Router lessons learned - first timer

[ericball]

(Well, second time, but I'd rather not talk about the first time...  The tool survived, the piece didn't.  But it did mean I did a little more reading before I fired it up this time.)

For anyone thinking of using a router when building a cabinet, it is a very cool and multi-purpose tool.  Grooves for T-molding and routing out insets for joysticks are two BYOC common uses, but that high-speed spinning cutter can make smooth straight and curved cuts.

I had two objectives today - route out an inset for a joystick and shave down a side which had gotten mangled by an off-course circular saw.  This was to be a practice piece using scrap material (3/4" plywood) before I risked the larger parts of my planned cabinet.  I'm using your basic Sears Craftsman fixed base router with a carbide tipped 3/4" straight bit.

Safety first!  Wear goggles!  A dust mask is also recommended, and maybe even ear protection.  Depending on the material, a router will kick up a lot of sawdust or wood shavings.  I got covered head to toe along with a good portion of the back yard.

The inset for the joystick worked well.  I adjusted the router to the desired depth while placing it against the edge of the wood, then set it in the hole and pulled the trigger.  I then tried to make a clockwise spiral to gradually cut away the wood.  A router bit spins clockwise, so you want to move in a clockwise direction for inside cuts and counter-clockwise for outside cuts.

Unfortunately, my attempt at trimming was less successful.  The big lesson is a router will try to pull into the material, so you need to have a fence to prevent this.

Any other words of wisdom from the router experts?  Or bad examples from the novices?

[Apollo]

Practice on scrap first. Put the blade on the right way round ( slot cutting ).

[DrewKaree]

Tighten down your bit.  Then, after you have done that, go back and check to see if you have tightened down your bit.  If you have, tighten down your bit.

These things spin ~20,000 RPM's, and trust me, from experience, you won't be able to tell WHERE it is if it comes out of your router, so don't think you're some macho guy who'll "just jump outta the way".

You'll be the lucky guy who gets to tell us all how it feels to stop a spinning router bit with your leg.....and how many stitches it takes to close that gaping wound.

If your router comes with a dust shield, use it.  If it comes with a vacuum attachment for your dust shield, use it.  If it comes with an "power on lock" for keeping it running with your finger off the power switch, DON'T USE IT.

And lastly, make sure you tighten down your router bit.

[big daddy]

if you have a slotcutter bit, make sure the right side is facing up!  I'm pretty sure mine was upside down and I was cutting with the dull end.  By the time I flipped it around the original blade side was dull as well.  

Concur with the tighten the bit..mine came out during a practice run on some scrap...would have ruined the cabinet if was on the real one.   I thought it was tight, but apparantly not tight enough.  

Also do the cutting for the tmolding BEFORE assembly.  I know the BYOAC book says you can do either, but I had TREMENDOUS problems doing it once assembled.  Matter of fact, the cutting of the tmolding groove with a router should be one of the easiest things to do in your cabinet, but it was far and away my most difficult

[KrawDaddy]

Buy a 4 foot piece of 2" steel angle iron from lowes and some C clamps.  Use this as a fence and always cut left to right.  and put the circular saw away.  There a material wasting nightmare.

[Tailgunner]

 and put the circular saw away.  There a material wasting nightmare.

 

First rule of woodworking: Measure twice, cut once.

Typical circular saw kerf is 1/8".

Typical router straight cutting bit is at least 1/4" .

On a given amount of cutting, the router will make twice the mess.

[KrawDaddy]

 and put the circular saw away.  There a material wasting nightmare.

 

First rule of woodworking: Measure twice, cut once.

Typical circular saw kerf is 1/8".

Typical router straight cutting bit is at least 1/4" .

On a given amount of cutting, the router will make twice the mess.

Ya got me    I guess I meant to say - theres less of a chance for mistakes

Try a rough cut a 1/4" to big with a jig or circular then finish trim it with a router.  Seems to work well

[ErikRuud]

When using a circular saw, measure twice, use a fence and you will get results that are just as good as you can with a router on straight cuts.

[captainpotato]

Tighten down your bit.  Then, after you have done that, go back and check to see if you have tightened down your bit.  If you have, tighten down your bit.

These things spin ~20,000 RPM's, and trust me, from experience, you won't be able to tell WHERE it is if it comes out of your router, so don't think you're some macho guy who'll "just jump outta the way".

You'll be the lucky guy who gets to tell us all how it feels to stop a spinning router bit with your leg.....and how many stitches it takes to close that gaping wound.

If your router comes with a dust shield, use it.  If it comes with a vacuum attachment for your dust shield, use it.  If it comes with an "power on lock" for keeping it running with your finger off the power switch, DON'T USE IT.

And lastly, make sure you tighten down your router bit.

I've got another tip - don't over-tighten it. I did this the first time I ever put a bit in my router and it took three people and a couple of hours to get the damned thing undone. You should have seen the state of my knuckles afterwards

Tighten it until you need to apply a bit more pressure, then tighten it a bit more, but no further. At least it works for me like this.

[traig]

Some random advice...

If you're like me and did a poor job with some of your straight cuts, a router with a straight bit and a properly set fence is a godsend. I originally cut my control panel top with a jigsaw and had edges that were not at all vertical. The straight bit saved me.

When I cut my lexan and overlay for the panel top, the left too much around the perimiter on purpose so I could then use the laminate trimming bit to flush everything. It worked like a charm.

You know this already if you're working with MDF, but routing away even a little groove in that stuff makes a mess. When I routed out three squares of 1/4" deep for my joysticks, the mess it made was bordering on the absurd. Thank God I did that part outside... it saved my marriage...

[froggerman]

When using a circular saw, measure twice, use a fence and you will get results that are just as good as you can with a router on straight cuts.

Especially if you put a good blade in the saw.

[ericball]

And lastly, make sure you tighten down your router bit.

I've got another tip - don't over-tighten it. I did this the first time I ever put a bit in my router and it took three people and a couple of hours to get the damned thing undone. You should have seen the state of my knuckles afterwards

Tighten it until you need to apply a bit more pressure, then tighten it a bit more, but no further. At least it works for me like this.

Yeah, on my first project I didn't tighten the collet enough and the bit slowly sank into the piece.  So rather than making a shallow groove I ended up with scorched wood.

But now I have the second problem.  The I can't loosen the damn collet!  I also have a mental block trying to figure out which way to push the wrench.  Counter-clockwise I think, right?

[javeryh]

lefty loosey righty tighty (so yeah, counterclockwise should do it )

[Darkstalker]

When using a circular saw, measure twice, use a fence and you will get results that are just as good as you can with a router on straight cuts.

Especially if you put a good blade in the saw.

That's the key to getting clean cuts, a good blade at high speed.  Otherwise it will splinter the edge of your cuts.  I highly recommend a good table saw for long straight cuts over doing anything "freehand."

[DrewKaree]

Tighten it until you need to apply a bit more pressure, then tighten it a bit more, but no further. At least it works for me like this.

Oh, and from a bit I just bought less than an hour ago:  Don't bottom out the bit.  

lefty loosey righty tighty (so yeah, counterclockwise should do it )

I think you're wrong - I heard it was righty tighty lefty loosey

[ras2a]

I'm just about to start cutting my lexan sheet for my CP.  I need to buy a flush trim router bit, BUT can I use a regular flush trim router bit or does it HAVE to be specifially for plastics ?

ta, craig

[Matt Berry]

First rule is don't try to take off too much material at once. You really shouldn't remove more then 1/8" per pass. Make sure the bit is up to speed before you make contact with the wood, use slower speeds for larger bits. Always make sure your feed direction is against the cutter, if you do this backwards the router will take off suddenly and is hard to control. Secure some sort of straight edge to the material to serve as a fence - unless you are using a bit with a bearing. Make sure the material is secured properly and won't move while you are cutting. Finnally a standard flush trim bit should be fine with plastic, acrylic, lexan ect.

[shmokes]

Tighten it until you need to apply a bit more pressure, then tighten it a bit more, but no further. At least it works for me like this.

Oh, and from a bit I just bought less than an hour ago:  Don't bottom out the bit.  

lefty loosey righty tighty (so yeah, counterclockwise should do it )

I think you're wrong - I heard it was righty tighty lefty loosey

Or both.  It takes two wrenches to tighten/loosen the bit in my router.  There are two nuts that spin.  The top one goes clockwise, the bottom counter-clockwise.  So I put both wrenches on and push them together to tighten and pull them apart to loosen.  Weird.  Real nice router, though.  

[ras2a]

Finnally a standard flush trim bit should be fine with plastic, acrylic, lexan ect.

Cheers matt, that's all I needed to know

[allroy1975]

When using a circular saw, measure twice, use a fence and you will get results that are just as good as you can with a router on straight cuts.

I thought I was some kind of genius!  I just recently figured this out on my own.  My cuts are MUCh better.  My angles still suck though...  

Allroy

[DrewKaree]

Something I just read yesterday, although I've never had a problem with bits sticking in my router like Mrpotato - before putting the bit into your router, spray the shank (that's the part that goes into your router) with Pam or some such spray - I'm betting WD-40 works just as well - and also make sure you don't have any shavings/dust in the collet.  Once that gets up to speed, it will slowly glaze any wood or sawdust.  That's what will make your bit near impossible to get out.  

If you've got this problem, go to a woodworking store (Your Home Depot type store may carry this as well) and get something called "Pitch remover".  Home Depot sells Naptha which will do the same, but the fumes are downright toxic, and the stuff DOES take a bit longer to work.  Using a Q-tip, dip it in there and go about removing all the gunk you've got built up in there.  Make sure to get it all.  What looks like a little bit left in there will slowly get all over again.

When you're done with your collet, do the same thing with your bits - the pitch built up on there will make it impossible to get a cut without burn marks, if it doesn't screw up your entire cut!

Once you've got everything done, make sure you clean your tools off after every use - vacuum, blower, airgun, whatever.  Get all the dust off.