Thread: Problems cutting bead and cove

Might be wrong but it sounds like the cutter needs sharpening to cut tuart.
You could try climb cutting but that requires a lot of care as it can be dangerous if you take too deep a cut in 1 pass.

Thanks Bob
I hadnt thought of that before but maybe I need to invest in some seriously good quality bits? What I have is a boxed set from bunnings... mmmm I think Im right now Im thinking about it as I ran the square cut bit through 4 times in a 2ft peice and thats now nackered... mmmm cheep bits a definant no no with this machine Im guessing... okay first thing new bits! Thanks... any more thoughts???

Shane

Boxed set from Bunnings!!!!!!!!!

Get thee to Timbercon (closest to you) as quickly as possible.

Regards

Derek

Or you could spile each strip and do away with the bead and cove!
:eek:

P

Well... planing each strip would be an INTERESTING journey for sure!!! :eek: but mate I really wouldnt mind paddling it sometime in the next 10 years or so hence the router idea

Timbercons latest... 2003! are they ever going to update it?... catalogue states that they no longer offer the dedicated cove and bead router bitts prefering to go with the one size fits all type of bitt... change to cove when you need cove fiddle phart around change to bead when you need that then more fiddle pharting to change it back... now Im the sorta bloke that needs dedicated instruments of distruction none of this mucking about caper! I want to bead I get a bead bitt and bung it in away I go want to cove bung in a cove bit and away I go that direction... with the routing I will have some 60 or so strips so I will be routing the bead first then the cove and dont want to be mucking about taking the bit out of the router to the bench changing the head around then back to the router etc just want to rout the bead then change the bit once and cove them... easy and done

mmm well thats the theory anyways

To my mind theres way to much of this one size thing... sorta like buying a jointer/thicknesser unit which is okay if you dont have the room for two dedicated machinesand Im not knocking them... but if you have the room and can afford it get two dedicated machines indepenant of each other Im like that with bits too... like I am with most things I guess...

Anyways anyone know a Perth mob that sell cove AND bead bits the separate kind?

Seems the starting point should be to get out and get some new GOOD quality bits then start working on the table setup itself eh?

Thanks mates!

If you look on the Timbecon website for the CMT Flute & Cove Bits these might be what you are looking for?

If you can cut them clean in a wider strip, then cut them on the wider strip and then rip them off on the table saw.

Dan

Shane both Timbecon in John St Bentley, & Carba-Tec in Balcatta stock CMT bits a good quality bit that should ease your concerns.Bunnies access the real cheapies outta Taiwan/China where quality control is circumspect.
Cheers

If CMT is not your cuppa, Lee Valley do both the 2 piece set - just like CMT but a bit cheaper - and a one piece bit that you just wind up & down to do the innies and outies.

One thing occurs to me.
you may not be able to hold the small strips solidly enough to prevent chattering ect.
I gather you are working with a fence.

a couple of finger boards may help one holding in and one holding down. especially if you are working with long strips.

it may also be worth trying a couple of smaller bites & see how you go.

cheers

Soundman
You are no doubt right and I should have more fingerboards... but its all sorta by the by now as after the above catastrophy the table collapsed in a splintered heap... no I took to it with a sledge hammer and slaughtered it... no I kicked the livin heck out of it with me hobnailed boots and wrecked it... no I tossed the bleedin thing!! :mad: Actually it was only ever meant to be a stop gap measure till I could sort out a proper good one so it wasnt the best to say the least... but it did give me an insight into how usefull these machines can be

So Ive tossed the router into the cupboard for the time being as Im not prepared to risk life and limb with any more cheep bits no matter they be a gift from kids or not... just wont do it again... and am presently arguing for $$$ from her highness and she may well allow me access to the purse strings in time for the woodshow so I will get some good ones there... along with a new proper good one table!... AND finger boards MANY fingerboards AND a good fence system too by golly!... and one for the table saw while Im at it the one that came with that saw is crap... sorry but it is!... Mind you in my view the damned saw is crap as well Ive had to make a friggin sandbag for the motor to hold the belt tight on the figgin thing! :mad: ... tell yer what one of these days Im gonna win that one powerball then by god Im gonna have the best damned table saw that moolah can by and give this thing away!

Anyway lesson learnt

No more crap tools, bits or other things in my shed!!!! :mad: I may well get more of them from time to time but I think I will just frame the buggars with a sign underneath "Not to be used for show only"

Thanks for the comments!

Here is another take on your problem ....

What diameter are the bits you are using? You'll get less breakout and better coves on a bit that is say 32mm diameter than one that is say 19mm diameter. The reason is the angle that the bit exits the work. Small diameter bits exit at a steeper angle and you'll get more splintering. This is a possible reason why you have trouble on the tuart but less trouble on jarrah. (I've never worked tuart but I find jarrah to be pretty forgiving from this point of view).

There is an easy way to test this theory ... cut the cove (or bead) in several passes. If it a "diameter" problem, then it should be better doing it in (say) 3 passes. If it is a "blunt bit" problem, then doing it it in 3 passes won't solve it. If it is a bit diameter problem then buy one with a larger diameter.

You will notice the CMT set is (I think) 32mm diameter.

Qw

P.S. Ever tried to cut deep mouldings in one pass using a router? This is what moulders are used for - moulding cutters are typically 3 to 4 inches diameter .... get much smoother deep cuts. Idea: as long as you've junked your router table, and as long as your budget allows, consider buying a small spindle moulder and simply use it as a router table? (spindle moulders all take router bits, and come automatically with a really solid fence, and above-the-table bit changing).

Wow! That I didnt know Woodie... mmmm so a spindle moulder eh? sounds like a new toy in my future sorta like buying two for one.

No since posting all the above and having a good hard think about it I do think it probably had a couple of reasons for happening... 1) cheep bits 2) not a good enough table 3} poor fence 4} somewhat lack of overhead featherboards... all conspired to result in the splitting of the timber breakage of the bits and subsequent dangerous zinging and clanging noise around the shed and consquent loss of small amount of red stuff from me arm...

As I said lesson definantly learnt

But the spindle moulder I will definantly look into... they have a small table surface area though... or are they able to be made bigger?

Anyway Cheers mate.

I hesitate to highlight this option only for fear of upsetting (most) members of the list, because this option has budgettary requirements that (most) members would find over-the-top .... but here goes.

I use a Jet JWS-34L as my main table router. I bought this size because of the larger table size but for use as a router table one of the smaller spindle moulders would do the trick. For use as a table router you can easily make bigger tables out of melamine-surfaced MDF for specific jobs. You can attach them to the table of the spindle moulder or what I usually do is attach them to the fence. I have heaps of different special purpose fences that are easy to make and screw right on to the supplied fence. I posted some pictures on a recent thread http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=10273 that might give you an idea.

For reference here is a link to the range of Jet spindle moulders from Gregory Machinery. http://www.gregmach.com/equipment_ca...e_moulders.htm. As with most woodworking machinery there is a competitive set of offerings from Delta and others.

The advantages:
1) very solid
2) cast iron split fence, screw adjustment, easy to attach and detach, and has in-built dust port and in-built fingerboards
3) motor/bits wind up and down and are changed from the top.
4) much heavier duty than a hand-held router, though for non-production work I wouldn't rate this too important.
5) can use big bits like the raised panel bits safely.
6) If you want to make mouldings (or doors too!) you can buy a very extensive range of cutters, possibly cheaper than router bits!

the disadvantages
1) price.
2) only spins at 10,000rpm. This is fine for large diameter cutters but not as good as a regular hand-held router for small diameter cutters. That said, I have never found a problem, even with my 2mm cutter that I use to part lids from boxes. I just go a bit slower.
3) height adjustment is still mostly trial and error. It is adjusted from a wheel at the front, but there is no graduated scale.

BTW .... I was reading Peter Lloyd's book on box-making and I notice that he uses a spindle moulder as his main table router too.

Hope this helps

Qw