Using a router

[Roach1948]

There is one machine in my yacht restoration armoury that I really dislike; that is the router. I have messed up so many bits of wood with this bit of kit so far and I cant afford to mess up this bit.....

So far all the opening lockers and doors on Roach have not been rebated (as to allow the opening and shutting part to butt up against the groove when closed), but I want to do this on the backrests, as it will allow a sitter to lean back firmly against the closed panelled sections (where the cardboard is) I am making.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_PzVA5m-b7uk/RjUj3geLOxI/AAAAAAAAADc/fpOfazDjT38/s320/IMG_2084.JPG

Now, before I screw something up I was wondering whether there is routering technique I am missing? As I started this afternoon I found the wood starting to split! Am I starting to router too deep (1/2 and inch)? Wrong direction? What am I doing wrong?

[Dave Fleming]

1 and 1/2 inches in ONE BITE not too good, or so say I.

To clarify things if you can take photos of the work in progress how about a photo of the router and bit.

Are you doing the routering on the piece in place or are you removing it to a workbench to router it?

Will make further comments more to the point.

Regardless I would not take such a deep cut all in one pass.

Check out my friends site....all about routers and routering.

www.patwarner.com (http://www.patwarner.com)

[Tom W.]

The router is one of the most useful tools I have, can do many things that used to be done with a chisel or rabbet plane, more accurately and dependably.
The grain of the material needs to be taken into account. Material will be ripped to shreds if the grain is against the rotation of the bit. The grain must slope down in the direction of feed or it will tear out, every time.
A router guide is very useful, or a router table with a fence or a bit with a bearing guide. If you are rabbeting in a piece already in place as the seatback in the photo appears, a guide can be clamped to the material and the router run along it, as a rip fence. Every situation is a bit different, but don't sell the tool short it is very useful.

[David G]

Roach - You might pick up a copy of Gary Rogowski's book on Router Joinery. It's the best, simplest overview I've seen published.

http://www.amazon.com/Router-Joinery-Gary-Rogowski/dp/1561581747

[Kim Whitmyre]

Now, before I screw something up I was wondering whether there is routering technique I am missing? As I started this afternoon I found the wood starting to split! Am I starting to router too deep (1/2 and inch)? Wrong direction? What am I doing wrong?

It depends on the wood, and then upon the grain of the wood. Fir and Oak can really splinter when you take more than a 1/4"/6mm bite. This morning I routed a 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet in some new hatch cover frames: Honduras Mahogany though, thus very smooth routing.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/198/485696684_58d5e16d55.jpg

In general, to play it safe, 1/4"/6mm section at a time, unless you want to go buy more wood. :)

On the direction of routing, inside frame routing is done clockwise, outside frame routing is done counter-clockwise. There are exceptions, of course, but that is the rule of thumb.

[Wild Dingo]

As I started this afternoon I found the wood starting to split! Am I starting to router too deep (1/2 and inch)? Wrong direction? What am I doing wrong?

Too deep!! as Kym says 1/4 no more even less with really hardwood... use a table if you have one make or get one if you dont and make templates guides and supports for the router to work with against and on (depending on the peice your making)

What router are you using?... some stuff can be done with a small 1/4in laminating router others are good to go with a medium router while others are best done with a big burther IN the table!

Dont know if you get them up there but Ive got the big Triton and it lives permanently in the table while I use a Makita aluminum cased laminating one for the small hand held stuff and a B&D for the quick and dirty hand stuff... Im about to get the smaller Triton which should make the B&D redundant FINALLY... I also have 5 routers and love them all!! brilliant invention... get a book! a good clear concise with pics book by some expert and read it from cover to cover try a couple of the projects they offer this will give you a) knowledge b) hands on experience without messing up your boat stuff c) you will get to know your router

I think thats one of the major let downs with the tool companies that they dont include a good manual with even just 2 small projects with the machines they ASSUME the buyer knows what the thing can do should do and how to operate it... and theyre almost always in chingalese! :mad:

But the infos out there in libraries in bookshops in forums like this... the questions a good one so thanks for asking it and good luck :cool:

oh and if the woods starting to split or chip out badly check the direction of grain and if a table direction of travel of the peice into the router... seen that happen... a bloke I know had the table and router set up to do some tongue and groove work and hadnt a clue on direction of travel through the router ended up going against the cutter and tore the hell out of the wood... talked him through proper direction and grain and he got the picture... travel WITH the grain mate take small bites even if you have to do it several times taking a bit deeper bite each pass to get to the final depth... soft woods like pinus crapiata you can just buz it through easy as but harder wood gentle gentle small bites.

as I said good question and good luck!

[KMacDonald]

You also need to adjust the speed of the router based on the diameter of the bit you are using. The larger the diameter bit the slower the router speed.

[merlinron]

it sounds to me that you are just taking too big of a bit right away. think in terms of the diameter of the bit and keep the cutting edge away from pulling the grain up or out away from itself. the closer you get to having the cutting edge working at 90 degrees( in other words, as deep a cut as 1/2 the diameter of the bit) to the grain, the greater the possibility of tear out is going to be. stability of the grain structure must be considered also..... woods with high density differences between winter and summer growth rings will require greater caution when cutting. just because the bit is spinning at 25,000 rpms, doesn't mean it will cut with no damage. it just takes a little time using a router to learn what to watch out for and recognize the character of the wood being cut.

adjusting the speed of the router has more to do with finding a condition that will give a clean cut without burning than causing tearout. some woods burn easily and slowing the router speed down will allow the wood to be cut at a cooler temprature, whick won't burn it, but you also have to slow the feed rate down at the same time to keep the bit from grabbing the harder fibers and blowing out a splinter way ahead of the cut.

essentially, woods grown in climates with large differences of temprature between summer and winter will be the ones that will need the most care( light cuts and lots of passes). woods like H. mohohany and those grown where temps don't differ much( tropical woods) will have much less difference between summer and winter growth densities. thier grain structure will be much more stable and will stay together ahead of the cut better. these woods will be more critical to router speed because of the resins in the wood that can burn easily and less critical to feed speed because of the stability of thier grain structures, but woods from norther areas will be more crtical of feed speed and less critical of router speed.

[Roach1948]

Thanks everybody for your really helpful advice! This has been a really valuable thread for me.

By the way the photo shows the backreast in situ for sizing up, but I have been working in the garage. To call it a workshop would be too much. I have a 1/4 router and the wood is Honduras Mahogony. I think you are all right in that I am taking too much off in one go.

As I have no table big enough - I have been working on the floor using supports. I have also clamped on some 2x4 as a guide as I dont have a parallel guide thingy. I tried again this afternoon and did small passes and I seem to be getting some success. I was being too impatient before and I think the damage done on my last attempt can be fixed.

Thanks again!