Beginner in Routing: First cut is a mess

[drpg]

I am a beginner in routing and looking to learn for some DIY home projects. I bought/setup a Craftman's router/table. It is a non-variable speed router (27000 RPM). I tried two practice cuts using a 1/4'' Craftsman Roman Oagee bit.

I'm attaching some pictures that show the setup. In the first cut, the test block got burned (picture not attached). This was most likely because I fed the stock too slowly. For the second cut, I tried to a go slightly faster/steady, but not too fast. However, as I slid the block across, I felt a somewhat strong resistance when the bit first came in touch with wood. I was not able to slide it past the bit, and felt like it got 'stuck' in the bit. I was not able to keep the board parallel against fence (given the resistance) any longer, and hence, I shut the router down (felt like I was going to lose control of the board). My feed direction is right to left on the router table.

By looking at the pictures, what did I do wrong? Is the bit positioned too high? I made sure that the bearing and the fence are aligned. Should the fence extensions be tighter/closer to the bit?

1. I am going to get a push stick/block to hopefully provide more force to keep the board aligned to the fence at all times (and keep my fingers far away). But my thinking was that the board should have been able to 'glide' along the fence with not too much force. Maybe, I tried cutting too much material in one go?

2. I will get some more scrap material to practice on, but I would appreciate any help on why I'm messing up.

 

 

 

[sjk]

Good call stopping when things didn't feel safe.  That's always the right thing to do. 

Don't try to cut the full profile in one go.  Lower your bit so that you're only taking a small bite, take a pass, raise the bit some, take another pass, etc until you get to your final profile.

[RichardA]

#1 on sjk.   That's what it looks like, to big of a bite. You don't need the bottom of the bit to be above the tables surface either.  Take small bites, and move your fence just a little after each pass.   As the old saying goes,,"Patience Grasshopper".   One more thing.  Tighten the bit in the collet, it looks like that big bite caused the bit to ride upward.

[Unknown craftsman]

I used that bit profile on a table edge. Its a easy one to control in the router handheld.

Small passes either way.

Aj

[Eric.]

Other tips:  buy a higher quality bit from Freud or Whiteside.  Wax your table.  Don't use the featherboards when you don't have to (or relax them a bit).  You don't really have to use the fence with profile bits because the bearing is what guides the cut.  Use a sacrificial board to back up your cut so the bit doesn't blow out the fibers like that upon exit.

But yeah - mainly what these guys said - take smaller bites, especially in end grain.  Hard maple is...hard.  Even with high quality bits you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew.

[gee-dub]

Somewhere back in the day I picked up that a square 1/4" of area was a fair bite for a router bit in one pass.  More powerful routers and better bits will increase this but, for your setup this could be a good rule of thumb.  If the surface area of the bit contacting the wood during a cut is about a square 1/4", that's enough but, several passes with small increases are fine without getting too sophisticated about it.  Using this logic I would cut a 1/4" deep with a 1/4" straight bit for example.  A 3/4" straight bit would cut 1/8" deep per pass, etc.

The sacrificial board Eric mentions can be as simple as a squared up piece of stock,  Or something like these:

Or a full blown coping sled like so:

I just use a backer of scrap that I've squared up at the tablesaw most of the time.

There are a couple of ways to step through a full depth of cut.  Starting with the bit low or starting with the fence shallow.  On your rig, adjusting bit height is not a simple twist of a crank so I would choose the fence method.  With the bit set to the desired full cutting height, move your fence forward so that you are only taking about an 1/8" depth of cut.

Use your backer board to guide your narrow stock through the cut.  Adjust the fence back about an 1/8" and make your second pass.  Repeat this until your are within about 1/16" of contacting the guide bearing on the bit.  Use a ruler or piece of straight scrap across the bearing and the fence to quickly bring the fence flush with the bearing for your final pass.  Make your final light pass.  This will help to leave you a smooth finish.

[prov163]

Can't add much to what the guys have said so far with the exception that if you can't cobble together a coping sled, you can use a wide piece of scrap lumber to guide it.  I do that pretty regularly.  Make sure it's square on two sides - the leading edge and the one referencing the fence.  And like everyone has already said, take smaller bites, sneak up on the final depth and you'll end up with a much better finished cut.

[Denette]

The advice here is all solid.  Smaller passes, use something to support your workpiece, wax the table, get a better bit.  There's not much else to add to that list, really.

[AceHoleInOne]

My 2 cents ~  also close the fence to where it almost touches each side of the router bit. All the above is excellent advice.

 

-Ace-

[drpg]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will try these out and report back on how it went.

[TerryMcK]

Yea you were taking too much of a bite out so lower the cutter and do it in two passes.

Also be doubly cautious when cutting end grain. It may pop off a lump when you exit. That is fine if you are cleaning up the long grain sides afterwards but a bummer if you aren't. Support the fibres with a piece of scrap when you exit the cut.