Glue line on router table

[Niki]

Good day

As you know me, I'm a little bit "abnormal" (ok, I admit, I'm crazy).

I had to make a glue line on a few boards, but I don't have planer (jointer) so I had to make them with the router.

Usually, if the board is wide, I clamp the straight edge on the board and do it as in this post

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/checking-diagonal-version-iv.13316/
or the improved version as in this post

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/jointing-with-hand-router-ii.13157/
But this time, the boards were narrow so I had to find different way.

I know the "split fence" idea and I did try it but it never worked for me. I also know the "Pattern bit" idea but I don't have such a long bit (the boards are 30 mm thick). So, I came-up with this "silly person proof" idea.

I already can here the "Safety Police" shouting, "kickback" but I jointed 7 boards, each from both sides and it looks to me that the danger of kickback is the same as for ripping on the table saw or less, as long as I keep the board pressed to the fence, I don't see any problem and because of the "just shaving" cut there are no internal stresses to be released and pinch the bit.

There is one limitation, the straight edge must be long enough to cover the infeed and the outfeed, or simply, if the board is 1000 mm long. the straight edge should be 2000 mm long (for those that are "Giving up metric", 1 Yard and 2 Yards)

Later I added kind of Feather Board and it was much easier to concentrate only on the infeed.

I intend to make kind of "Feather rollers" that will hold the board pressed to the fence but not like I did for the table saw, they will press the infeed and the outfeed sides.

Pictures removed due to safety reasons

niki

 

[Scrit]

Yes, well Niki. You're doing one thing that many routing experts from Jim Phillips to the late Patrick Spielman (yes, an American) agree is unsafe. The fact that you didn't get kickback this time doesn't change the safety aspect (or total disregard for it) - the safety problem is that if you hesitate at the beginning of the cut then the cutter can pick-up on the end grain and feed the timber rapidly to the right, and also feed your left hand into the cutter as well if it happens to be holding the timber. Even if you stick an auxilliary fence to the right a rapid right traverse could still throw the timber. Anything else is just a sticking plaster approach to dealing with something that a differential fence does as standard, so why not just learn to adjust one properly?

Scrit
PFC, 1st Grenadier Woodmachining Safety Police

 

[Waka]

I agree with Scrit, very dangerous use of the router table.

 

[Niki]

After re-considering all the factors and replies, I decide to remove the pictures and I strongly advise,

DO NOT DO IT,

it's too dangerous and the kickback is waiting just around the corner.

I will try to work on some different solution with split fence or so.

Thanks you Scrit and Waka for helping me to make-up my mind.

Regards
niki

 

[Shivers]

Agree with above on pratice --however if you have hardly any machinery 'that you have to resolve to using a router to get a straight edge' ---------i would suggest roughing it past the router,then putting each board face to face in a vice with a 'C' clamp griping each end-then use a jointer plane to achieve a nice edge with a minor(very minor/incrememental)concave profile,whats achieved from this --is a perfect mating edge.

since my powers of explaination are comprimised at the moment(5.15am morning ) i can help further at a later time.----

Pm me

regards

shivers.

 

[Shivers]

Ok niki having thought about a few options --i think you should make an auxillary table for a router, but not the normal type ----make one 6'x 15" & make a nice long fence thats very true(important),

position the router towards the back of the table,& setup for a fine skim cut --dont run the front or rear into the router on the first pass(you might have to do this more than onec to straighten a really curved edge)--but do so onthe second pass all the way through,repeat both these procedures time & again & hopefully on a final pass the edge will be square & straight,basically you are turning the router into a sideways jointer, this is the way i do laminate when i need a true edge ------although i do put a piece of laminate on the outfeed side of the fence to compensate for depth of cut ---you can also try this method as well but i'd say to do it only on final passes.

rememer --just skim cuts--slowly but surely you will get there.


regards
shivers

 

[Niki]

Thank you Shivers

If you were reading my thoughts...

I'm thinking to make a special router table for that purpose only, as you said, some 6' long.
My boards are almost square out of the saw, they just need "final touch".

Today I made two feather boards each at the width of 200 mm (8") and I wont to try some idea.

I think that if I shall position the feather boards, one before the bit and one after the bit.
I shall have to adjust them only ones and leave them bolted to the table. The rest will be done by putting the board between the fence (straight edge) and the feather board, and clamp the straight edge. For different width of board I shall have to change only the straight edge position.

Well, I will work on your idea and mine simultaneously and see what is working better.

Thanks again
niki

 

[Shivers]

Thank you Shivers

If you were reading my thoughts...

I'm thinking to make a special router table for that purpose only, as you said, some 6' long.
My boards are almost square out of the saw, they just need "final touch".

Today I made two feather boards each at the width of 200 mm (8") and I wont to try some idea.

I think that if I shall position the feather boards, one before the bit and one after the bit.
I shall have to adjust them only ones and leave them bolted to the table. The rest will be done by putting the board between the fence (straight edge) and the feather board, and clamp the straight edge. For different width of board I shall have to change only the straight edge position.

Well, I will work on your idea and mine simultaneously and see what is working better.

Thanks again
niki

you're on the right track ---feather boards may be too much pressure for just skiming--give it a go anyhow & find out--best of luck.

oh i forgot to mention if you are glueing these edge to edge,try to put a bisuit at each end 3 inches from finished size & maybe in the middle,because you are not going to shoot them with a plane the machine marks might expand after glue & cause the ends to fail--then this would creep along the joint,the biscuits will prevent this happening.


shivers