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Thread: Router Feed Direction

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Carrollton, Texas
    Posts
    141

    Router Feed Direction

    I know to move the router counterclockwise (left to right) when routing along an outside edge.

    I know to move the router clockwise (right to left) when routing along an inside edge.

    Now, I have attached an edge guide to the router base so that I can route a groove in the center of the board (plywood). I have two choices in maneuvering the router.

    I can stand 'behind' the router, pushing the edge guide OR I can stand in 'front' of the router, pulling the edge guide (the guide attaches to the 'back' of the router). Which stance is best?

    Which way is the router suppose to move, left to right OR right to left?

    Hope this makes sense to someone out there!!

    Thanks,

    TJ

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Griswold Connecticut
    Posts
    6,926
    Theresa. I use the Micro Fence edge guide. and in this application I move the router left to right. It seems odd, because no matter which direction you move the router there will be a cutting edge and a trailing edge.In plywood I make multiple passes,increasing the depth of the cut because of the difference in grain direction of each ply substrate. I probably prefer left to right because I am right handed.I have done it right to left also. The advantage that I've found in using the MicroFence, is that I can use a smaller bit and adjust the width of the cut accurately.I seem to have better control with the smaller bit size.Again tho' this is just a personal preference.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Teresa,

    In this case, I say whatever is most comfortable for you to make a sound/quality cut. Can you reach everything just fine? Do you need to stop in the middle and change positions?

    Also, you may want to plow the dado in 2 or 3 passes. This will help with the control as well and provide a better cut and produce less chips per pass that could also impeded control and quality of cut.

    Finally, the rule of "inside/outside" typically applies to hardwood and not plywood but it is good to think about all the time when considering the cut. What you really need to think about is the rotation of your cutter compared to the grain direction of your wood. You always want to cut with the grain.

    A good way to think about it is to cut an arc in a piece of wood. Think about how the grain changes from perspective of the cutter. For half the arc, you'll be cutting with the flow of the grain for the other half, you are against it and encouraging blow-out and loss of control of the router (assuming hand-held). In plywood, the top veneer is so thin that the risk of control-loss or blow-out is about nil.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    South Windsor, CT
    Posts
    3,304
    TJ,

    There are circumstances where it can be useful to "climb-cut" with your router. This would typically be on tearout prone wood like figured maple or birch, when you're trying to put a nice edge profile on.

    Climb-cutting pretty much eliminates the tendency of the wood to split, because the cutting edges are rotating into the cut instead of away from it. On a normal cut, the bit spins counter-clockwise to the wood which, while keeping the router pressed against the workpiece, also can split the edge of the workpiece. The danger of climb-cutting is that it both pushes the router away from the work piece and the router will want to "run along" the work piece because the bit will pull you along.

    I'm not recommending climb-cutting as a general technique, because of those inherent dangers. Still, there are times when I've done it on purpose. The key to climb-cutting safely is to have your body position well planned and a good grip on the router. You need to keep lateral pressure on the router against the workpiece and make sure that you don't allow the router to jump. I've typically taken 2 cuts - a first pass to hog off most of the wood and then a final pass to leave the finished profile.

    This isn't something you should try until you're comfortable using your router in "normal" mode. You should never climb cut a hand-held piece on a router table unless the piece is held in a jig where you have no body parts anywhere near the bit. Climb cutting on a router table means feeding left to right and will tend to suck your left hand into the bit if you're not careful.

    FYI, climb-cutting on a shaper is much more common, but only because of the use of stock/power feeders. The feeders control the wood and keep it from spitting out of the machine. Just the thought of hand feeding a piece to climb cut on a shaper makes me cringe though - to me that's seriously asking for a trip to the hospital.

    Rob

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKinney, TX
    Posts
    2,063
    Morning TJ
    I typically stand behind the router and push it. I seem to have better control that way. You want to go left to right. A good experiment to try is take a piece of scrap wood and with no fence on your router just try to rout a straight groove in the board. If you are pushing the router away from you it will try to veer off to the left. When you pull it back toward you it will try to veer right. When using a fence on the router you want it to pull the fence tighter to the material so left to right. Hope that makes sense. Steve
    Steve Jenkins, McKinney, TX. 469 742-9694
    Always use the word "impossible" with extreme caution

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Tidewater, VA
    Posts
    2,124
    TJ -

    The router spins clockwise (looking down from the top). Your directions of cut for "outside" and "inside" cuts are correct because the side of the bit that is actually cutting is moving out from the wood and as a side benefit pulling the router (and guide bearing) toward the wood thereby holding it tightly to the wood. And you can easily control the feed rate.

    With that in mind, when I cut dados with the router it is oriented so that the side of the bit that is entering "fresh" wood pushes the router to "tighten" the edge guide. So - with the edge guide to the right of the router, push the router away from you. The "front" of the bit is doing most of the cutting and the router will tend to be pushed into the middle of your panel. This keeps the edge guide up tight against the edge of the plywood. Stand where you are most comfortable and have the most control of the router. This might vary due to the size of your piece and lenght and postion of your cut.

    Good luck,
    Ted

    ps - Climb cuts From the first paragraph above. Sometimes having the bits cutting "out" of the wood tends to splinter the wood. Climb cuts can prevent this. ie Feed in the opposite direction from above so the bit cuts into the wood. The hazardous part of this is that the bit tends to pulls the router along. This feed technique requires great care because the router can get away from your in less than a heartbeat.

    LTS
    Last edited by Ted Shrader; 01-15-2004 at 1:08 PM.

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