Router Issue...What Am I Doing Wrong?

[Jerry Murray]

OK, so maybe it's not the router, but my technique.

I am a first ime router user and have it set up on a MLCS router top. I am using a 1/2" dual bearing flat bit. I am mainly using this to rout around some templates of gun grips which I have attached my wood with dual side tape.

The problem is that sometimes the router grabs the piece and flings it out of my hand, breaking the piece. Right now I am getting about a 50% success rate.

I have made adjustments by cutting as close to the outline of the piece as I can with my band saw, and using the template on top or switching to bottom depending on the grain cut.

Frankly this thing scares the crap outta me...so please help me out. Does anyone know of any links to a tutorial somewhere I can see how to properly rout a small piece with a template.

[Brian Millspaw]

You need to have infeed an outfeed ramps on your template so it can make contact with the bearing before the wood makes contact with the cutter. You should have two templates to do this, one for either half. I haven't used double sided tape, but I wouldn't trust it. I put heavy grit sandpaper on the template to keep the peice from moving and hold it down with a couple destaco clamps. Also putting handles on a small template is a good idea to keep your hands away from the cutter.
I wish I had a picture to show you.
Be careful
-Brian
www.finewoodcarver.com

[Julian Wong]

Jerry, if I read this correctly, you're using the router bit to go around the handle grip of the gun grip?

If this is the case, you also have to take into the consideration of the change in grain pattern as you go around the grip. once the bit is spinning with the grain, the chances of the router bit biting into it is much higher than against.

Once you go around the grip, you want to make sure that you;re taking off no more than 1/16 or 1/32" in that pass or else the piece will chip and or fly across the room as you have discovered.

[Jerry Murray]

Jerry, if I read this correctly, you're using the router bit to go around the handle grip of the gun grip?

If this is the case, you also have to take into the consideration of the change in grain pattern as you go around the grip. once the bit is spinning with the grain, the chances of the router bit biting into it is much higher than against.

Once you go around the grip, you want to make sure that you;re taking off no more than 1/16 or 1/32" in that pass or else the piece will chip and or fly across the room as you have discovered.

Julian, yes I work the template/wood around the router bit. i made the mistake when I first started by having too much wood to be removed. So I trim with the bandsaw as close to the template as I can and use the router to finish.

The grips are small and I really don't see how to use any other type of clamp to secure the grip (wood) to the template securely.

[Ray Dockrey]

OK, so maybe it's not the router, but my technique.

I am a first ime router user and have it set up on a MLCS router top. I am using a 1/2" dual bearing flat bit. I am mainly using this to rout around some templates of gun grips which I have attached my wood with dual side tape.

The problem is that sometimes the router grabs the piece and flings it out of my hand, breaking the piece. Right now I am getting about a 50% success rate.

I have made adjustments by cutting as close to the outline of the piece as I can with my band saw, and using the template on top or switching to bottom depending on the grain cut.

Frankly this thing scares the crap outta me...so please help me out. Does anyone know of any links to a tutorial somewhere I can see how to properly rout a small piece with a template.

Also make sure you are always feeding the stock right to left. It is easy to get this backwards when working on a router table.

[Lee Schierer]

As you work aroud a piece of wood, the angle the cutter makes with the grain in a piece of wood changes significantly. Where the cutter is removing material directly from the end or side of the grain usually works okay. As the grain angle gets to a certain point in relation to the cutting edge, it reaches an angle where the ends of the grain are being struck head on by the cutting edge. The cutter cannot cut them and instead attempts to compress them upon themselves.

It is sort of like petting a dog or a cat. When your hand (the cutter) travels with the direction of the hair growth (grain) the hand moves smoothly across the surface as you pet in a straight line. If you begin to pet in a circular motion, as you change the direction of your hand to go across the direction of hair growth, it moves a bit harder, but still creates no noticeable problems. As your hand starts to go against the direction of hair growth the hair begins to dig into your hand and get kinked and bent the wrong (known as tear out in woodworking terms) way instead of laying flat the surface becomes uneven and unsightly. Now translate the hair growth direction to the direction of fibers within the wood and you can understand what is happening to your wood as the cutter reaches various angles in regard to those fibers.

The trick is to read your wood before you make a cut and move the cutter so it is always cutting with the grain not directly opposite it. This will sometimes require making the cut with two different feed directions one is the normal direction, the other is called climb cutting. Climb cutting presses down on the fibers rather than lifting them or hitting them end on. Climb cutting requires good control of the workpiece to prevent self feeding and very shallow cuts.

Look at your pieces and visualize the angle the cutter was meeting the end of the grain when the piece was yanked out of your hand. Avoid those angles by feeding the piece through that area in the opposite direction. This may require cutting only 1/4 or 1/3 of the way around, skipping an area and then feeding the piece teh other way to cut through that area. Yes it takes more time and a bit more caution, but it will save the piece of wood.

[glenn bradley]

Sounds like you've got it covered:
- leave as little to remove as possible (1/16" is fine)
- use a starting pin (or add wings to your template and do a multi-template cut)
- route left to right
- route only downhill (as you approach the change in grain direction, flip the piece and use the other bearing to allow routing with the grain whenever possible)

[Greg Hines, MD]

One other thing you might want to try is a spiral bit. They slice rather than chop, so they are less likely to tear out with small changes to the grain direction.

For my templates, I always make them big, much bigger than necessary, with handles that I can position to keep my fingers from being near the cutter.

[Mark P. Brown]

You might try using a spindle sander to get it to the line.
Mark

[Jerry Murray]

You might try using a spindle sander to get it to the line.
Mark

I use a belt sander to get it to the line when I can't get some of the wood with the router.

[Bill Huber]

I think everyone has covered it good but no one has ask about speed.

If you are running the bit to slow it will grab the wood much faster then when running fast.

When I do my template work I start in the middle of the item and go from left to right and then with some small items I will go around the bit to the back, like when coming to a corner, I am going left to right and then as I get around the corner I am on the back side of the bit.

I do this so that I can then take the part back around and finish without starting on a corner.

I do use and really like the pin that Rockler sells and I set it right in front of the blade and it only leaves a very small amount of wood to be taken off.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...ter=band%20saw

And I would get a share bit or a spiral bit they work much much better then a straight bit. This is one of my favorite pattern bit.

http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/..._laminate_trim

[Jerry Murray]

I think everyone has covered it good but no one has ask about speed.

If you are running the bit to slow it will grab the wood much faster then when running fast.

When I do my template work I start in the middle of the item and go from left to right and then with some small items I will go around the bit to the back, like when coming to a corner, I am going left to right and then as I get around the corner I am on the back side of the bit.

I do this so that I can then take the part back around and finish without starting on a corner.

I do use and really like the pin that Rockler sells and I set it right in front of the blade and it only leaves a very small amount of wood to be taken off.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...ter=band%20saw

And I would get a share bit or a spiral bit they work much much better then a straight bit. This is one of my favorite pattern bit.

http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/..._laminate_trim

Speed? I didn't even think to check that.

My bits (I have two) are the straight flutes. Maybe one of those spiral trim bits might be a good thing, especially with grain changes.

[glenn bradley]

Originally Posted by Bill Huber
I think everyone has covered it good but no one has ask about speed.

Bill, you rocket scientist you ;-) How did the rest of us forget to ask about speed? I'm glad you're watching out.

[Paul Murphy]

Jeff, one more suggestion that was touched on. Make at least 2 different "sleds" that serve as clamping bases (and also as templates if it makes things safer). With the workpiece sled, you pattern rout up to half the workpiece, and your hands are well out of harms way holding grips attached to the central part of the sled. You can break this down to as many sleds as makes sense for you.

[Bill Huber]

The more I think about what you are doing and the size of the parts you are cutting I think maybe you should try something different.

If you made a base with a hole in the center that is larger then the part you are cutting so you can get the router bit all the way around without hitting the base. The base would also give you support for the router all the way around to keep it flat and square. This would be using the router with a fixed base from the top, not on the router table.

You may have to make the template a little thicker so you can clear the set screw that holds the bearing on or make a raised area in the center of the base for clearance.

Put your stock on the template with 2 sided tape and cut it on the band saw just like normal. Then screw the template to the base in the middle of the hole.

Now you can route the stock and never have to worry about it coming out of you hand or getting cut with the bit.

Here is a drawing I made of what I am talking about, its not a very good drawing but its the best I could do in Visio. The sides of the base should be the same height as the template plus the tape pules the stock. You could use this over and over again with different templates of about the same size.

The base could be attached to the bench by clamps of screws so it would not move. For the size parts you are working with I think this would be a better way to do it. Just make sure you have good 2 sided tape and the top of the base is the same height as the stock.

Just a thought........


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