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27th February 2015, 04:21 PM #1SENIOR MEMBER
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Question - Managing Tearout When Routing Edge Profile On Round Table
Greetings ......
I'm in the middle of making a 1200mm diameter dining table using Queensland Maple. I had planned to put a 1/8" roundover on the underside of the table edge, and a 1/4" roundover on the top side edge of the table. However, after running the 1/8" roundover along the underside edge, I got horrible tearout on the end grain and near end grain cuts. I'm using standard bearing guided bits.
I've since cleaned up the tearout and created the 1/8" roundover the old fashioned way using a low angle block plane.
But I don't really want to hand plane the roundover on the top edge as that edge treatment will be on view and any imperfections will stand out like the proverbial dogs balls.
I've considered trying climb cutting, but haven't yet tried that as I have limited scrap with the 600 mm radius curve to test with, and besides, unless someone can advise otherwise, climb cutting the entire table edge sounds dangerous.
I have tried doing the 1/4" roundover cut in two passes using a larger bearing for the first cut. But I still got tearout on both the first and second cut.
I've been using the router at max speed seeing they are small diameter bits, and I've been keeping the speed forward just fast enough to avoid burning.
So, the big question - how do I route the edge treatment on a circular table, whilst preventing any tearout occurring?
Thanks,
RoyManufacturer of the Finest Quality Off-Cuts.
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27th February 2015 04:21 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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27th February 2015, 04:50 PM #2GOLD MEMBER
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Climb cutting is the way to go. cut it in multiple passes to avoid the router racing away from you. I usually cut deeper n deeper passes because I rarely have access to different sized bearings as well as being quicker than changing out bearings.
Use sharp router bits, if the bit has been used on MDF, it isnt sharp anymore. A light hone with a diamond file is a quick way to create a sharper edge.
Cutting a circle, think about it in 4 quarters. 2 of those quarters will have cutting down the grain, and you should get a nice edge whether you climb or conventional cut it. The other two quarters have you cutting up the grain and this will be where your tearout will occur.
Some tearout will occur. just take it easy being careful not to burn the edge. if the timber splinters out the edge, stop immediatly and carefully remove the splinter because if you keep ushing through with router, a much bigger splinter will be created.
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27th February 2015, 05:03 PM #3
You could also try doing the bulk by hand and then just using the router for the final little bit to give you a uniform curve.
Personally I would use a nice sharp float in preference to any other handtool . They give a superb result on endgrain. In fact, this would be what I would use for the whole job - skip the router - it is surprising how uniform a result cab be achieved with a float.
For the rounded corners (not the edges) on this stool base, I used a float. Cut off the waste with a mitre saw and then set to.
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27th February 2015, 05:23 PM #4GOLD MEMBER
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Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a float? Hi FF, can you show us a pic of one in action please?
I agree with the climb cutting suggestion, but this only has to be done where the grain is likely to tear out, probably less than half of the table perimeterregards,
Dengy
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27th February 2015, 05:24 PM #5SENIOR MEMBER
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Thanks for those suggestions. I tend to use a mix of noisy tools and sweat driven tools, so your suggestion interests me. However, as it's so hot and humid at the moment, a power tool solution could be the easy way out for me this time. however you suggestion is still tempting. For the uninitiated, can you please confirm that a "float" is another name for a fine cut rasp, or have I got it wrong ?
thanks,
RoyManufacturer of the Finest Quality Off-Cuts.
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27th February 2015, 05:47 PM #6
Ok, a float is not really a rasp, it's actually more like a file, and is derived from a milled file (not a mill file). Milled meaning that material is removed to create the teeth so that that the teeth are below the surface of the blank. With a normal file the teeth are punched and so are above the surface of the blank.
Have a look here:
http://www.hand-stitched-rasp-riffle...loat-2588.html
and click on both the images at the bottom. This is the latest float that I have developed. It has teeth on one side that are perpendicular to the length, and on the other side the are slightly finer teeth, but importantly they are angled. This creates a smoother finish.
So, hog off with the coarser side, and finish with the finer side. The result is superb - no sanding required, particularly on end grain, and going 45° across end grain.
Really, the only difference between a float and a milled file is that the teeth are usually perpendicular. Probably the biggest difference, although subtle, is that a float is not hardened to 65Rc like a file, but somewhere around 52-54Rc. This is because they need to be sharpened with a triangular file when you receive them (that's why they cut so brilliantly).
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27th February 2015, 06:27 PM #7
Floats are also available here:
http://www.henryeckert.com/index.php...ry&path=39_135
Note that they are different dimensions (toothed area not as long or as wide), and that there are no oblique teeth floats in that range. The number of teeth per centimetre may differ as well.
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27th February 2015, 06:28 PM #8GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks FF, you learn something new every day on this great forum
regards,
Dengy
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27th February 2015, 06:58 PM #9
My experience is limited but having recently completed a table in a figured Qld Maple variant that I had many problems with, I'd suggest that it's not just a matter of having sharp tools to avoid tearout in some maple. I found scraping to be most reliable way to avoid tearout. I ran a bead along the table legs and apron an for that I had the best result using a scratch stock.
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27th February 2015, 08:01 PM #10SENIOR MEMBER
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Thanks Fuzzie for that input. I'm using Maple Silkwood. Lovely stuff .... sands and finishes a treat .... but it is quite soft, and you are right about the tearout. Some of the boards had a lot of tearout after thicknessing, especially where the grain got a bit interesting. I ended up doing a fair bit of hand planning with a low angle plane to level the glued up table top, and then had to scrape some stubborn areas of tearout.
Late this afternoon I did a climb cutting test with the router and two different sized bearings on an off-cut of end grain Maple Silkwood. Climb cutting has helped a lot, but the results of the climb cut test are still not good enough - very splintery and by the time it was sanded to a satisfactory finish, there wouldn't be much of the routed profile left.
I've come to the conclusion that the best way of applying some sort of edge treatment to this table top will be to do it by hand. I don't have a float, or any moulding planes, so I'll have to make do with a block plane and sand paper, so it'll be a simple round over on the top and bottom edges. (Might be able to scrape it instead of sanding, if I can find the goose neck scraper wherever it's hiding.)
Thanks everyone for the input. All the very prompt input was very much appreciated.
Regards,
RoyManufacturer of the Finest Quality Off-Cuts.
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27th February 2015, 10:33 PM #11
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28th February 2015, 10:43 PM #12Taking a break
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Sharpen the router bit and go in multiple passes, even cutting against the grain you'll get very little tear-out that way.
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1st March 2015, 12:02 AM #13SENIOR MEMBER
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Hi, I am not sure why you are getting bad tear-out as most edge profiling bits (if not all) allow you to make progressively deeper cuts until you get the desired profile.Adjusting your router depth you can take off as much or as little with each pass you dont even need to mess a round with different size bearings etc.Providing the bearing makes contact with some part of the edge of your table.
I rarely make a full depth cut in the first pass.
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