Most dangerous tool in the workshop

[Anonymous]

HI all

I'm fed up. I am sick of a seriously dangerous powertool that desperately wants to eat my fingers and laugh while I lie on the floor in agony :evil:


You guessed it, it's my *&%$£ router table!!! Horrible thing keeps snatching wood and trying to rip the push sticks from my hands. I mean, I use feather boards and push sticks and talk to it nicely. It cuts in uneven spurts and occasionally the wood jolts forward throwing me towards a razor sharp cutter spinning at 26000rpm and wood across the workshop like a bullet

It is especially bad when attempting to cut a slot in timber - particularly Oak.

This is the only thing in there that has tried to kill me 3 or 4 times. Table saw? No problems what-so-ever, Bandsaw? A little baby tha tnever hurt a fly.
Router table? A menacing murderous devil with designs on my flesh

Why????

Tony

 

[Chris Knight]

Tony,

I am sure Granny and eggs will spring to mind but are you sure you are not feeding the work the wrong way? Sounds awfullly as if you are climb cutting there.

 

[Adam]

I have used a router table a few times and have never suffered any of the results you speak of. The only time I have heard of the wood snatching is when climb cutting (as chris says). With the router mounted underneath, and facing the table from which side do you feed the wood - left to right or right to left?

Adam

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, with the rest of yer here.

Router table , no probs

Now, table saw, when I have various safety stuff removed for certain jobs.

A bit dodgy, but hey, I take necessary precautions, no problems, great results.

When you know the dangers, and take the requisite precautions............


....... Happiness

 

[johnelliott]

Now, table saw, when I have various safety stuff removed for certain jobs.

:?: :?: :?: :?: :?

John

 

[Aragorn]

Hi Tony

If not the embarrassing left to right climb cut scenario.... other queries...:
Are you router bits sharp?
Is the router set to rotate at the appropriate speed?
Are you trying to remove too much material in one pass?
Is the wood you are using straight and flat?

Of course, it really sounds like you're feeding the timber in the wrong way, but..... well, just some other options :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the idea guys

Definitely not climb routing, moving wood right to left with router under the table and the fence behind cutter with material between fence and cutter. To be honest it really tries to get me when routing slots when both front and rear of cutter are in contact - if you follow me. Sort of half correct cut and half climb

I've seen Norm do it and know it's the right way

To be honest I've used a router table on-and-off since 1996 and the problems have all occured recently.
Mainly it is the slot cutting. Today cutter was a Trend 1/2" shank 1/2" stratight cut and fairly new

Ran 3 cuts to go all the way through 18mm wood. Too much in one pass?

Anyone else cut slots on the router table as this is where the problem usually occurs?

I like having 10 fingers and Mrs Tony has sworn to sell all tools should I move to 9

Cheers

Tony

 

[Shadowfax]

Tony
Please ignore all of the following if I have got the actual scenario wrong.

It sounds very much like you are cutting a slot and then atempting to make it wider. If this is the case I would guess you are moving the fence in the wrong direction for the second pass. You must make sure you are cutting the part of the slot that is closest to you when moving the workpiece from right to left If you cut the side of the slot furthest from you the cutter will be moving anti clockwise (as usual) but will only be contacting the wood on one side of the slot - the wrong side, because the cutter will take the easy option and try to grab the wood rather than cut it. The cutting edge is, in effect, moving in the same direction that the timber is being pushed! It needs to be revolving against the direction that the timber is travelling when you feed it through.
In other words, if you ensure that you always arrange things so that for the second and subsequent cuts you move the fence towards you you will not be doing any climb cuts and the router will not grab the wood and try to bite you.
If this is not what is actually happening I apologise for sticking my oar in!
Cheers.

SF

 

[Shadowfax]

Tony
Another thought. Are you sure that the cutter is exactly vertical and parallel to the fence in the vertical plane. I'm wondering if the router is mounted out of true slightly and the cutter is leaning towards the fence. If the cutter is not parallel to the fence the top of the cutter, when you have raised it for the next cut, would tend to dig in to the side of the slot nearest to the fence slightly more than the other side. This could lead to your problem, no?
It might not matter much with softwood but with oak there could be enough squeeze on the cutter to cause it to grab the timber and sling it forward.
Just my idea, anyway. I don' think I am going to have any more so I'll just wish you good luck with solving the problem. Let us know what happens.

SF

 

[Chris Knight]

Definitely not climb routing, moving wood right to left with router under the table and the fence behind cutter with material between fence and cutter.
Tony

Tony I am afraid this is climb cutting if the material is between fence and cutter!!

 

[Adam]

Sounds like climb cutting to me - if the material is being pushed through between the fence and the cutter. If the missus is considering selling all your tools if you loose a pinkie - i'd suggest either A) investing in a good router book/video, or B) get a woodrat :lol: as these allow you to safely climbcut.

Adam

 

[Anonymous]

Chirs and Adam

I was obviously not clear in my post. I am NOT climb cutting. No way, definitely not!!

I do know what climb cutting is and I described it perfectly in my last post!! I can only appologise for speedy typing and lack of clarity.

The wood is against the fence. The FENCE (not wood) is behind the cutter. The feed is right to left. The cut is a slot along the CENTRE of the wood to cut a slot in it.

I think that have found the problem. It appears to be the router itself. I checked all bolts ect. on the table today and looked at the router itself. I have found a little lateral play in the shaft which is allowing the cutter to move slightly.
I tried my PC in the table and it is much, much better. I will be buying a new router for full time table use later today and see if this is it cured.

Thanks for the help guys, really is appreciated. This forum has been so useful over the last few months.

Adam, is the Rat OK for slotting longh pieces of wood then?

Cheers

Tony

 

[Chris Knight]

Tony,
I'm glad that you seem to have found the problem. I guess it was causing the slot to become a bit wider than the cutter and when the bit moved, then you were into the problem that Shadowfax mentioned.

Hope the new router is a good one.

 

[Adam]

Adam, is the Rat OK for slotting longh pieces of wood then?
Cheers Tony

It can yes, if it's to long to be clamped, then you had to feed it past the cutter - a bit like a router table - but you can setup a clamps to be in-line with the cutter - so it doesn't wander off when you are feeding the work through.

Adam

 

[sawdustalley]

Has anyone used a panel raising set, looks a bit hairy to me - is it?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys

Got the new router today and modified the table to suit - 2050W 1/2" job that works really well in the table.
Managed to (finally!!) rout my slot without trauma or danger.

The piece I have vanely tried to describe, and had to fight my beast router table for, is this one:

 

[Aragorn]

Has anyone used a panel raising set, looks a bit hairy to me - is it?

SDA - they're fine! I use them regularly. You take shallow cuts - perhaps 3-4 to raise a panel. Actually, you are not removing that much material on each pass, it's just the cutters are huge!
Obviously usual safe router table practice is very necessary.

 

[Martin]

Re: raised panel bits - of course, you need to run the bit at the correct speed otherwise I guess they could get hairy. I've got the CMT set reviewed by Charley and they're great - but your router needs to be able to go down to about 1200rpm for the panel raising bit.

You also need a beefy router - which explains why most panel raising sets only come in 1/2 inch shanks...

 

[sawdustalley]

Hehe, I had a funny thought as you said that of some DIY woodworker adapting a 1/4" B&Q router to fit one :x

I have the Makita 3612CX in my table, so I dont think speed or power will be a problem :wink:

 

[Chris Knight]

Tony,

I'm glad the new router is doing a proper job. Certainly the slot looks neat enough!