I'm hoping someone here can answer my question. I'm new to routing,
especially w/ a router table. I'm trying to make shutter louvers with
woodline's plantation shutter bit set. The louver bit has the bearing
on top. My router is the DeWalt 625 plunge router with a Rousseau
adapter for the base.
My problem is when I set the router up and feed thru a test board, I
can't get a consistent cut the full length of the board (the bit pushes
the board away from the fence no matter how hard I try to keep it snug
to the fence & table). Then on second pass the consistency gets worse
as I believe the 'deeper' cuts get further deeper. I've tried to set
up a featherboard and it doesn't seem to help. Is this something that
takes lots of practice or am I wasting test boards going nowhere?
Is there any reason the wood to be cut can't be put in between the
router fence and bit? I tried this and got a better consistent cut,
but I can't find any references that demonstrate this config so I'm
wondering if there are safety issues or potential problems in damaging
my router, etc. ???
Thanks for any help the experts can provide!!
--Brian
as was just said, never feed wood between the fence and the bit. You
can try the following:
1, make sure you are feeding right to left (on the table)
2. take thin cuts... thats a pretty tall bit and it takes a lot of wood
even in a thin pass.
3. try lowering the router speed, for the same reason.
4. I'm not sure of the louver style, but I assume you are routing the
actual louver. Have you tried cutting the louver on a bigger piece of
wood, and then using a table saw to cut the louver off? (be careful
there too!)
good luck
shelly
Hi, yes that is the router bit set I have. Right to left is the
direction I'm going alright. Maybe this isn't a good bit to start
with considering my inexperience. I'll try slowing down my router
and take less of a cut at once.
If it makes any difference I was practicing on particle board (the
glued sawdust material). Granted it's =BE" and my louvers will be
=BD" width wood.
Thanks for fast answers and I'll not be doing any 'wood between bit
& fence' episodes. I just wasn't sure about that but I'm glad I
asked while I still got my fingers!
I just thought of something else....
are you using the bearing on the first pass? If so, you might be taking
off too much wood. Also, as someone else suggested, there is nothing
supporting the bottom of the wood.
Try using a split fence as a guide. (look at pictures of router tables
to see what I mean.
shelly
Yea, I've left the bearing on. The bearing lines up flush with the
upper part of the bits blade. So I agree there's nothing supporting
the bottom of the wood but still not sure how to maintain the bottom in
place. What's a split fence? I don't think I have that on my router
table.
I'm about to try again taking less wood off per run and see what I get.
Thanks! --Brian
[email protected] wrote:
> I just thought of something else....
>
> are you using the bearing on the first pass? If so, you might be taking
> off too much wood. Also, as someone else suggested, there is nothing
> supporting the bottom of the wood.
>
> Try using a split fence as a guide. (look at pictures of router tables
> to see what I mean.
>
>
> shelly
A regular fence is a straight piece of aluminum or MDF that the wood
runs along. It should also have a gap in the middle for working close
to the edge of a bit. A split fence is where you mount a piece of MDF
(or wood surfaced w/UHMW) to each side of the fence (left and right of
the bit), creating a gap big enough to accomodate a tall bit. This way,
you can take the bearing off the bit, and run the wood up against the
fence, with support on both sides.
now, you can take skinny passes by starting the fence forward, with
just a little (bottom) part of the bit sticking through, and move it
backwards for deeper cuts. Don't move the fence too far back - the
bearing on the bit should be flush with the fence for the final pass
(just pop it on for measuring)
Also, make sure both sides of the fence are even!
good luck.
shelly
I had the same problem my first time working with tall bits till I
figured out that I was pushing against the lower part of the
stock(closest to the table surface) which was making the cut
inconsistent and too deep in places. In other words, the bearing holds
the top of the stock in the correct position, but there is nothing to
guide the bottom if you push too hard.
As others have said:
!) make sure outfeed fence is adjusted correctly
2) don't cut too deep one one pass.
On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:45:59 -0800, Brian wrote:
> I'm hoping someone here can answer my question. I'm new to routing,
> especially w/ a router table. I'm trying to make shutter louvers with
> woodline's plantation shutter bit set. The louver bit has the bearing
> on top. My router is the DeWalt 625 plunge router with a Rousseau
> adapter for the base.
>
> My problem is when I set the router up and feed thru a test board, I
> can't get a consistent cut the full length of the board (the bit pushes
> the board away from the fence no matter how hard I try to keep it snug
> to the fence & table). Then on second pass the consistency gets worse
> as I believe the 'deeper' cuts get further deeper. I've tried to set
> up a featherboard and it doesn't seem to help. Is this something that
> takes lots of practice or am I wasting test boards going nowhere?
>
> Is there any reason the wood to be cut can't be put in between the
> router fence and bit? I tried this and got a better consistent cut,
> but I can't find any references that demonstrate this config so I'm
> wondering if there are safety issues or potential problems in damaging
> my router, etc. ???
Sounds like you're feeding the board from left to right--try feeding it
the other way and I think you'll find it easier to control.
Also, don't try to take too big a cut at once--if you do then the router
is in control and not you. Make two or three passes if you need to.
> Thanks for any help the experts can provide!! --Brian
--
X:\Newsreaders\sig.txt
On 19 Nov 2006 17:45:59 -0800, "Brian" <[email protected]> wrote:
>My problem is when I set the router up and feed thru a test board, I
>can't get a consistent cut the full length of the board (the bit pushes
>the board away from the fence no matter how hard I try to keep it snug
>to the fence & table). Then on second pass the consistency gets worse
>as I believe the 'deeper' cuts get further deeper. I've tried to set
>up a featherboard and it doesn't seem to help. Is this something that
>takes lots of practice or am I wasting test boards going nowhere?
Just a wild guess, but does the bit take material off the stock on the
whole edge? If so, then I'm guessing the bit isn't pushing the board
away from the fence so much as there is no support on the outfeed
fence for the stock after material is removed from it. Much like a
jointer. In fact, an offset fence setup for (necessary for router bits
that do that) is often called a jointer fence.
>Is there any reason the wood to be cut can't be put in between the
>router fence and bit? I tried this and got a better consistent cut,
>but I can't find any references that demonstrate this config so I'm
>wondering if there are safety issues or potential problems in damaging
>my router, etc. ???
There are two rules on running stock between the fence and the bit on
a router table:
1: Never, EVER, run the stock between the fence and the bit on
a router table.
2: Whenever questions arise about running stock between the
fence and the bit on a router table, see Rule #1.
--
LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
http://www.woodbutcher.net
Proud participant of rec.woodworking since February, 1997
email addy de-spam-ified due to 1,000 spams per month.
If you can't figure out how to use it, I probably wouldn't
care to correspond with you anyway.
In article <[email protected]>, "Brian" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm hoping someone here can answer my question. I'm new to routing,
>especially w/ a router table. I'm trying to make shutter louvers with
>woodline's plantation shutter bit set. The louver bit has the bearing
>on top. My router is the DeWalt 625 plunge router with a Rousseau
>adapter for the base.
I assume the bit you're referring to is the one at the far right in this
photo?
http://www.woodline.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=627
>My problem is when I set the router up and feed thru a test board, I
>can't get a consistent cut the full length of the board (the bit pushes
>the board away from the fence no matter how hard I try to keep it snug
>to the fence & table).
Are you feeding the board left to right, or right to left? Wood should always
be fed against the direction of rotation of the bit. In a table-mounted
router, the bit spins counterclockwise when viewed from above -- which means
you should feed the wood right to left. This will force the wood against the
fence.
> Then on second pass the consistency gets worse
>as I believe the 'deeper' cuts get further deeper.
Things don't add up here... if the board is being pushed away from the fence,
the cut would be getting shallower, not deeper.
> I've tried to set
>up a featherboard and it doesn't seem to help. Is this something that
>takes lots of practice or am I wasting test boards going nowhere?
Shouldn't take a lot of practice, no. I suspect something amiss either with
your setup or your technique. If the bit's rotation is pushing the wood away
from the fence, either you're feeding the wood in the wrong direction, or
you're trying to remove too much wood at once.
>
>Is there any reason the wood to be cut can't be put in between the
>router fence and bit?
Yes, several reasons. First and foremost, doing so leaves half of the bit
completely exposed, where it can catch stray shirtsleeves or fingers.
This is a Bad Thing. Second, it requires you to reach across the spinning bit
as you feed the wood. This is also a Bad Thing. Third, it dramatically
increases the risk of a kickback: if, for example, the workpiece is not an
absolutely consistent width along its entire length, it may become wedged
between the bit and fence, and probably ejected backwards at high speed,
likewise a Bad Thing -- and when it does so, it may pull your hands into that
exposed bit that you're reaching across, which is an Even Worse Thing.
> I tried this and got a better consistent cut,
Which direction were you feeding the wood? Left to right, I'll bet.
>but I can't find any references that demonstrate this config so I'm
>wondering if there are safety issues or potential problems in damaging
>my router, etc. ???
Definite safety issues, absolutely. NOT a good idea. I'd imagine there's also
some possibility of damaging the bit or the collet if there's a kickback, too,
but the safety issues are paramount. DON'T do it.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
In article <[email protected]>, "Brian" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Hi, yes that is the router bit set I have. Right to left is the
>direction I'm going alright. Maybe this isn't a good bit to start
>with considering my inexperience. I'll try slowing down my router
No. The bit diameter is small enough that you should be running the router at
full speed.
>and take less of a cut at once.
Yes -- taking too much off at once is probably the entire problem.
>
>If it makes any difference I was practicing on particle board (the
>glued sawdust material). Granted it's 3/4" and my louvers will be
>1/2" width wood.
Oooohhhh, bad idea. Particle board is very abrasive. Practice on pine or
poplar instead.
>
>Thanks for fast answers and I'll not be doing any 'wood between bit
>& fence' episodes. I just wasn't sure about that but I'm glad I
>asked while I still got my fingers!
Good!
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
In article <[email protected]>,
Brian <[email protected]> wrote:
<...snipped...>
>If it makes any difference I was practicing on particle board (the
>glued sawdust material). Granted it's ¾" and my louvers will be
>½" width wood.
>
Hope you didn't practice too much, PB is one of the worst materials
for wear on blades and cutters.
*The more you know.
--
For every complicated, difficult problem, there is a simple, easy
solution that does not work.
Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - [email protected]
It's generally considered unsafe to cut stock between the bit and the
fence, there is a possibility of the bit grabbing the stock and
propelling it towards the left.
With the router table fence set up in the conventional, safer way,
are you routing from the right side of the table (as you face it) to
the left? In this direction the cutting action will tend to push the
stock closer to the fence.
--
For every complicated, difficult problem, there is a simple, easy
solution that does not work.
Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - [email protected]