How do you use a panel raising cutter on your router table?

[CYC]

How do you operate with very large cutters such as the panel raising cutter which can be 90mm wide in your router table.
Since the cutter is wider than the opening in the router base itself, do you have to use a sheet of MDF or ply on top on the router table to allow for setting the depth of cut (to have the cutter sink in the thickness of the sheet).

I hope my question is clear enough :?

 

[Chris Knight]

CYC,
When you say router base, It would appear you actually mean the opening in the router table (ie the insert plate?)

Generally, these have openings wide enough to take the very largest bits if you remove the inner ring of the insert (ie the insert in the insert).

If yours is not wide enough. you have a problem. I'd first consider a vertical panel raising bit. Your suggestion for ply is not likely to be successful because the shank on these big bits is always too darn short (precisely in order to prevent you fixing it in the chuck with too much length outside and having a darn great bit waving in the breeze!)

You might get a way with an extender but I would not like to try it on such a big bit - too dangerous in out of balance situations.

 

[CYC]

No chris, I gathered the baseplate would have a hole wide enough. Neil told me his was about 100mm. So the problem lies right below the plate in the opening of the router base itself.

I don't have a router table yet. I am currently having great thoughts about it though, thinking about which router, plate etc... including the Incra of course :wink:

 

[Chris Knight]

CYC,

If the bit is too wide to pass through the router's own base, then one simply fixes it in the chuck with the router depressed (or raised in an upside down situation as in a table) enough that the bit doesn't foul the opening. In use this will be no problem at all. The thickness of the insert in the table will prevent too much bit above. Also, taking light cuts with these beasts, one can use the fence rather than altering the bit height, to progressively creep up on the final setting.

 

[CYC]

Well chris, this bring me back to my concern:
Say the base plate is 5mm thick, this means you cannot have the bit any lower than 4mm from the table surface (and that's rather close to my liking!).

Look at those cutters for instance, if you can't lower them more than my 4mm example I would imagine you can't set the depth of cut as you wish, or at least you can't take several deeper passes to make the cut.

Let me know if I am completely off #-o

 

[Chris Knight]

CYC,

In general, you are going to need the full amount of bit for the cut in order to realise the proper profile. As I mentioned, the fence can/should be used to adjust the cut depth whilst making the profile. Starting initially with just a small amount of the bit poking out from the opening in the fence, make a pass, move the fence back and repeat. I need three of four passes for one of these bits and I finish with a very light cut to ensure that a nice clean surface results.

Unless you are making arched doors, you can use a vertical bit although the choice of profiles is a bit restricted.

 

[CYC]

Okay I understand, thanks very much

 

[Neil]

This has been very interesting - thanks, CYC, for asking the question and thanks to Chris for answering it

It makes me think that thick router plates are actually a benefit rather than a curse, and following on from this, that I should have bought the Triton router as the extra bit of plunge would get around the one big problem that the thick plate gives you.

You might get a way with an extender but I would not like to try it on such a big bit - too dangerous in out of balance situations.

Do you think this would even be true for the Xtreme Xtension, Chris? I had thought that this would be a way I could get around the plunge depth problem if I upgrade to a thicker router plate... :?

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Charley]

CYC, it may be too late but you might find this useful https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/guides/raised/index.php

 

[CYC]

Thanks Charley

 

[Noel]

CYC, maybe you already know but you'll get a few mm extra by discarding the phenolic / plastic router base and screwing directly into the routers' metal base plate.

Rgds

Noel

 

[Chris Knight]

Neil,

You are welcome!
The Xtreme Xtension certainly gets past the problem of a thick insert or table top. It is an excellent piece of kit. I am not sure what router you have but I have just ordered and expect to have in a few days, one of the new Eliminator chucks - this one for a DW625. It may offer some advantage over the XX inasmuch it screws directly to the motor shaft thread and thus eliminates one potential source of "out of balance" problems that something like the XX - which is gripped in the OEM chuck - can create. I will give a quick report on this thing as soon as I receive it.

 

[Neil]

Hi Chris,

I have the Makita 3612C - I guess seeing as it is a pretty common model in the US there may well be an Eliminator to fit it - I'll check it out.

I'll be really interested to hear how you get on with the Eliminator, especially compared to the XX

Thanks again,
Neil

<edit> looks as though there isn't an Eliminator to fit the Makita, hopefully there is one in the pipeline