[FranklinC]

To start off, I’m a novice wood worker. Gonna try and make this as brief as possible. The wife and I decided we are going to get rid of the corian counter tops in the kitchen and replace them with butcher block tops.The woods we decide to use are a combination of Zebra wood, Black Limba and Bubinga. I decided to make a cheap prototype. In fact, the 1/8” roundover bit for the router cost more than the wood and the gel urethane that I used to complete the cheap prototype. I know I said I was going to make this as brief as possible. For some reason I had to add the back story.

Here’s my issue. When using the 1/8” roundover I came across a mind blowing issue. When running scrap wood through the router to set the height I wanted, it looked as though the router bit started raising gradually from the mid point for the wood and further until a complete pass. Made no difference using feather boards to hold the scrap in place. Anyone come across this problem? Not sure I will route the counter tops but, this is an irritating issue.

Thanks for any input.

 

[BrianS]

Hi Frank. Welcome to our little corner of the 'net.

A couple questions... have you used this router before? Or is it brand new to you?

A common problem for new router users is putting the bit all the way to the bottom when it is inserted. Several reasons not to do this:1)The collet is designed to pull downwards slightly when tightened. If the bit is bottomed out, it can't pull it down and therefore can't properly tighten on the bit shank. 2) Heat will transfer from the bit directly to the motor and perhaps result in premature failure.

The other common reason for this to happen is that the shank is undersize. If it's a bit from a major manufacturer of bits, this isn't likely, altho not impossible. If it's a cheaper brand of bit, perhaps sourced off Ebay or Amazon, quality is hit and miss.

If you can, measure the bit shank and ensure that it is indeed 1/4", or 1/2".

Using featherboards, while a great idea, would not have helped in either of these cases as the bit itself is raising.

Another possibility is that you forgot to lock the height adjustment after setting it. Not common, as usually the weight of the motor pulls down.

 

[Stick486]

Hello Frank and welcome to the forums...
Brian did a great job of covering your question...
as a new body to WW I have a few suggestions...

treat your wood as an oily wood glue up...
spline the top together to avoid creep and help keep separations under control...
see the PDF's...
.

 

[Stick486]

here's some more light reading...

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[Stick486]

just a little bit more to go...

.

 

[Stick486]

and if you still could use a few extras...

.

 

[MT Stringer]

The question is ...is the router new or used? I had a problem with the collet not keeping the bit is place. I solved it by throwing it out the back door and replacing it with a new one.

And make sure you blow out any possible dust that might be collected in the collet.

 

[DaninVan]

Pretty sure Mike meant the collet not the router, Frank .

 

[DesertRatTom]

@FranklinC Frank, get a half inch rubber grommet and drop it into the collet. Bottom the bit on the grommet, which should eliminate the creep that can come from bottoming the bit on metal. Make certain your height adjustment is set tight as well as the collet. I had a problem with a Rockler router that crept. There was an adjustment to tighten the movement so it wouldn't creep. The Triton TRA001 must be tightened or it will creep, I think many other brands have a similar lock.

Hope this eliminates the problem. I really prefer the quality of Freud bits, but my door and cabinet making sets are Sommerfeld brand. I don't bother with Asian bits since most are Chinese.

I would like to suggest you look up the YouTube videos by Marc Sommerfeld. He sells tools, but was a cabinet maker of considerable skill before that. His videos downplay promoting his brand, but show many methods of working that will be very helpful for you as you progress in the hobby.

BTW, I have no connection with the company, but man, did his viceos help me get a solid handle on routing!

 

[MT Stringer]

Pretty sure Mike meant the collet not the router, Frank .

Yes, I still have the router, just a new collet and router bit.

 

[Stick486]

Hello Frank and welcome to the forums...
spline the top together to avoid creep and help keep separations under control...

.

as many splines that you will have Baltic Birch would work better than great for your splines...
a slot cutter would be just the ticket and cut the slots approximately one forth to one third max of the material thickness...
thick tops are best served w/ alternate splining...
1st seam/joint gets two splines spaced at 1/3rd interval...
EXAMPLE... a 3'' thick/wide board will have two splines spaced 1''OC from the edge...
the 2nd seam/joint gets one spline space 1½''OC from the edge...

????... will you be laying your boards flat or on edge???... what are your measures???

NOTES/HINTS...
cut all of the slots from the show face/edge of the boards... ALWAYS...
when you assemble, the spline will go a long ways to keeping the pieces flush...
mating up will be a lot easier too...
strength of joint will be increased too...
if on edge you can save a lot of material by using a sheet of plywood as a filler in the central core of the top...
you cut two slots simultaneously by stacking your cutters on a single arbor...
cut all of your doubles and then cut your singles... set up the bit just once for each function...

 

[FranklinC]

The Router is brand new, my wife bought it for me for Christmas last year and I just recently started messing with it.

 

[ACE0220]

This being a Router Forum, how do you feel about using a router than dado blades. I've heard many different stories pro and con but haven't had a chance to try either one yet. I have a great set of router bits and I'm anxious to use them. I was thinking about purchasing a trim router to make dados on board edges, but really don't know for sure if this would be smart. Any info or suggestions will be appreciated.

Rick

 

[MT Stringer]

This being a Router Forum, how do you feel about using a router than dado blades. I've heard many different stories pro and con but haven't had a chance to try either one yet. I have a great set of router bits and I'm anxious to use them. Any info or suggestions will be appreciated.

Rick

If you make an exact width dado jig, you will put your dado stack in storage! :grin:
http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/49738-exact-width-dado-jig.html

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

I have and use dado sets. If you are doing a few grooves then the stack is faster and blades are cheaper in the long run than bits are. Because you can shim the stack to get to the exact width you need you can do the job in one pass, but it can take time to dial in the exact width. So if you only have a few grooves the router jig is faster. One other advantage of the dado stack is that you can use the fence on the saw to set the height of the grooves so that opposing grooves are guaranteed to be level with each other.

 

[Terry Q]

Dado blades are faster. After buying a dado set, I spent an hour cutting a “sizing board” where I took common size dados, used different combinations of spacers, and cut dados across a piece of plywood. When I want to cut a dado for a piece of plywood or whatever, I just take my “sizing board”, find the perfect fit, and set up my dado stack. Takes about 30 seconds extra to build a perfect fitting dado stack on the first try.


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.

 

[DaninVan]

I like the option of using either, depending on the specific job that I'm doing. As has been mentioned, being able to do a fairly deep dado or rebate in one pass with the dado blades makes them extremely productive.

 

[bryansong]

here's some more light reading...

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just a little bit more to go...

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Stick,

Just thought I let you know I printed out and read all of these attachments and already found them helpful.
Last night I was routing my cabinet door using my new cove bit, I set my router speed and routed inside the door moving the router in the correct direction. All went well.

Thanks for the information.

This weekend I think I'll be using my new Freud Dado stack. This is something I have never done.



Bryan

 

[DesertRatTom]

I have a Dado Wiz, an aluminum block that you set for an exact width dado, by setting pins, then fitting a piece of the work piece, plus a sheet of paper for glue. Then you set the router on the jig, and the jig on a long vise/clamp on the workpiece. Use a down spiral bit and you get an exact fit every time. I think that brand is gone, but I found a similar one not so long ago. A newer version is distributed through Infinity Cutting Tools. Here's a video. I really like the original version, but haven't used this (likely) improved model. Make sure you let the router come to a full stop before lifting it off the jig. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=26&v=rYR-B87GO8A