Help - I smell smoke
 

I am fairly new to woodworking, I have done carpenter type work as a
hobby for a while. I got a new plunge router for Xmas and have been
having fun with it. Today I needed to cut 3 disks out of 1.5 inch
thick lumber. I used a 2 inch straight cut bit with the Jasper circle
cutting jig. I made 3 passes and had my 5 inch disk but I also had
smoldering wood. I had it hooked to my vacuum cleaner rather than my
dust collector so I wasn't too worried. I have been wanting to build
a router table but now am worried about hooking up to my dust
collector.

What did I do wrong. Router too fast? Wrong bit?? Needed four or
five passes?

Thanks Steve

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I am fairly new to woodworking, I have done carpenter type work as a
hobby for a while. I got a new plunge router for Xmas and have been
having fun with it. Today I needed to cut 3 disks out of 1.5 inch
thick lumber. I used a 2 inch straight cut bit with the Jasper circle
cutting jig. I made 3 passes and had my 5 inch disk but I also had
smoldering wood. I had it hooked to my vacuum cleaner rather than my
dust collector so I wasn't too worried. I have been wanting to build
a router table but now am worried about hooking up to my dust
collector.

What did I do wrong. Router too fast? Wrong bit?? Needed four or
five passes?

Thanks Steve

IMHO, 1.5" in 3 passes is a bit much. You're hogging out 1/2"/pass.
Depending on the wood, I'd personally go no more than 1/4 to 3/8 max per
pass.

Vic

1/2in deep cut per pass was probably the problem. Try taking
shallower cuts per pass should prevent this

John

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 23:45:52 GMT, Steve wrote:

I am fairly new to woodworking, I have done carpenter type work as a
hobby for a while. I got a new plunge router for Xmas and have been
having fun with it. Today I needed to cut 3 disks out of 1.5 inch
thick lumber. I used a 2 inch straight cut bit with the Jasper circle
cutting jig. I made 3 passes and had my 5 inch disk but I also had
smoldering wood. I had it hooked to my vacuum cleaner rather than my
dust collector so I wasn't too worried. I have been wanting to build
a router table but now am worried about hooking up to my dust
collector.

What did I do wrong. Router too fast? Wrong bit?? Needed four or
five passes?

Thanks Steve

In article ,
Steve wrote:

I am fairly new to woodworking, I have done carpenter type work as a
hobby for a while. I got a new plunge router for Xmas and have been
having fun with it. Today I needed to cut 3 disks out of 1.5 inch
thick lumber. I used a 2 inch straight cut bit with the Jasper circle
cutting jig. I made 3 passes and had my 5 inch disk but I also had
smoldering wood. I had it hooked to my vacuum cleaner rather than my
dust collector so I wasn't too worried. I have been wanting to build
a router table but now am worried about hooking up to my dust
collector.

What did I do wrong. Router too fast? Wrong bit?? Needed four or
five passes?

Thanks Steve


In a blind cut situation, I have found the following:


1/2" Spiral (upcut) bit...sharp... 1/2" depth per cut.
What's likely burning now is the waste from the cut that can't get out
of the way.
A single flute 1/2" straight bit will throw chips out rather well unless
the wood is gummy..like pine and such. Those bits really start vibrating
after a few sharpenings. Hard on the main bearing.

0?0
-

Rob

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 23:45:52 GMT, Steve vaguely
proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

When you take out too much, you go too slowly. You burn the wood.
Shallower cuts.

Blunt bit?

I am fairly new to woodworking, I have done carpenter type work as a
hobby for a while. I got a new plunge router for Xmas and have been
having fun with it. Today I needed to cut 3 disks out of 1.5 inch
thick lumber. I used a 2 inch straight cut bit with the Jasper circle
cutting jig. I made 3 passes and had my 5 inch disk but I also had
smoldering wood. I had it hooked to my vacuum cleaner rather than my
dust collector so I wasn't too worried. I have been wanting to build
a router table but now am worried about hooking up to my dust
collector.

What did I do wrong. Router too fast? Wrong bit?? Needed four or
five passes?

Thanks Steve

I'm thinkin Robatoy is right, try a spiral bit a cut that deep even if you
take smaller cuts is still likely to build up interfering sawdust.

Rob, I think you are right. I had a hard time getting the chips out,
I had to use a scratch awl with my vacuum after each pass to get the
waste out. Should have used an upcut bit to pull the chips out as it
cut. There simply was no place for them to go.

Thanks, Steve


On Wed, 05 Jan 2005 00:12:47 -0500, Robatoy
wrote:

In article ,
Steve wrote:

I am fairly new to woodworking, I have done carpenter type work as a
hobby for a while. I got a new plunge router for Xmas and have been
having fun with it. Today I needed to cut 3 disks out of 1.5 inch
thick lumber. I used a 2 inch straight cut bit with the Jasper circle
cutting jig. I made 3 passes and had my 5 inch disk but I also had
smoldering wood. I had it hooked to my vacuum cleaner rather than my
dust collector so I wasn't too worried. I have been wanting to build
a router table but now am worried about hooking up to my dust
collector.

What did I do wrong. Router too fast? Wrong bit?? Needed four or
five passes?

Thanks Steve


In a blind cut situation, I have found the following:


1/2" Spiral (upcut) bit...sharp... 1/2" depth per cut.
What's likely burning now is the waste from the cut that can't get out
of the way.
A single flute 1/2" straight bit will throw chips out rather well unless
the wood is gummy..like pine and such. Those bits really start vibrating
after a few sharpenings. Hard on the main bearing.

0?0
-

Rob