[Wdbtchr6]

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Greetings. This is my first post on this forum. I am in the process of making a cabinet with two raised panel doors. The stile and rail cuts are perfect. I intended to use a reverse glue joint bit to make the panel insert. My first test cut reintroduced me to the horrors of snipe. I could use tongue and groove or biscuits, but I would really like to master this particular bit. I have precut the panel boards to length so cutting them long to allow for the snipe is not an option. I consider myself a journeyman woodworker. Your guidance is most welcome. Jack.

 

[Semipro]

Hello Jack , Hope you like and enjoy the router forums make yourself at Home. Please participate by asking and answering questions, that is what makes this forum work!
Again welcome.
Try and get a zero clearance around the panel cutter,make sure you keeping pressure on out feed side

 

[jw2170]

Hi Jack, welcome to the forum.

 

[harrysin]

It's exactly as John has said, minimum clearance around the bit and keep pressure on the out-feed side. Because my fence has a large opening I clamp a sheet of thin MDF on the fence then slowly draw the fence forward.

 

[BCK]

welcome aboard.....enjoy

 

[bcfunburst]

I have discovered the reason for snipe on my own RT and have adjusted the rear section of the fence closer to the blade. The snipe happens when your work piece drops into the blade after leaving the rear section of the fence. My RT is set up to feed from Right to Left; the rear section of fence would be the Right end. Adjust the right end of the fence FWD towards the blade to eliminate snipe. ALSO; try to keep as small a space as possible from cutter to fence or ZERO clearance, as they say. You need to try it with scrap pieces of wood first until you get a satisfactory result. Hope this solves your problem. Please let us know what works for you. Hope you really enjoy making sawdust as we do!!

 

[old55]

Welcome to the forum Jack.

 

[neville9999]

Do what Harry says, you just need a better fence, one with a zero gap as you cannot get snipe if there is no gap. N

 

[Dmeadows]

Do what Harry says, you just need a better fence, one with a zero gap as you cannot get snipe if there is no gap. N

Yes, you can. Reg has the answer. If you are cutting the entire edge of the workpiece, you need an adjustable outfeed fence or there will be no support past the bit. This will cause snipe at the end of the workpiece. You can tape an auxillary fence such as a piece of laminate to the outfeed fence if yours is not adjustable.

Or if you set the fence exactly at the largest part of the profile will do it as well. Kind of touchy though, a couple of thousandths off one way you get snipe, off the other way... you won't quite get the complete profile but shouldn't have snipe.

A bit that cuts the entire thickness of the board is similar to a jointer, where the outfeed fence(or table in the case of the jointer) must be perfectly inline with the cutter. Zero clearance will not solve the problem if that isn't done.

 

[harrysin]

I have discovered the reason for snipe on my own RT and have adjusted the rear section of the fence closer to the blade. The snipe happens when your work piece drops into the blade after leaving the rear section of the fence. My RT is set up to feed from Right to Left; the rear section of fence would be the Right end. Adjust the right end of the fence FWD towards the blade to eliminate snipe. ALSO; try to keep as small a space as possible from cutter to fence or ZERO clearance, as they say. You need to try it with scrap pieces of wood first until you get a satisfactory result. Hope this solves your problem. Please let us know what works for you. Hope you really enjoy making sawdust as we do!!

When adjusting the fence, it makes no difference at what the angle the fence is, it's rotating around a single point so it is only the distance the bit protrudes in front of the opening that determines the cut. I'll repeat again, the only way to make sure that snipe cannot happen is to have zero clearance around the bit and maintain pressure on the wood as it leaves the bit, please believe me on this point.

 

[harrysin]

Yes, you can. Reg has the answer. If you are cutting the entire edge of the workpiece, you need an adjustable outfeed fence or there will be no support past the bit. This will cause snipe at the end of the workpiece. You can tape an auxillary fence such as a piece of laminate to the outfeed fence if yours is not adjustable.

Or if you set the fence exactly at the largest part of the profile will do it as well. Kind of touchy though, a couple of thousandths off one way you get snipe, off the other way... you won't quite get the complete profile but shouldn't have snipe.

A bit that cuts the entire thickness of the board is similar to a jointer, where the outfeed fence(or table in the case of the jointer) must be perfectly inline with the cutter. Zero clearance will not solve the problem if that isn't done.

Sorry Duane but the only time that both sides of the fence are not in line is when using the router table as a jointer, in which case the out-feed side of the fence is brought forward an amount equal to the required depth of cut. The original poster is not planing therefore the two halves of the fence must be in line and have as close as possible to zero clearance around the bit then snipe will be IMPOSSIBLE!

 

[Dmeadows]

Sorry Duane but the only time that both sides of the fence are not in line is when using the router table as a jointer, in which case the out-feed side of the fence is brought forward an amount equal to the required depth of cut. The original poster is not planing therefore the two halves of the fence must be in line and have as close as possible to zero clearance around the bit then snipe will be IMPOSSIBLE!

Harry, when using the router table as a jointer, you are routing(removing material) from the entire edge of the work piece. thus the workpiece on the out feed side is not inline with the infeed fence. If the bit is profiled, rather than straight, the fact still remains that if you remove the complete edge of the work piece, the outfeed part will not be in the same line as the infeed fence. Using zero clearance does not change that!

The biggest advantage of zero clearance is to eliminate or at least reduce chip out.
I have ran enough cabinet doors to know that zero clearance with a full profile bit can give chipout free, sniped doors!

Many bit including the glue joint, many door edge bit, and some other do indeed remove the entire edge! They need to either be set to just not quite remove the edge, or use an offset outfeed fence. With out the offset fence, the fence adjustmemt is very critical(like a very few thousandth's of an inch).

It not the work piece falling into the gap that cause snipe in that case.

All that said, I did make one mistake... it is the smallest diameter of the bit that you want to line up with the fence, not the largest:sad:

 

[harrysin]

Duane, I agree with you BUT the original poster as I understand it is NOT PLANING.

 

[jw2170]

If the glue joint cutter takes of a full face, than it is the same as planing and allowance has to be made on the outfeed side....

 

[Dmeadows]

If the glue joint cutter takes of a full face, than it is the same as planing and allowance has to be made on the outfeed side....

Thank you, James. Yes, a glue joint bit(every one i have used anyway) does cut the full face of the board. If it did not there would be a good chance the profiles would not match!

 

[harrysin]

A pusher prevents chip-out and snipe is caused when the end of the wood moves closer to the bit, a zero clearance makes it impossible for the wood to move closer to the bit!
Whilst I know that full face glue-joint bits exists, the majority are not and require the fence to be inline.

Setting Up Glue Line Router Bits - NewWoodworker.com LLC

 

[Dmeadows]

Actually Harry, both of the bits you reference will cut the full surface! If you follow those instructions and are off even a few thousandths of an inch, you will get snipe the depth of that setup error even with a zero clearance fence. There will be a gap between the work piece and the out feed fence, as soon as you cut the end of the board, even the ZC doesn't support the board any longer. Snipe then occurs from that point till the end of the board clears the cutter.

The pictured bit is a lock miter bit and the same holds true. They are notorious for being hard to setup. Even once setup, that particular setup is only good for that exact material thickness!

You are correct that if setup perfectly they won't snipe even without ZC as long as proper feed is maintained, and the original edge is perfectly straight! However even a small setup error or less than perfect stock prep, snipe and/or poor fitting joints will occur.

I have two glue joint bits and use them very, very rarely. Just too many easier ways to accomplish what they are designed for!

I won't say any more though... rather pointless.

 

[harrysin]

When you talk about small errors of a few thou. it is nothing compared to the amount of movement that wood goes through according to weather conditions.

 

[Dmeadows]

When you talk about small errors of a few thou. it is nothing compared to the amount of movement that wood goes through according to weather conditions.

Ok, Harry. Can't resist one more comment! Although it is true that wood moves, but after it moves, a sniped workpiece is still sniped!:yes4:

 

[harrysin]

HELP REQUIRED will someone with a better command of the English language PLEASE explain to Duane that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get snipe on a router table if there is close to a zero clearance around the bit and pressure is maintained on the out-feed side.