Failed router template cutter.

[tomatwark]

I agree with the thought that the cutter was not in far enough.

I bent a Trend industrial cutter like this once, it stuck in the office wall when it came out.

I knew it was to far out but was trying to get few mm more depth of cut as I did not have a cutter long enough.

 

[powertools]

This anty everything Silverline on this forum could well make some people think that unless they spend a fortune on tools they will not be able to achieve anything worthwhile.
Let's not forget that a poor workman always blames his tools.

 

[Mr T]

Let's not forget that a poor workman always blames his tools.

This is often because a poor workman often has crap or badly maintained tools.

One of the problems with buying cheap tools can be that often they are not fit for purpose. For instance cheap planes, often there is no way they can be made to work properly, for the beginner this can lead to frustration and disillusinment with the craft.

Chris

 

[Steve Maskery]

Good tools are not a replacement for skill. We have all met woodies who have "all the gear and no idea". But having good tools doesn't half make it easier, and more enjoyable, to get rewarding results.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

A full face shield saved my beautiful features ......

A great illustration why PPE is a must, and a reminder to us all =D> (I'm certainly guilty of not using it at times ) Glad to hear that damage was minimal.

Obi Wan

 

[powertools]

Let's not forget that a poor workman always blames his tools.

This is often because a poor workman often has rubbish or badly maintained tools.

One of the problems with buying cheap tools can be that often they are not fit for purpose. For instance cheap planes, often there is no way they can be made to work properly, for the beginner this can lead to frustration and disillusinment with the craft.

Chris

I own a range of tools from the best to the lowest price and all serve their purpose.
I don't understand how we have gone from router cutters to planes but as it happens a well respected member of this forum made a video of how to transform a £10 number 4 plane into something very usable.
I think when these sorts of posts come it would be far better to advise on the best way to use the tools rather than suggest to just carry on with bad practice and buy more expensive tools.

 

[Mr T]

Let's not forget that a poor workman always blames his tools.

This is often because a poor workman often has rubbish or badly maintained tools.

One of the problems with buying cheap tools can be that often they are not fit for purpose. For instance cheap planes, often there is no way they can be made to work properly, for the beginner this can lead to frustration and disillusinment with the craft.

Chris

I own a range of tools from the best to the lowest price and all serve their purpose.
I don't understand how we have gone from router cutters to planes but as it happens a well respected member of this forum made a video of how to transform a £10 number 4 plane into something very usable.
I think when these sorts of posts come it would be far better to advise on the best way to use the tools rather than suggest to just carry on with bad practice and buy more expensive tools.

I don't know where you got the impression that I was suggesting that people should carry on with bad practice. What I as saying is that even with good practice cheap tools often give bad results. By chep tools I meant cheap new tools not cheap second hand tools which can be bargains. I mentioned cheap planes as an example of bad tools because it irks me that people can buy such a tool that will need many hours of work, which most beginnerfs will not know how to do, to get it to perform half well. Most inexperienced beginners expect to be able to use tools straight from the box and think the fault is with them and give up on woodwork before they have even started when they find they can't persuade them to cut a shaving.

I do not recommend that people buy "expensive " tools, just those that are fit for purpose. On my courses I show how to refurbish edge tools purchased on ebay. Often students bring new cheap planes which we work to get performing right, often with good results but occasionally they are such badly manufactured tools that they just cannot be corrected.

Sorry if this is off topic but I wnted to clarify my original comments.

Chris

 

[powertools]

I would suggest that the shank should be inserted at least three quarters of the way into the collet. But I would also say that buying cheap cutters is a false economy.

Chris

It is my opinion that the op made a bad mistake and buying more expensive cutters will not help him unless he changes his work practices.

 

[Mr T]

I would suggest that the shank should be inserted at least three quarters of the way into the collet. But I would also say that buying cheap cutters is a false economy.

Chris

It is my opinion that the op made a bad mistake and buying more expensive cutters will not help him unless he changes his work practices.

And I think I was saying he should change his work practices. The comment about cutters was a bonus suggestion

Chris

 

[Tetsuaiga]

That's quite a surprise. I presume you trimmed away as much material so only a little was left around the template?

Obviously when you first make contact you need to move in as slow as possible.

As for tools, i do think silverline are pretty bad. I'd go for second hands on ebay, you can resharpen router bits too with a cheap little stone or sandpaper.

 

[Wychall]

To confirm what I was doing.....
My workpiece had been jigsawed to within 5mm of the template, the workpiece being 25mm pine with a 6mm mdf template (old laminate flooring being reused). The rockworth router was rockworth table mounted. The cutter was fitted as far into the collet as I have been doing extensively over the last few months, although as it had a longer shaft it was standing higher than usual above the collet.
The incident occurred immediately when the workpiece was presented. No actual cutting was done, just an immediate failure.
I know that I cocked up with insufficient insertion so thank you to all for the agreement. However, I still believe that the shaft is too soft, especially considering the marking on the shaft caused by the collet. My cheap set of 12 cutters for less than a tenner do not have any collet marks. So today's task will be to take a hacksaw to the failed cutter and to a volunteer from my cheap set as a comparison of hardness. All very scientific, eh what?!

I'll be back!

(Incidentally, the use of 'extensively' in the above diatribe refers to perhaps 2 hours total use since I started the hobby. Just so nobody claims that I have worked the machine to death. However, my new second hand expensive SIP 1/2" router will deliver today!)

 

[RobinBHM]

My guess is that the router cutter started coming out, began wobbling and then clouted the work hard to cause it to fly out and bend at the same time.

sometimes cheap router cutters dont have shanks the correct dia, it only takes a small amount out for the cutter to slip. Router collets are tricky anyway. Maybe a combination of an undersized cutter and it being extended out too far lead to it coming out. Ive never seen one quite so bent though! In fact I cant remember ever having seen a bent cutter.

 

[Wychall]

Well, now that the scientific hacksaw test is completed, I can confirm that the shaft hardness is on par with other cheap cutters. So it must all be attributable to operator error. My apologies to Silverline for casting doubts.

 

[hawkeyefxr]

Wow i bet that was interesting (scary) when it went.

 

[powertools]

Well, now that the scientific hacksaw test is completed, I can confirm that the shaft hardness is on par with other cheap cutters. So it must all be attributable to operator error. My apologies to Silverline for casting doubts.

I have a massive respect for you to have admitted that at least some of the problem could have been down to you.
It is my opinion that the advent of budget price tools of any brand name has allowed many of us to achieve things on a small scale that we would have had no chance of doing before.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I agree with Powertools, an honest man! But I think you're being a bit generous to Silverline too

I have a few of their router bits, probably bought when I couldn't get anything better on a week-end. There are a couple of shapers which possibly weren't legal when sold, as they don't have the guarding shape to prevent fingers getting in (very far). They look cheap and nasty, and they weren't very sharp from new, either.

I follow a rule now: buy only what I need for a specific task, and from either Wealden or Axminster. It seems to work ;-)
Cutters bought following this rule seem to get used again and again, whereas ones I've acquired as part of sets or whatever don't seem ever to suddenly become useful. There are minor exceptions, but I've quite a few 1/4" ones that will probably never be fitted to a router.