Sawdust packed into cut
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law of physics ?? I think it happens to all of us under similar circumstances.
welcome to the forum !!
welcome to the forum !!
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83 Posts
Welcome to the forum,
Yes as John stated, law of physics. The chips are being produced much faster then they can get out, and a standard 2 flute bit is not designed for ideal chip load with the router's given RPM's.
One thing you could try but will possibly have trouble with is a Spiral up cut bit, but you may get some chipping or tear out on the edge. But you will have a pretty clean groove when done.
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22,199 Posts
4D thinker suggested what I'd do first. Do you have a really good suction at and below the fence? I'd consider using a larger opening insert so there's plenty of room for the sawdust to be pulled out with good suction under the table. That bit is going to get very hot, very fast if you're cutting full depth in one pass, cutting in small increments will likely help too.
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65 Posts
It's common with straight bits if your plowing through the cut too fast, too deep of a cut in a pass (if so, do multi passes sneaking up to the depth you want) or not possibly using a dust collection attachment at the router base. When I use the router table, I'll have dust collection turned on at the fence & the router base.
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1 Posts
I would make sure the dust collector is running, then do a series of light cuts. If it still clogs up, do a second pass, that will clear it. Up-cut bits are excellent at clearing the dust from the cut trench.
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16 Posts
A very common problem with straight bits. Its the same if you use a free router. I thought the was something wrong with my Bosch plunge router that could not hold the speed while cutting a groove, but in the end I realised the groove was so packed that it was this that caused my machine struggling even it its a 1350W machine! Suggestion, take your time and do shallow cut and do the pass slower either with router table or free routing. I even experienced that routing the opposite direction prevents the bit "wandering" and making ugly / not straight cuts.
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4 Posts
The chips have no where else to go.
Make a second pass to have the router bit clean out or at least loosen the chips.
You can always make a third pass.
If possible, it is better to make multiple passes with increasing depth.
I know the temptation is to set the bit to the final depth. But asking the bit to remove all the wood in one pass can cause some undesirable results. Like chatter, tear-out, broken bits, etc.
Set the bit at a shallow depth and run all pieces through at that depth. Raise the bit slightly and run all the pieces through. I know that sometimes, depending on our well thought out workflow, we don't want to keep fiddling with router depth adjustments. We want to set all out machines to one setting and go.
If you do not have a good set of depth gauges, it helps if you make a few small pieces cut to the final depth to use as a final depth gauge. That way you can reset the router to match the depth of your sample piece. It is too frustrating trying to set the router depth using a ruler.
I usually make my next to last pass about 1/16" or less from the final depth. This helps get a smoother final cut.
Some bits do not allow for sneaking up on the final depth. Like keyhole or dovetail bits where the cut is below the surface of the wood.
Make a second pass to have the router bit clean out or at least loosen the chips.
You can always make a third pass.
If possible, it is better to make multiple passes with increasing depth.
I know the temptation is to set the bit to the final depth. But asking the bit to remove all the wood in one pass can cause some undesirable results. Like chatter, tear-out, broken bits, etc.
Set the bit at a shallow depth and run all pieces through at that depth. Raise the bit slightly and run all the pieces through. I know that sometimes, depending on our well thought out workflow, we don't want to keep fiddling with router depth adjustments. We want to set all out machines to one setting and go.
If you do not have a good set of depth gauges, it helps if you make a few small pieces cut to the final depth to use as a final depth gauge. That way you can reset the router to match the depth of your sample piece. It is too frustrating trying to set the router depth using a ruler.
I usually make my next to last pass about 1/16" or less from the final depth. This helps get a smoother final cut.
Some bits do not allow for sneaking up on the final depth. Like keyhole or dovetail bits where the cut is below the surface of the wood.
Can you get the same bit in an upward spiral? That is a very small bit and the "sawdust" may be too fine to fly out of the groove, the way that larger bits do.
Alternatively, you might try a blast of compressed air to clear the groove.
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16 Posts
With a 3mm straight bit, I think myself i would not use router table. If possible, use a router w/ a parallell guide. That way you have much more control over your routing - I think with a table youre in danger of forcing the bit to break, because you dont really know how much force your putting on it. I also have a 3mm of good quality, and I never attempted to put in a router table. The sawdust packs because you dont have any suction from underneath to remove sawdust. As said in an other answer, use shallow pass, clean up then new deeper pass repeat til you get desired depth. If there is a possibility, get a 3mm spiral straight bit, that will probebly solve your problem, but I doubt you get that small.
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230 Posts
Tell us the finished depth of cut, wood specie, through groove or stopped groove, and what was your maximum depth of cut. We can then report our results and see if we have the same problem.
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