Dry lumber routing

[David Edinger]

I have a lot of pieces of lumber from where I used to work 8 years ago that has been stored in my shop here in n/e Tn. When I route a lot of it the results are a very rough surface on about 40% of the surface. This is with even using new carbide bit. I believe the wood is too dry. Any idea how I can fix this issue?
(I only heat my shop when I'm working in it and I ocassionally run a dehumidifier in summer when humidity is high.)

[Brad Barnhart]

well, try takin' a smaller amount when you're routing. Or, if your router is variable speed, try slowin' it down a little.

[Ed Aumiller]

What kind of wood is it ?? Some species work better than others... I do not like oak for that reason... have to take very thin cuts and I prefer highest speed when working oak, hickory, etc... cherry & walnut are much better / smoother..

[Lee Schierer]

You need to read the grain on each piece so you aren't routing into grain ends facing the direction of the cut. Try a lighter cut or carefully climb cut the edges. Some woods like hickory tend to splinter more readily than others, but even maple and oak will splinter if the grain direction is wrong.

I've also had much smoother cuts using the Freud Quadra cut bits.

[David Edinger]

The current project I'm working on is with poplar. I'm routing a 3/16" beaded edge and getting the rough surface. I'm running bit at about 22k on my table router.
"New" lumber that I experimented with routes smooth.

[Robert Parent]

I have had this problem mainly with Red Oak. Very sharp bits and very light cuts are the only ways I have found to work some of the time. I also would like to know a solution for the chipout.

Robert

[Jim Andrew]

Try cleaning your router bit.

[Jim Dwight]

I think the possibilities are covered so I will comment on the probabilities. The least likely is what the OP suggested. Dry wood routes fine. He said the bit was new, that should mean clean but it is worth checking. It seems to me, the leading candiate is grain direction. All wood is affected by this but the worst is wood with knots. The grain reverses around the knots so you literally have no good way to go. Only solution I know of is sandpaper when you are done. Fortunately, if you go slow, it should sand out.

I built a whole kitchen of raised panel doors our of red oak on my router table once and didnt find it particularly difficult to work with. I've probably built more out of oak than anything else. It will splinter but not nearly as bad as fir. I think hickory can also be bad but haven't really made enough out of it to be sure. Maple is nice but burns easily as does cherry. I really like walnut but it fades in the sun. My point is just that all wood has it's + and - points. We need to learn those and work with them.

[larry senen]

when i was foreman in a furniture factory the carvers used kerosene to lube the cuts. i've never tried it myself but it worked great for them.

[Ed Aumiller]

Poplar should definitely not be a problem getting a smooth finish..
However a few years back when I had a solar kiln, I left a mixed load of cherry and poplar in it over summer and it was super dry (could not measure mc even with a very high quality pin type Delmhorst meter).. Both the cherry and poplar was useless because it had been so dry....
If you only have problems on that batch of lumber, it is quite possible that is the problem..

[Jim Andrew]

I have found I get a smoother rout when I sand the edge of the board before routing. Just a touch to the edge sander is all it takes.

[pat warner]

Maybe that's why you have it, (the co. didn't want it).
Notwithstanding, I've seen the behavior in a lot of species.
But rarely.
And when I do, I climb cut. And even some stock, in a climb cut,
the stuff frays and un-does itself.
Would try the climb cut before scrapping.