mikey_sl

I bought a router and a set of bits. Whoo hoo!!!

Now I don't know what to do with them.

The First application I tried invoved cutting some 3/4 maple hardwood flooring to fit kitchen cabinets (I know not the proper tool but I wanted an even cut).

After not too long the upspiral was "burnt" wouldn't cut and yielded much smelly smoke.

Lesson 1: Don't cut 3/4" maple in one shot. Make multiple passes.
Q. 1 How much is too much 1/4" ?
2.5 HP skill router with carbide tip.


Next application was to "enlarge a cupboard door openng (Right tool this time )

Lesson 2: Just because the upspiral bit is burnt don't use the square channel bit to trim 1/2" hardwood plywood.

Q2. Is it a bad idea to use a router on plywood?
2 broken bits give me some empirical data that perhaps it is not a good idea.

Q3. Do router bits perform better at slower speeds? Why does the router have a variable speed? Doesn't slow operation "burn" the teeth (like a table saw???).

Most recent application. Finishing the cupboard door. I wanted to round the bottom edge and then cut a nice straight edge 1/4" in in from the rounded edge so it "fits" nicely inside the door opening . ( I believe this is called a bunny cut )

Q4. Why did the router bit yield an inverted quarter round channel along the edge of the wood?

Leeson 3. In the hands of an amateur a picture is NOT alwasy worth 1000 words.

The bit I used had a busing BUT I made a "jig" (clamped a straight strip of birch ply as a guide) to maintain equi-distant cut line.

Obviously I need to take a course/read a book. I though I could experiment with scrap wood to learn but the cost of broken bits is getting a little daunting....

Am I too forceful with the little puppy?
My little Dremel router has two square cut bits and one of them seems to have "burnt" as well.....

oh dear me can anybody help????

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Visteonguy

Hahahah,,, geesch, Mikey,,, sounds like you must resemble the "tazmainian devil" workin that router around your house,,,

Well ya came to the right place,,, lots of really nice knowledgeable people on this forum,,,ready to help you if they can,, Also I would highly recomend watching or setting up the VCR to record the "Router Workshop" on your local PBS station,,, it will give you tons of tips and I guarantee it will help you in becoming a proficent router user,, it sure opened my eyes for using that thing.

Seems you already guessed what you are doing wrong with some of your problems,,, ie, burning the bits,,, sounds like ya are pushing it too hard,,, take several cuts to get where you want to go to your finished cut, if you have to remove a lot of wood. It will help you prevent the burring and ruining of your cutters,,,
2 1/2 hp routers are an adequate amount of power for most routing chores so you are not lacking in power,,, The variable speed is so you can slow down the router for the times you are using very large bits like you might in making the raised pannel sections of raised pannel doors,,
I got ya on the "bunny cut",,,, and the router bit is going to cut what ever profile it is made into,,,,, you just have to think about what it will look like on the wood and then make sure you slide the wood into the bit the right way,,, you maybe should have used the bit on the door in the other Plane if that cut is not what you wanted ? Hard to say with out seeing the results.

Try looking on Ebay for router bits to save a bunch of money,,, and for that router,,, I would suggest you stick with 1/2 inch shanked router bits,,,they are stronger and will take more feed speed then the 1/4 inch ones,,, its prossible to snap them off with a heavy hand,,, (Been there,,Done that )
Read the replies you will be getting on this forum,, it will help ya and if you can,,, check out the TV guide for the times and channels of the Router Work Shop,,, and best way to get better is to keep on spinin them bits, and makin wood chips,,,,

oh and by the way,,, nice to see you on the router forum,,you'll like it,,,

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Terry

It seems like every where I go,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, there I am...

Glenmore

Hi Mickey welcome to the forum. Sounds like you should have video taped this and sold it as "What not to do with a router". But we all can make a tape like that. First the burning of the spiral bit Terry had that answer. You should at least make some cuts first to check the profiles I'm still doing this myself. I bought one of them 66pc. router bit sets don't know what half of them do yet still figuring them out. Breaking bits again it from trying to make to big of cuts and forcing them through. If I were you I'd go with a 1/2" shanked set. Have fun.

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Glenmore

Days without wood working are days not worth getting up for.

Dr.Zook

First Mikey, let me say welcome to the forums. Glad to have you with us.
Second: I would suggest taking off an 1/8" a pass, not a 1/4' or a full cut.
Third: You are right about experimenting on scrap wood until you get a good feel for feed rates, type of cuts, etc.
Forth: Let me be the first to wish you a "Happy Birthday". Wish you many more.

Dave
the "Doctor"

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Dave
the "Doctor"

In woodworking there is no scrap, only firewood.

Please edit your profile with a name and location so we can better assist you and make for a friendlier forum.

kenadian

I'm also a newbie here. I already have my router workshop setup, with my router. I'm using the Hitachi M12V, and tried to make the "hotplate" that came with the startup kit.

The router was set on 5 (max. speed) and I ran a test piece, (to remove the bit coating) then the hotplate blank that came with the kit. It uses a 1/4" Dia 3/8" bit, and both pieces have rough edges. It's my understanding too much pressure( too fast) will cause this? Or is the router speed set too high at 5? I've also burnt the end piece, I'm assuming that happened when I finished routing the hotplate, and went into the pushblock. But I stopped pushing to late and it burnt?

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I am Kenadian!

kenadian

I figured I'd see if anyone would have responded to my questions, and since I got the email prompting me to post(1yr. anniversary) I thought I'd "bump" this into the active threads once again.

Thanks

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I am Kenadian!

BobandRick

I assume that you removed the protective coating of the bit by cutting wood, right? How is the router bit? This is not a good thing to do.

The next question is that you made rough cuts in your practice pieces and are wondering if this is the expected results or were you doing something wrong. Not sure but how rough were the edges? Speed is fine on the router with that dia of router bit. When making a groove in a board your feed speed should be just fast enough to have the cuttings come out of the end in a steady flow. If your moving too fast the cuttings will clog up in the groove. Too slow the wood can burn with the heat build up.

This is a practice thing the more grooves cut to get the feed speed right the better the finish. Try different feed speeds until your satisfied with the finish of the edge.

This might also be the piece of wood, so try to cut the same groove in another piece...the think the back up block looks alright.

Rick

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Rick and Bob
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