Burnt Timber

[Backyarder]

Hi guys.
I have a 400w Ryobi trimmer and router. I tried a cheap roman ogee bit and the wood is rather burnt in patches. Would this be due to having a cheap bit or pushing to hard through the wood. It is only pine so I assume that is probably want pushing too hard.

[journeyman Mick]

Backyarder,
burning is usually caused by a blunt bit and/or pausing in a spot/too slow a feed speed.

Mick

[Bunyip]

What Mick said. Also check the bit for a build-up of resin. This can be cleaned off with some oven cleaner.

[Ben from Vic.]

If your going to use oven cleaner it's best to use the non-caustic stuff as the caustic stuff can tend to erode the bond between the carbide tip and the rest of the bit/saw blade, etc.

Easiest way to tell if it's caustic is to read the safety directions, if you need gloves, don't buy it.

Ben.

[derekcohen]

Backyarder

A 400w router is very low on power. It attempts to make up for this by using higher speeds. But the torque remains low. There is a limit to the depth to which you can cut without the router stalling in the cut, and this is also contributing to the burning.

Bottom line = take very (very!) shallow cuts with your router (using sharp bits). Do multiple runs rather than 1 or 2.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Backyarder]

Thanks guys

I think i may have been going to slow. I hadnt used the router for doing an edge before (just cutting) and was trying to be careful. The bit was brand new so should have been sharp. It was a cheapy though.

Is there a proper technique for using a hand held router. I had my piece of wood lengthways and I found pushing my router away from me worked much better than pulling towards me.

[craigb]

Is there a proper technique for using a hand held router. I had my piece of wood lengthways and I found pushing my router away from me worked much better than pulling towards me.

There is definitely a "feed direction" when using a router. When doing outside edges go round the piece in an anti clockwise direction.

This will give the best results and is also the safest.

[scooter]

Backyarder, some timbers are more prone to burning as well, and end grain is usually more prone to burning than face grain.

When edge routing a workpiece, such as putting a decorative edge on a chopping board, can be a good idea to edge the ends first, then do both sides. You sometimes find the end of an end grain pass can spelch or blow out, which is usually cleaned up by the side passes.

A tip I've managed to remember for routing direction is looking at your right hand with index finger & thumb extended and other three fingers in, like you'd mime a gun. Turn your hand over palm down with your thumb against the edge you are routing, and your index finger points the way you should go, ie anti for outside cuts and clockwise for routing an inside cut. Sounds a bit rare but works for me when I have brain fade.

Cheers...........Sean