Thread: Router bit pulling timber through the router

In your case it doesn't matter which way you go, there is always 1 blade pushing the wood and 1 blade pulling the wood. What I would do is use push pads to keep the wood firmly against the fence at all time. Keep the cutter blades clean and keep each cut to its minimum. I have a habit of cleaning the cutters using steel wool and turps every 2 – 3 cuts.

Thanks Scott,

I think you are correct, but I also think that the Birds eye Ample contributed to the problem. It's very hard and also "slippery"

Regards.

Rob

Rob, I think the reason why it feels 'slippery' is because the highest point of the cutters (centre of the rotation) is not cutting the wood at all or cutting very little. Instead it pushes the wood upward and now you have a piece of wood sitting on a spining object. Hence it is very hard to control.

Not a router bit for the faint of heart. Almost as scary as a lock mitre bit!

Rob

A small power feeder mounted on a router table can be very handy in these situations.

I think everyone has summed it up pretty good. A feather board and push blocks.

Originally Posted by ncarcher

i think everyone has summed it up pretty good. A feather board and push blocks.

or go one better
parallel fences to trap the wood so the pieces have nowhere to go -- wax the fence faces so the timber will slide through easily
push pads similar to these


and cut to length and your mitres after you have profiled the timber

As has been pointed out with a centrally located cutter, the blade nearest the fence does the dragging in while the nearside blade does the pushing against the direction of feed, because the bit is straight bladed and they are 180° apart the dragging in blade is still taking a full width cut while the near side blade is taking a partial then upto a full width cut as the cutter rotates, I was trying to do something similliar (but different) which I solved by using a spiral bit.

As has been suggested use feather boards, hold downs, etc. additionally something you might try is decrease the amount of material being removed by the cutter on the fence side of the cut, say, by taking a series of shallow rip cuts somewhere below the profile outline upto the centerline, note which side is which tho or it could be a whole lot worse also (just thinking a bit lateraly here) setup a featherboard so it acts as a brake, fingers opposing the direction of feed, it wll mean pushing a bit harder but should provide a bit more control, hopefully.


Pete

One further idea:

Any chance that either timber or fence is slightly bowed?

In this case, as you advance the timber, it may be tending to be moved away from the fence. This will be moving it away from the "push" part of the cutter, and into the "pull" side?

regards

I think I would do that cove on the table saw.
Just another idea.
Regard

Thanks for all the suggestions and answers. I have managed to repeat the process of making a concave profile in a piece of Bird's eye Maple by cutting really shallow passes. Even then, I could still feel the tug toward the bit. The problem is, that even a very small increase in height results in a large amount of stock removal. But at least it was manageable and my fingers are intact!

Here's a pic of the profile if you didn't see it under woodwork pics.

Regards,

Rob

Originally Posted by LGS

Thanks for all the suggestions and answers. I have managed to repeat the process of making a concave profile in a piece of Bird's eye Maple by cutting really shallow passes. Even then, I could still feel the tug toward the bit. The problem is, that even a very small increase in height results in a large amount of stock removal. But at least it was manageable and my fingers are intact!

Here's a pic of the profile if you didn't see it under woodwork pics.

Regards,

Rob

but are you using push blocks?

have you trapped the timber between two parallel fences?

Originally Posted by ian

but are you using push blocks?

have you trapped the timber between two parallel fences?

Hi Ian,

1. Yes (see pic) and
2. No, I can't see how channelling the force even more forward is going to help. In addition, the height of the timber fences will, I believe, interfere with the pressure I can put on the push blocks. My system now works well enough for my purposes.

Regards,

Rob

Originally Posted by LGS

2. No, I can't see how channelling the force even more forward is going to help. In addition, the height of the timber fences will, I believe, interfere with the pressure I can put on the push blocks. My system now works well enough for my purposes.

Rob

What I'm talking about with two parallel fences or a rear fence and front finger boards is this, the piece you are milling needs to be:
1) held down so the cutter takes off the amount of material you intend to take off
2) held against the rear fence so the profile is cut in the centre of the piece
3) pushed across the cutter, or its rate of progress controlled to avoid chatter

a finger board mounted on the rear fence directly over over the cutter would provide force in direction No.1
a parallel fence or finger board at the front would apply force in direction No.2
leaving you with a push block and/or push stick to concentrate on controlling the feed rate or, if you like, the forces in direction No.3


I'm glad your revised system is working for you and your fingers are now well clear of the bit