[alphabeta]

Hi all,
Firstly, this is almost certainly my amateurism causing this, but I'd appreciate any tips on how to fix this problem as it's becoming expensive.

I've got a Triton TRA001 mounted to a kreg router table and I've used it pretty lightly, but never had a challenge.

I'm trying to make some finger pull drawers for a new bathroom unit I'm making and I'm getting two problems:

1) The bit height keeps adjusting mid-cut - obviously for something like a fingerpull drawer handle, this wrecks the whole piece each time

2) The oak is ripping off as I cut (this might be related to the slipping above - hard to tell at this stage). I'm doing gradual cuts, maybe 1cm at a time, but producing pretty poor finish in places.

Can anyone give me some pointers to try and resolve this?

The bit is pretty tight in the collet, so I'd be surprised if that's the problem - it does appear to be the vibrations are actually turning the height adjustment screw as I marked the position before testing it and the screw has moved position. Is there a way to tighten or lock this or something??

 

[jw2170]

G'day and welcome to the forum.

The table mounted TRA001 is a great router. Make sure you lock the router after making any height adjustments.

Have you removed the spring from the router?

BTW, I would be taking 1mm at a time not 1cm....

 

[sunnybob]

10 mm through soft construction timber is possible, but 10 mm through oak is impossible to achieve cleanly.
The up down movement is a direct result of too deep a cut.
3 mm in oak would be ok if you were going to just remove excess material, then a couple passes at 1 mm a time should give you a nice finish.
But its possible you have blunted that cutter by trying to take so much in one go.
If the oak has diagonal flecks through it you have even more of a challenge.

 

[alphabeta]

G'day and welcome to the forum.

The table mounted TRA001 is a great router. Make sure you lock the router after making any height adjustments.

Have you removed the spring from the router?

BTW, I would be taking 1mm at a time not 1cm....

Hi James,

Thanks for your reply - I'm not certain regarding the spring (set it up 4 years ago before having kids, as you can imagine - not much woodworking got done in those 4 years... ) . How can I check this and should I have the spring in or not?

Re amount - good to know also, I'll slow right down!

 

[sunnybob]

Springs dont have much effect on a table mounted router. They only lift the plunge router back up if you are using it freehand.
Locks can wear out, but only after very heavy use. reduce the amount cut and you should have no problem with height adjustments.

 

[sreilly]

And adjust speed and feed by size of bit. Look for a speed chart such as this.

 

[old55]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[jw2170]

1) The bit height keeps adjusting mid-cut - obviously for something like a fingerpull drawer handle, this wrecks the whole piece each time

I had this issue some years ago, and found it caused by a cutter slightly out of size (cheap set).....

 

[jw2170]

"Thanks for your reply - I'm not certain regarding the spring (set it up 4 years ago before having kids, as you can imagine - not much woodworking got done in those 4 years... ) . How can I check this and should I have the spring in or not? "

Triton (...and Bob and Rick) recommend that the spring be removed for table use.

If the spring was still in, you would feel strong pressure against you as you tried to raise the cutter above the table...

How do you raise the cutter?

 

[harrysin]

I agree with all of the above posts EXCEPT about the spring, this Must be removed when table mounted as shown, that applies to ALL routers but this router is probably the easiest of all routers.

 

[alphabeta]

Hi All,

Firstly - thanks again for all the great advice - really helpful indeed!

To answer a few questions:

• I've checked and I have removed the spring
• I've tried reducing the cut depth to a few millimetres and it's working much better.
• I do also wonder if I'd forgotten to tighten the lock on a couple of occasions, so it might have simply been that too!

One general question - if you need to router a few millimetres at a time in depth, how could I cut dovetail joints or t-slot grooves etc (they obviously don't work if you're gradually raising the bit) - does this mean these aren't possible in hardwood? Just curious and keen to learn, rather than needing to do this!

 

[Marco]

When cutting on a dovetail jig full depth of cut is taken in one pass. The same with a T-Slot bit

 

[sreilly]

When cutting on a dovetail jig full depth of cut is taken in one pass. The same with a T-Slot bit

Or use a properly sized straight bit or table saw blade to hog out the center wood then go back with the dovetail bit. This video has that at about the 4 minute mark.

 

[mgmine]

If the bit is tight then the only thing I can see affecting the movement is the locking lever.