Roundover bits are some of the most common bits and are normally what is used for rounding edges as long as you leave a flat in the center of the edge for the bearing to register against. Even when rounding the full edge round I'll still somethimes use a roundover bit instead of a bull nose bit which rounds both edges at the same time. When rounding the full edge over you need to either do it on a table with a fence or clamp a straight edge to the board or use a guide attached to the router. The bit(s) to round a 5/8" thick board are relatively small so you shouldn't have any problem running them but the key is to always listen to the router and if it is running too slow then slow your feed rate down. That's true no matter what size router you are using. Welcome to the forum by the way.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Welcome to the forum. You can get roundover bits almost anywhere, here's a picture of a Freud set with 1/4 inch shanks (shafts). The bearing rides against the edge you're rounding over, so of you have thin stock, you might use double sided (carpet) tape to add a second board under the first, even with the edge you're routing so the bearing has something to ride on.
Second pix is of a router mounted on an edge guide. You can use a small (trim) router for a lot of different cuts, just don't take off very much at one time. The guide would allow you to cut a groove or dado in many small (1/16th or so) passes without wandering off the line. Not sure if your brand router has that accessory available.
As you get more serious about woodworking, consider getting a Bosch 1617 EVSPK, which is a kit with both fixed and plunge base. You can use the fixed base to mount in in a table (safest way to work). The Bosch has an amazing array of accessories including a really top notch edge guide that will also help you cut circles.
Sounds like you might be starting into woodworking, so I've attached a pdf of the 17 or so things that helped me accelerate the learning curve. It may help you avoid some of the costly mistakes I've made. If you aren't wearing a dust mask whenever you work with the router or any other tool, go get at least one of the 3M masks and always wear it. The really fine sawdust, once in your lungs, never comes out. COPD and restricted breathing is no fun.
Ditto to Dan's comments. The height of the bit makes the difference in the appearance of the cut. The drawings with the bits show what it looks like with the bit set pretty high, it leaves a flat above and below the roundover. Lower the bit and the flats go away.
Second pix is of a router mounted on an edge guide. You can use a small (trim) router for a lot of different cuts, just don't take off very much at one time. The guide would allow you to cut a groove or dado in many small (1/16th or so) passes without wandering off the line. Not sure if your brand router has that accessory available.
As you get more serious about woodworking, consider getting a Bosch 1617 EVSPK, which is a kit with both fixed and plunge base. You can use the fixed base to mount in in a table (safest way to work). The Bosch has an amazing array of accessories including a really top notch edge guide that will also help you cut circles.
Sounds like you might be starting into woodworking, so I've attached a pdf of the 17 or so things that helped me accelerate the learning curve. It may help you avoid some of the costly mistakes I've made. If you aren't wearing a dust mask whenever you work with the router or any other tool, go get at least one of the 3M masks and always wear it. The really fine sawdust, once in your lungs, never comes out. COPD and restricted breathing is no fun.
Ditto to Dan's comments. The height of the bit makes the difference in the appearance of the cut. The drawings with the bits show what it looks like with the bit set pretty high, it leaves a flat above and below the roundover. Lower the bit and the flats go away.
Attachments
Notice the size of the bearings, the one with the same size as the cutter gives a full round-over whereas the one with the smaller bearing leaves an edge. various size bearing are available so that only one bit is required if money is tight. The Makita trim router which I have replaced with a Makita RTO700CX3 kit did a huge amount of edge trimming over many years. The little Bosch was used for many jobs including edge work.
Attachments
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
