Router Cock Up

[custard]

I'm running behind schedule on a job so I was in the workshop at 7.00am this morning to catch up. First task was to make some drawer slips . It came time to cut a 4mm x 4.5mm groove, and I thought this might be an opportunity to illustrate the difference between working "by the numbers", using digital aids like callipers, and the traditional method of working to a fit. That's been a theme recently on the forum.

So I started to record the steps on my phone camera. See how long in this sequence before you spot the schoolboy error.

Step one is to set up the router table with the tooling, in this case it's a CMT 4mm grooving cutter.

Fit the 4mm disc to the arbour and in it goes.

Set the height of the tooling so the groove terminates 8mm up from the face of the workpiece.

Set the fence for a 4.5mm deep groove.

Spin up the router and double check the cut on a piece of scrap. Woah! Wisps of smoke, vibration, and a burning smell.

I've installed the cutter disc upside down. #-o

That's what happens when you're half asleep and working against the clock. Grooving small quantities of drawers and drawer slips is one of those jobs I really should do by hand as it's just quicker than setting up machinery. But I've never gotten around to ordering a 4mm cutter for the Veritas Small Plough that I use.

Lessons learned, always have a coffee before starting work, email Classic Hand Tools for a 4mm cutter, and a sheepish pat on the back for checking first on scrap. Anyhow, luck break over, so it's back to work.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Take it easy - don't hurt yourself!

I like the fact that someone else uses mistakes as a reasons to down tools and have coffee! Probably why I don't get much work done in a day!!

 

[PAC1]

That is easily done whilst awake . I put a permanent marker arrow on my groovers. In your case black will show up nicely against the red.

 

[Peter Sefton]

So easily done with these cutters, seen it a few times in my workshop. But when set up it's my favourite for producing drawer slips.

Cheers Peter

 

[Yojevol]

Here's my router cock-up of a few years ago. I was routing the curved edge on this oak table with cutter shown. At this point the collet decided to loosen and the cutter headed south resulting in a nasty depression (in my head as well as the table). What to do? Fortunately I had the waste end of the plank so I was able cut out the error and replace it with a plug with the matching grain. You can just about see the lengthwise joins. Of course the cross grain joint was not so easy to hide so I ran a groove around the whole table and let in the stringing to cover the error.
This is a good case of an error becoming a design feature.
Any more errors members would like to own up to? It would make an interesting string.
Brain

 

[MattRoberts]

Here's my vice jaw, carefully cut and sanded to fit precisely around the screw and rails. I then stuck it on the other side with double sided tape, so I could use my beefy half inch flush trim bit to copy it to the other side.

For some reason, I decided I could remove that much waste with just the router bit alone, as opposed to doing the sensible thing and removing the majority with the bandsaw first. Needless to say, it was far too aggressive a cut and ended up blowing huge chunks of wood out.

I ended up trimming a single cut out with the bandsaw in order to minimise the blow of. A great waste of a few hours!

 

[Sideways]

Thing that seems missing to me is the arrow on the table top or fence to remind you of the spindle rotation. I'd be having to 1. remember and then 2. turn that router upside down in my head. Not easy if you're as bad at early mornings as I am.
Thanks for sharing the lesson with us !

 

[custard]

I'd be having to 1. remember and then 2. turn that router upside down in my head.

There's a useful little trick to help remember router orientation.

-Loosely close the fingers of your right hand, as if you're almost making a fist.
-At the same time stick your thumb up, so it's like a "thumbs up" gesture.

Now imagine your thumb is the router cutter, so it sticks up in router table but for a hand held router you swivel your wrist so your thumb points straight down. In either of these two orientations the curl of your fingers will indicate the direction of the rotating cutter.

I find it a good way of avoiding an inadvertent climb cut.

 

[dc_ni]

I glad it was just something simple, I was worried it was going to be something like a mangled finger. Please be careful custard (hammer)

 

[Eric The Viking]

Saws with left-hand threads on the arbour catch me out.

I suspect not having to fit one is why so many table saws tilt to the right (as you look at them). A right-hand thread (clockwise to tighten) is a lot cheaper, both in manufacturing and in support costs(!). But because most (all?) mitre saws have the motor/gearbox on the right, they have to have a left-hand thread.

I'm slowly learning to stop and think, as I so rarely need to swap blades on the mitre saw. But it was "reassuring" that when I got it the arbour bolt head was quite mangled - obviously I'm not the only one!

On the router table, I've learned the hard way to think very carefully when grooving, especially stopped grooves involving dropping-on! I really like being able to safely cut slots and grooves, with stop blocks - they usually come out really neatly, but I'm always slightly nervous. It's way too easy to start climb-cutting accidentally.

E.

*First purchase for it: a new bolt and a spare!

 

[Sideways]

I'd be having to 1. remember and then 2. turn that router upside down in my head.

There's a useful little trick to help remember router orientation.

-Loosely close the fingers of your right hand, as if you're almost making a fist.
-At the same time stick your thumb up, so it's like a "thumbs up" gesture.

Now imagine your thumb is the router cutter, so it sticks up in router table but for a hand held router you swivel your wrist so your thumb points straight down. In either of these two orientations the curl of your fingers will indicate the direction of the rotating cutter.

I find it a good way of avoiding an inadvertent climb cut.

That is a good trick, Cheers !
It's another use of what we were taught in physics as the "right hand grip" rule. If your thumb points in the direction of current flowing along a wire, the curled fingers show the direction of the magnetic field created around the wire.

 

[AES]

+1 for Custard's "trick" being a good idea. Never heard/seen that before. Thanks a lot.

Re electrickery Sideways, I seem to vaguely remember from apprenticeship days, that's called "Fleming's Right Hand Grasp Rule" (though thinking about it again now, it may have been somebody other than Fleming's rule - it was a LONG time ago)!

 

[Geoff_S]

The router course I went on many years ago, the tutor showed off his missing finger. That helped :shock:

 

[Steve Maskery]

Saws with left-hand threads on the arbour catch me out.

I suspect not having to fit one is why so many table saws tilt to the right (as you look at them). A right-hand thread (clockwise to tighten) is a lot cheaper, both in manufacturing and in support costs(!). But because most (all?) mitre saws have the motor/gearbox on the right, they have to have a left-hand thread.

The same is true for the TS. I find it best to remember that whatever it is that I am trying to undo (arbor nut or the arbor itself) comes apart by pulling the spanner towards me. This is true for both RH and LH threads.

 

[MatthewRedStars]

I remember it that the nuts loosen the direction the tool spins.

(...cos every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the act of the tool starting to spin, plus the nut's inertia, tightens the nut. If not the nut would eventually loosen on start up)