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Help me with this router table job, please? - ®smpr_fi_mac® - 06-08-2022

Something tells me this is gonna kick back when I try to feed the upper left corner into the flush trim bit.  Why?  Because it's happened before. 

Speed is set to ~17k; max is 18k.

I have a pivot screw mounted; it's shown where I think it will work. 

Should I use a hand held router for this one or something else?


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - Aram - 06-08-2022

(06-08-2022, 08:10 PM)®smpr_fi_mac® Wrote: Something tells me this is gonna kick back when I try to feed the upper left corner into the flush trim bit.  Why?  Because it's happened before. 

Speed is set to ~17k; max is 18k.

I have a pivot screw mounted; it's shown where I think it will work. 

Should I use a hand held router for this one or something else?
One way is to clamp a board to the left edge, lining the end of the board up with the pointy part of your cutting board. Then start on the end of that board, for something more secure to register against.


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - Bill Tindall - 06-08-2022

I could easily feed that part of the board clockwise around the profile. One needs to start confidently and have the center of the bearing land on the right side of the peak.  The grain is sloping favorably.  On the other hand, any time wood is presented to a router, if the cut is not started confidently and the bearing not engaged promptly, the bit may sling the piece somewhere.  I never use a pin.  Get the bearing engaged quickly and move deliberately around the profile.  

To practice, land the bearing down from the peak 1/4" or so.  After traveling around the profile come back and trim off the point by engaging the bearing down from the peak and travel uphill to the peak.


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - MstrCarpenter - 06-08-2022

(06-08-2022, 08:28 PM)Bill Tindall Wrote: I could easily feed that part of the board clockwise around the profile. One needs to start confidently and have the center of the bearing land on the right side of the peak.  The grain is sloping favorably.  On the other hand, any time wood is presented to a router, if the cut is not started confidently and the bearing not engaged promptly, the bit may sling the piece somewhere.  I never use a pin.  Get the bearing engaged quickly and move deliberately around the profile.  

To practice, land the bearing down from the peak 1/4" or so.  After traveling around the profile come back and trim off the point by engaging the bearing down from the peak and travel uphill to the peak.

I completely agree with Bill's first paragraph. Part of the second sounds a lot like climb cutting end grain freehand. Climb cutting is feeding the stock in the same direction as the cutter is rotating. The problem when feeding this way is the cutter wants to take a bigger bite, and lots of them. You need a lot of control to keep its appetite manageable while not feeding too slow to avoid burning. We typically choose this method when tear-out is anticipated. (i.e. rounding the top right of the handle and just below as it curves out) It's not an issue with this corner, but it could present itself if you feed too fast on the next corner.)

Whether you choose to climb cut or not, you may feel a lot safer if you added handles to the pattern. I just use 4" lengths of round handrail stock. This does mean the template must be firmly attached to the blank though. With two handles it will feel just like you are running the router around a table top of the same shape; but you would go clockwise except when necessary to climb cut.


the emphasis is important - Bill Tindall - 06-09-2022

(06-08-2022, 09:28 PM)MstrCarpenter Wrote: I completely agree with Bill's first paragraph. Part of the second sounds a lot like climb cutting end grain freehand. Climb cutting is feeding the stock in the same direction as the cutter is rotating. The problem when feeding this way is the cutter wants to take a bigger bite, and lots of them. You need a lot of control to keep its appetite manageable while not feeding too slow to avoid burning. We typically choose this method when tear-out is anticipated. (i.e. rounding the top right of the handle and just below as it curves out) It's not an issue with this corner, but it could present itself if you feed too fast on the next corner.)

Whether you choose to climb cut or not, you may feel a lot safer if you added handles to the pattern. I just use 4" lengths of round handrail stock. This does mean the template must be firmly attached to the blank though. With two handles it will feel just like you are running the router around a table top of the same shape; but you would go clockwise except when necessary to climb cut.

Till you get confident you will want to land the bearing down from the point to be absolutely sure the center of the bearing lands to the right (downhill) of the peak.  If the center lands to the left of the peak it will likely grab and tear the peak off. If you are cautious you will engage the bearing down from the peak, which will leave a small amount of this peak unprofiled. If what remains is SMALL(half a bearing diameter more or less), it can be clipped off by going "the wrong way" up hill without anything alarming happening.  

Where I in your shoes I would saw this end of the cutting board in some scrap, with the scrap big enough that my hands were a few inches away from the cut, and practice making the router cut until I was confident I could push the bearing into the point and land the bearing near the point but assuredly down hill from it.  Again, the center of the bearing must land below( to the right of) the point as you push the piece into the bit.  I would find a pin useless for this operation.


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - ®smpr_fi_mac® - 08-24-2022

I found a solution on YouTube--a router sled.  The guide rails lock the board into place.  The left one provides a safe starting point for the router bit and the right one stops tear out by supporting the wood fibers. 

Aside from those benefits, it also saves about 50% of the work time for this stage--no need to attach a template to the work piece. 

I need to build a couple more for the other handle shapes I build now.


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - ®smpr_fi_mac® - 08-25-2022

To save storage space, doubled up so I can route two shapes on one jig.


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - Bob10 - 08-25-2022

What do you do with all those little boards?


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - KyleD - 08-26-2022

For drama free pattern routing I always try to provide a lead-in whenever possible.You could remake that pattern and lengthen the wings so they extend off the project on the sides.


RE: Help me with this router table job, please? - ®smpr_fi_mac® - 08-26-2022

(08-25-2022, 10:42 PM)Bob10 Wrote: What do you do with all those little boards?


I sell them.  I'm trying to build up a custom table company and these help me fund it.