Q about Router Table Use

[LeftyTom]

I have a Sear router table, with a plastic fence, and a stubby mitre guide. Not high tech (or high dollar), but usable. I am using Columbian router bits and some Sears bits.

Wednesday I was routing a 3/4" rabbet on all edges of two boards. Routing across the grain went OK, as long as I keep the wood firmly against the fence. When routing along the grain, I ended up with a thin piece of wood at the outside edge of the boards. This "leftover" was easiy snapped off.

What gives?

 

[Travis Porter]

IMO, either your fence moved, or your are cutting a slight amount deeper (width wise) than the router is capable. On the end grain the router probably snapped it off but long grain stays sometimes.

I agree, the router table you have is definitely usable. There is nothing wrong with the set up you have. What kind of router are you using is another question? On some of the cheaper Sears routers you have to be careful to take shallow cuts as the collet has a tendency to slip at times ruining the piece you are working on.

 

[huckster]

Without knowing more about the work piece, I can only suggest that perhaps the work piece itself was not consistent in thickness. Or perhaps the cutter was not as sharp on the squares and during the cut along the graing some tearout followed the bit.

HTH

~Huckster

 

[McRabbet]

Travis got it right -- you have the fence set too far from the outside cutting edge of the bit. If you look carefully at the end grain cuts, you'll probably see the track of the bit at the outside of the McRabbet (sorry). The short end fibers get broken off during the cut, but on the long grain cuts, the sliver remained. The extra wood will overlay any piece of the same thickness as the router bit that is set into the rabbet.

Rob

 

[LeftyTom]

:eusa_clap Travis, I think you have found my foible. I was taking off 3/4" in one pass. It worked smooth on the end grain, on a test pass using scrap. Sould I limit myself to taking only 1/4" off per pass?

The board was "whiteboard" on the Lowes tag, so it may be pine. I am using a Sears Craftsman 1HP router, 1/4" collet.

On a piece 3"W by 24" L, the board was splitting at the end of the cut, while routing along the grain.

 

[Travis Porter]

3/4 is a lot to take off in a single pass with that router. I would cut it in half and do it in 2 passes. When doing 4 sides of a board, do your end grain first so when you come back with the long grain pass it cleans it up.

Listen to the router as well. If you are making it work too hard you can hear it, and it will shorten the life of the bearings, armature, and your brushes. It will also get warm/hot.

 

[Joe Lyddon]

I have a Sear router table, with a plastic fence, and a stubby mitre guide. Not high tech (or high dollar), but usable. I am using Columbian router bits and some Sears bits.

Wednesday I was routing a 3/4" rabbet on all edges of two boards. Routing across the grain went OK, as long as I keep the wood firmly against the fence. When routing along the grain, I ended up with a thin piece of wood at the outside edge of the boards. This "leftover" was easiy snapped off.

What gives?

The first thing that came to my mind was the possibility of NOT using featherboards to hold the piece down & to the fence.

I've never seen a router fence move while cutting... but anything is possible, I guess.

Just my 2 bits...