I am building a table top out of 4 edge glued boards. 2 of the
corners have a radius to them. I have a piece of MDF that I am using
as a template, with a trim bit and about 1/8 to 1/4 overhang rough cut
with a jigsaw. I am moving around the edge counter-clockwise. As I
cam up the left end and round the turn around the first radius,
suddenly the router "caught" and a hunk of the edge tore loose. I
moved past it and completed the rest of the cut around the edge
without incident. I glued the broken piece in and it isn't noticible,
but now I have to match the edge and I'm leary of using the rounter on
it.

My theory is that that point of the cut was just too thick and I was
taking too much off at one time, and perhaps the grain was funny
there. The way I want to proceed once the glue has been on for 24
hours is to sand the offending piece down to about 1/16" from the
template and then route that off.

Thoughts?

-Jim

jtpr wrote:

I am building a table top out of 4 edge glued boards. 2 of the
corners have a radius to them. I have a piece of MDF that I am using
as a template, with a trim bit and about 1/8 to 1/4 overhang rough cut
with a jigsaw. I am moving around the edge counter-clockwise. As I
cam up the left end and round the turn around the first radius,
suddenly the router "caught" and a hunk of the edge tore loose. I
moved past it and completed the rest of the cut around the edge
without incident. I glued the broken piece in and it isn't noticible,
but now I have to match the edge and I'm leary of using the rounter on
it.

My theory is that that point of the cut was just too thick and I was
taking too much off at one time, and perhaps the grain was funny
there. The way I want to proceed once the glue has been on for 24
hours is to sand the offending piece down to about 1/16" from the
template and then route that off.

Thoughts?

-Jim

As you rounded the radius the direction of the grain in the wood changed and
instead of cutting across it you found yourself cutting against it. I like
working ash and mahogany. Mahogany is fairly well behaved but the ash as a
tendency to tear along the grain line when cutting against the grain.
There are two ways to avoid the tear out. 1) Don't rout against the grain,
always rout with it.

The second is useful when you have to cut against the grain. The simple
cure is do a "climb cut" where you rout in the direction your router is
turning. The one thing to watch is that it does not take off on you,
meaning you have to hold it tight to the piece and be ready for it to start
to run away with you. As long as you are careful, it works like a champ.

Deb

Radius only the right hand upper corner. (Facing a piece of paper, the
upper right hand corner where the date often goes). Turn the work over
as you go so you're only routing that corner.
************************************************** **
http://www.patwarner.com (Routers)
************************************************** ***



On Jan 19, 3:22*am, jtpr wrote:
I am building a table top out of 4 edge glued boards. *2 of the
corners have a radius to them. *I have a piece of MDF that I am using
as a template, with a trim bit and about 1/8 to 1/4 overhang rough cut
with a jigsaw. *I am moving around the edge counter-clockwise. *As I
cam up the left end and round the turn around the first radius,
suddenly the router "caught" and a hunk of the edge tore loose. * I
moved past it and completed the rest of the cut around the edge
without incident. *I glued the broken piece in and it isn't noticible,
but now I have to match the edge and I'm leary of using the rounter on
it.

My theory is that that point of the cut was just too thick and I was












taking too much off at one time, and perhaps the grain was funny
there. *The way I want to proceed once the glue has been on for 24
hours is to sand the offending piece down to about 1/16" from the
template and then route that off.

Thoughts?

-Jim

On Jan 19, 2:45*pm, -MIKE- wrote:
Spirals do a little better but once a spiral grabs it really grabs.
Unlike a wing cutter that is going bang, bang,bang, if the spiral
grabs the wood it seems to just pull quite a bit more. My most
dangerous router stories involve spirals. I now pretty much only use
them in a table, but this is just my bias, having broken one while
freehanding and luckily having it not embedded in my gut, as it was in
the wall.

Wow, that seems totally counter intuitive (to my mind, at least).
Thanks for the valuable info.

--

* -MIKE-

* "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
* * *--Elvin Jones *(1927-2004)
* --
*http://mikedrums.com
*
* ---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Thank you all, I see the error of my ways now. But isn't Pat Warner's
suggestion really the best one? Just turn it over first and do the
last radius?

-Jim

But isn't Pat Warner's
suggestion really the best one? Just turn it over first and do the
last radius?

-Jim

I know *I'd* never question Pat's wisdom routers, router safety,
techniques, etc.

my $1/50, ymmv, etc etc and so on and so forth....

jc

Joe wrote:
But isn't Pat Warner's
suggestion really the best one? Just turn it over first and do the
last radius?

-Jim

I know *I'd* never question Pat's wisdom routers, router safety,
techniques, etc.

my $1/50, ymmv, etc etc and so on and so forth....

jc

If the shape of the workpiece allows it, then yes, turning it over is
the easiest way to continue routing "with" the grain, but it's not
always possible. Otherwise, some form of climb cutting is the only
alternative (other than foregoing the router for other methods, as
previously discussed).

What I usually do (after removing as much waste as possible using other
methods, such as the bandsaw) is to reposition the piece on the downside
of the waste area, as though I'm going to make a full climb cut, but
I'll take a bunch of little router-bit-sized "bites" out of the tail-end
of the waste area, keeping the workpiece moving in a circular motion
against the grain and into the bit (so it's not *really* a climb cut),
using push blocks to maintain firm downward pressure and with very firm
and deliberate strokes to prevent the bit from grabbing the workpiece.

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

On Jan 20, 10:21*am, Steve Turner wrote:
Joe wrote:
*But isn't Pat Warner's
suggestion really the best one? *Just turn it over first and do the
last radius?

-Jim

I know *I'd* never question Pat's wisdom routers, router safety,
techniques, etc.

my $1/50, ymmv, etc etc and so on and so forth....

jc

If the shape of the workpiece allows it, then yes, turning it over is
the easiest way to continue routing "with" the grain, but it's not
always possible. *Otherwise, some form of climb cutting is the only
alternative (other than foregoing the router for other methods, as
previously discussed).

What I usually do (after removing as much waste as possible using other
methods, such as the bandsaw) is to reposition the piece on the downside
of the waste area, as though I'm going to make a full climb cut, but
I'll take a bunch of little router-bit-sized "bites" out of the tail-end
of the waste area, keeping the workpiece moving in a circular motion
against the grain and into the bit (so it's not *really* a climb cut),
using push blocks to maintain firm downward pressure and with very firm
and deliberate strokes to prevent the bit from grabbing the workpiece.

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

Well, I got to it last night and all went well. I ended up using the
router and took very small bites out of it until it got almost to the
template, then finished it off. A little sandpaper and then a
rounding bit, and you can't see anything. Thank's for all the
advice. Now for finishing...

On Jan 21, 6:06*am, jtpr wrote:
On Jan 20, 10:21*am, Steve Turner wrote:





Joe wrote:
*But isn't Pat Warner's
suggestion really the best one? *Just turn it over first and do the
last radius?

-Jim

I know *I'd* never question Pat's wisdom routers, router safety,
techniques, etc.

my $1/50, ymmv, etc etc and so on and so forth....

jc

If the shape of the workpiece allows it, then yes, turning it over is
the easiest way to continue routing "with" the grain, but it's not
always possible. *Otherwise, some form of climb cutting is the only
alternative (other than foregoing the router for other methods, as
previously discussed).

What I usually do (after removing as much waste as possible using other
methods, such as the bandsaw) is to reposition the piece on the downside
of the waste area, as though I'm going to make a full climb cut, but
I'll take a bunch of little router-bit-sized "bites" out of the tail-end
of the waste area, keeping the workpiece moving in a circular motion
against the grain and into the bit (so it's not *really* a climb cut),
using push blocks to maintain firm downward pressure and with very firm
and deliberate strokes to prevent the bit from grabbing the workpiece.

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

Well, I got to it last night and all went well. *I ended up using the
router and took very small bites out of it until it got almost to the
template, then finished it off. *A little sandpaper and then a
rounding bit, and you can't see anything. *Thank's for all the
advice. *Now for finishing...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for all the help. If anybody is interested, this is how it all
turned out...

http://picasaweb.google.com/jtpryan/...eat=directlink

Jim

"jtpr" wrote

Thanks for all the help. If anybody is interested, this is how it all
turned out...

http://picasaweb.google.com/jtpryan/...eat=directlink

==================================

Looks nice. I like the thin stripes of darker wood in the midth of the top.

On Feb 17, 11:35 am, jtpr wrote:
On Jan 21, 6:06 am, jtpr wrote:



On Jan 20, 10:21 am, Steve Turner wrote:

Joe wrote:
But isn't Pat Warner's
suggestion really the best one? Just turn it over first and do the
last radius?

-Jim

I know *I'd* never question Pat's wisdom routers, router safety,
techniques, etc.

my $1/50, ymmv, etc etc and so on and so forth....

jc

If the shape of the workpiece allows it, then yes, turning it over is
the easiest way to continue routing "with" the grain, but it's not
always possible. Otherwise, some form of climb cutting is the only
alternative (other than foregoing the router for other methods, as
previously discussed).

What I usually do (after removing as much waste as possible using other
methods, such as the bandsaw) is to reposition the piece on the downside
of the waste area, as though I'm going to make a full climb cut, but
I'll take a bunch of little router-bit-sized "bites" out of the tail-end
of the waste area, keeping the workpiece moving in a circular motion
against the grain and into the bit (so it's not *really* a climb cut),
using push blocks to maintain firm downward pressure and with very firm
and deliberate strokes to prevent the bit from grabbing the workpiece.

--
Free bad advice available here.
To reply, eat the taco.http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/

Well, I got to it last night and all went well. I ended up using the
router and took very small bites out of it until it got almost to the
template, then finished it off. A little sandpaper and then a
rounding bit, and you can't see anything. Thank's for all the
advice. Now for finishing...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for all the help. If anybody is interested, this is how it all
turned out...

http://picasaweb.google.com/jtpryan/...eat=directlink

Nice!

-Kevin

Thanks for all the help. If anybody is interested, this is how it all
turned out...

http://picasaweb.google.com/jtpryan/...eat=directlink

Jim


Very nice.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply