ouch!

**fletty** · 17th October 2014, 11:04 AM

I have had a few days in Emergency Wards and hospitals culminating in an operation tomorrow for skin grafts and rebuilding the bed for my now non-existent finger nail. I was working on my router table doing a job that always worries me ... routing across end grain. This has always worried me and so, some years ago, I bought a spiral cut pattern bit so that any cross grain cutting would be shear cutting rather than cross grain. All went well until Wednesday evening!
I was routing a large radius on the front of some seat cushion frames. I screwed an MDF pattern to the top of the workpiece and this allowed me to have both hands on the workpiece and about 200mm from the cutter. I had successfully done 2 of the 8 but, on the third, it all went horribly wrong! Literally in a split second, I remember seeing the cutting edge, feeling pain in my left hand and leaning forward to turn the router off with an emergency off-switch located at hip height.
Luckily my neighbours were home and I was in hospital literally within minutes.
I had plenty of time over the next couple of days to think it through and I had a clear image of seeing the cutter which I should not have been able to see as the workpiece and pattern were between me and the cutter and it was lowered so that the top bearing was running along the pattern. When I got home bandaged and plaster cast, I insisted on going to the shed, ignored the blood at the door and router table and quickly worked out what had happened.

20141016_171957[1].jpg

The router bit had come loose and, because of the down-cut spiral, it had risen, the cutters dug into the pattern, spun the workpiece and drew my left hand into the cutter. You can see the cutter rising from left to right on the pic.
I couldn't believe that I hadn't tightened it well enough and I do even remember giving the 2 spanners an extra squeeze just because it was going to be cross grain routing! I haven't yet ( = can't!) pulled the collet apart to see if it is clean but I did measure the shank diameter (only with a digital vernier) and it is identical to other 1/2" shanks i.e. 12.63mm?
Unless I find something wrong with the collet, it simply must be 'operator error" but I'm not facing that yet!
I will be out of action for a while and off end grain routing FOREVER!
fletty

**silentC** · 17th October 2014, 11:26 AM

Sorry to hear it mate, sounds painful.

It sounds as though you had the router mounted in a table? I find with things like that it's often better to take the router out of the table and use it in plunge mode. That way if anything goes wrong, you're much less likely to come into contact with the cutter.

**A Duke** · 17th October 2014, 11:26 AM

Hi,
As you say OUCH! Hope you have a speedy and complete recovery.
You would expect the cutter to cut, but when they get out of control they just grab and throw things around, as this piece that went between the job and the cutter. There are no cut marks only griping dig ins, your seat looks similar.
006.jpg
Regards

**BobL** · 17th October 2014, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by silentC

Sorry to hear it mate, sounds painful.

Sure does. Hope you recover asap.

It sounds as though you had the router mounted in a table? I find with things like that it's often better to take the router out of the table and use it in plunge mode. That way if anything goes wrong, you're much less likely to come into contact with the cutter.

This was my rationale when approaching the Councillor of the Exchequer to purchase a second router.

**wheelinround** · 17th October 2014, 01:41 PM

Gee that took time to type up Alan but I guess using only one finger instead of two might slow you down a tad.

I have found on 3 routers now that what feels tight just might not be true tight my oldest son had similar with my big router and lucky the flying bit didn't take out his sons head he had just left the workshop.

I am thinking the collects are not seated correctly and when fired up move again, I find when tightening now I tap the bit or push, wiggle and tighten again.

**A Duke** · 17th October 2014, 02:23 PM

Hi,
Father to Ray's points also make sure the bit is not bottoming before tightening, needs to be about 4mm off the bottom.
Regards

**I_wanna_Shed** · 17th October 2014, 02:58 PM

Wow, glad to hear that the injuries didn't go too much further, and I hope you recover filly and quickly.

The router does worry me when it's in a table, you can be pretty vulnerable - even when your hands are clear like yours were.

I always ensure the bit is not bottoming out in the collet.

My question is..... Can you over tighten a router collet?

Nathan.

**Mobyturns** · 17th October 2014, 02:59 PM

Adding a "like" does not seem appropriate as none of us like to see another woodie injured. Hope you heal fast & a big thank you for sharing your experience & findings.

**rob streeper** · 17th October 2014, 03:22 PM

Makes me hurt to think about it. Hope you're feeling better soon.

**Simplicity** · 17th October 2014, 03:33 PM

Hope you heal well soon
And glad you were assisted quickly

**Evanism** · 17th October 2014, 05:45 PM

Damn, it makes you wince just thinking about it.

**NCArcher** · 17th October 2014, 05:46 PM

Double Ouch

Wasn't a Triton router was it Alan? Seems to be a lot of threads about bits coming loose from Tritons

**shanesmith80** · 17th October 2014, 07:34 PM

Was just about to head back to the shed to do some more routing. Normally I just get back into it, but i will surely be testing that it is tight first now.
Hope you have a speedy recovery.

**crowie** · 17th October 2014, 07:59 PM

WOW Alan,you've been in the wars in the past few months; more time off work [good you have a few sick days up your sleeve]...

I hope you are on the mend for a quick recovery...

We may have to do a special run down your way to get you up to the Katoomba GTG on the 2nd of November....

Take care our Gentleman Woodworker.....looking forward to catching up..and your return to the shed...
Cheers, crowie

**Pat** · 17th October 2014, 07:59 PM

Al, get well soon.

PS The Spindle Moulder is doing well. My start up procedure is to double and then triple check everything, then get beneath the table and switch on for 30 seconds.

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