router bit

Re: router bit

GarthinSanDiego

Hand held routers (or stock on a router table/shaper) always move during the cut, especially if you have to shift your weight or hand position. The only true solution I have found is a power feed. Lacking that I use multiple passes with a very light cut on the final pass. Not foolproof, but resulting imperfections are usually relatively easy to sand out.

Re: router bit

John McGaw

"Using a round nose 1/4 in router bit"

That covers a multitude of sins. Can you be more specific about the type of bit and what sort of cut you are making?

Re: router bit

Bruce, a MN Galoot

I have one spiral upcut 1/4” bit with a single flute that just won’t stay in place. I suspect the shank is just a smidgeon small.

Re: router bit

ben d.

Thanks for the reply's. I may not be holding the material down as I should and the suggestion of roughing up the shank of the bit it is very possible that it is moving every a slight bit and my problem.

Too cold today to try anything.

ben d.

Re: router bit

Lee Schierer in McKean, PA

On my Craftsman router I find that I have to retighten the collet after running the router for a few seconds. I've insured the bit is bottomed out and cleaned the collet inside and out several times and it still seems to need a touch up tightening after it cuts a few inches.

Lee

Sounds Like

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

He's trying to cut either flutes or border with a round nose

Re: router bit

Jim O'Connor

I never bottom out the bit since tightening the collet tends to pull it toward the router shaft and with the bit bottomed there may not be that last little bit of room to tighten. I usually pull up the bit about a sixteenth.

Don't let the bit bottom out !!

Oops

Lee Schierer in McKean, PA

I left out one crucial word "not" should appear in regard to bit positioning.......I never let the bits bottom out.



Lee

Re: router bit

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

I cannot decide and cannot seem to figure out.

Using a round nose 1/4 in router bit in a plunge router and have trouble keeping the same depth.

Does that bit push down when using or pull up on the material, maybe why I have trouble with the depth. Material may be moving only a few thousands different but would like it to be closer.

stop seems to stay in place.

Any thoughts

Ben, a check list:

What type of bit? I would assume that it is one with a bearing, but this may not be the case.

If you are using a router table, then the work piece must be flat.

If hand held, then the router must remain steady. Are you using a wide enough registration area (such as a wider base)?

Is the router bit firmly clamped?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Replace the collet

Re: Oops

Barry Irby

Thanks, I was wondering.

To Prevent That

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I put an "O" ring on each bit's shaft. Drop the bit in the in the collet, tighten it down, and you're good to go with the bit set at the right height outside of the collet.

Collets are 'consumables' they wear out

Is yours a plunge or fixed base router?

Howard in Toronto

Each type of base has its own peculiarities. I've had fixed base routers lose their vertical position because the locking clamp had loosened over time. One of my plunge router's rod for its stepped settings wouldn't stay put no matter how much I reefed down on it.

I'd recommend starting with your base's ability to hold its settings. And as others have likely pointed out - don't bottom out the bit in the collet. It can become unpredictable under load and drop.

Howard

Re: Is yours a plunge or fixed base router?

ben d.

Did a couple things today. one was to rough up the shank a little bit and bit not bottomed out. I added a small hose clamp to the adjusting depth rod to make sure it was not slipping a little also and letting it cut deeper.

It is a PC plunge router and is running on a flat surface the width of the router base so it is stable. The bit is a straight round nose bit with no bearing.

I did make 4 cuts after I worked on it and it seems to be holding true so I guess I had several things going on that was troublesome.

Thanks

ben d.

It's usually bunches of small tweaks