the board is being rotated as you feed it which is easy to do considering the length...
One end not routing even!
I have a Kreg bench-top router table. I'm making a little surprise for you-know-who. My wood is a plain piece of 1X4 pine. The piece is about 28 inches long which routed OK with a 1/4" roundover bit with bearing. The long sides routed perfectly. One end routed perfectly, too. Here's the problem. The other end started OK but the cut seemed to indicate that it pulled away from the fence, making a shallow to "no" cut. I have a miter that I made and just checked it for square- perfect. The only thing I can figure is that the end might not be square and moving the wood away from the bit. I might put it on a sanding disk and run it through again. Your experience and advice are appreciated.
The miter is built on a "runner" and is made of wood. I left the back hole a bit oversize to allow for a "fudge" factor. Again, it shows square to the fence.
I can't understand it- I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express! For a week!:laugh2:
That should read "end."
The miter is built on a "runner" and is made of wood. I left the back hole a bit oversize to allow for a "fudge" factor. Again, it shows square to the fence.
I can't understand it- I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express! For a week!:laugh2:
That should read "end."
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
It sounds to me like you are running your piece between the fence and the bit. This should never be done. The bit should be in a space in the fence and only the needed portion of the bit sticking through the fence.
End routing is a bit tricky, since end grain likes to grab the bit, and the bit will move the piece of wood out of square when it does this. If using a miter gauge during the end cuts you need to clamp your piece to the miter gauge, so the bit can't pull it out of position. A second piece of wood behind the piece that you are cutting, positioned so that the bit cuts into this second piece as it leaves the first piece, will prevent the end of the cut on your good piece from splintering as this second piece will hold the trailing edge of your good piece as the bit cuts it, and the splintering will occur in the second or scrap piece as the bit exits from that one. Better than a miter gauge, is a coping sled. It has clamps for both the good piece and the scrap piece, and handles positioned safely away from where the cutting takes place. There seems to always be something else expensive to buy when woodworking, doesn't there, but then when you don't have the money to buy the fancy one, you can study it, and then make your own out of wood scraps. My first coping sled was shop made, and it lasted for years.
Charley
End routing is a bit tricky, since end grain likes to grab the bit, and the bit will move the piece of wood out of square when it does this. If using a miter gauge during the end cuts you need to clamp your piece to the miter gauge, so the bit can't pull it out of position. A second piece of wood behind the piece that you are cutting, positioned so that the bit cuts into this second piece as it leaves the first piece, will prevent the end of the cut on your good piece from splintering as this second piece will hold the trailing edge of your good piece as the bit cuts it, and the splintering will occur in the second or scrap piece as the bit exits from that one. Better than a miter gauge, is a coping sled. It has clamps for both the good piece and the scrap piece, and handles positioned safely away from where the cutting takes place. There seems to always be something else expensive to buy when woodworking, doesn't there, but then when you don't have the money to buy the fancy one, you can study it, and then make your own out of wood scraps. My first coping sled was shop made, and it lasted for years.
Charley
I'm not sure I'm clear on what you did John but anytime I push an end across a router bit I use a squared push block against the fence and hold the workpiece tightly against it. If that's not clear the watch Marc Sommerfeld do it on youtube, I think when he he was doing rail and styles but there might be other vids of it too.
Charley, doing all those things but the miter is a simple one and has no clamps. A sled with clamps sounds like a good project for the "To Do" list. What I can't understand is the one end routed perfectly. The the other end is the problem. I thought of moving the fence and using the miter without it with just the miter. Will experiment and see what happens. Thanks.
CC, will look at the recommended videos. Thanks.
CC, will look at the recommended videos. Thanks.
If you look closely at the grain direction near the end of your work piece, the end that routed OK likely has it's end grain tilted away from your direction of feed, and it's pointing slightly toward the direction of feed on the end that is giving you trouble. The bit is catching on the ends of the grain and ripping it out.Charley, doing all those things but the miter is a simple one and has no clamps. A sled with clamps sounds like a good project for the "To Do" list. What I can't understand is the one end routed perfectly. The the other end is the problem. I thought of moving the fence and using the miter without it with just the miter. Will experiment and see what happens. Thanks.
CC, will look at the recommended videos. Thanks.
Charley
Charley, will look at the end.
BTW, use to live in central NC. Miss the fresh seafood.
Edit- Just looked at the bad end. It looks rippled as opposed to the smooth cut on the other end. It seems the bit is going against the grain. Now what do I do?
BTW, use to live in central NC. Miss the fresh seafood.
Edit- Just looked at the bad end. It looks rippled as opposed to the smooth cut on the other end. It seems the bit is going against the grain. Now what do I do?
John, I think that many people wouldn't use a miter gauge and a fence at the same time. As Charles and Harry said, I would use a square block against the fence, behind your work, as a pusher and try to shave a hair off at a time. I don't know your skill level, so I hope I'm not insulting you.
Attachments
-
4.8 KB Views: 223
TenGees, no insult taken. I just recently learned to walk upright. Thanks for the sketch. I'm going to play around with the project as I have plenty of wood to work with and can make another if needed. I did the length as I thought it would be the easiest. I am new to routing as I have had this setup for a while but decided to learn how to use it. To all, many thanks for your suggestions!:thank_you2:
I agree, if the miter gauge is not square with the fence, it will do what you describe, i.e. If the fence is not parrellel with the miter slot then as the wood is pushed forward either pushed away from the fence or the leading edge will cut and the heel will be forced away from the cutter. By using a block that is at right angles to the fence and held against the fence like the drawing should solve your problem.John, I think that many people wouldn't use a miter gauge and a fence at the same time. As Charles and Harry said, I would use a square block against the fence, behind your work, as a pusher and try to shave a hair off at a time. I don't know your skill level, so I hope I'm not insulting you.
Herb
I checked the miter and the fence as being square. But the first cross-grain cut was perfect, using the same technique- miter and back up block. I understand what you guys are saying but I'm only batting .500 here. Murphy's Law? Bad karma?
John I've also drilled a hole in the pusher block that Paul showed so that I could use an F clamp to hold the workpiece tight to the pusher block. The clamp also gives you something to hold onto. Some bits tend to push the piece away from the fence and the clamp helps quite a bit in that circumstance.
I would put an extension on the miter gauge so that it has more support on the back end. It might also help to put a clamp on the wood and the miter gauge but the longer extension should be enough.
Problem solved, finally. I went back and started from scratch, taking into consideration everything has been posted. I found that the one end of the board was not square so I set up my lathe mounted disk sander and squared the end. Went back and ran the board through the router. Much better but not what I am looking for. Played with the fence, outfeed and infeed. Adjusted that. Ran it through again. A whole lot better with just a shallow place where the bit didn't bit enough. I might adjust the bit a smidgen higher to get the definition I would like. I think the board might not be of equal thickness- from Lowe's lumber pile so I was optimistic that it was even. Now to get out the planer. I think I mentioned, board is 1X4 pine.
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Router Forums
A forum community dedicated to router and woodworking professionals and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about different types of routing and routers, shop safety, finishing, woodworking related topics, styles, tools, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
