to it.
The last thing I needed to do was sharpen the blade. The easiest way I have found to sharpen a router plane blade is to grind a bevel on an oscillating spindle sander making sure to take a light touch in order to prevent burning the edge of the cutter. Then, I hone the edge and flatten the back with a whetstone.
I stuck the blade back into the router to see how it cuts. Cuts like butter!
If you’re in the market for a router plane, take a look at the wooden versions. They are much cheaper than their metal counterparts as some of their prices fetch up to $150. I see wooden router planes all the time at antique shows for around $40. They work pretty much the same way, they just don’t have the adjustment mechanism to raise and lower the blade. With a little practice, you can easily tap the blade down with a hammer to lower the blade for the next cut.
MVFlaim Furnituremaker 
I would have cleaned up the original. Folks made do with what they had, and some user crafted or modified pieces are worthy of preservation. What he had would also fit into tighter places, you don’t always have the luxury of working with flat stock on a workbench. This is not to shine a negative light on what you did, just an alternate view.
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Very true. There is something to be said about preserving the history of tools.
The way I look at it is, the router plane served him well over the years. Then, it sat in case at an antique mall doing nothing. So, I bought it and brought it back to life as my hand made router. Now it will serve me well for a number of years. It’s the circle of life.
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Well ok then. 😁
I wonder what happened to the original body?
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Not sure, he may have made the hardware and simply bought the Stanley blade at the hardware store. The world may never know. 🤣
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