I am cutting slots for splines in a mitered joint i.e. cut at 45 degrees. I have the board mounted in a jig such that the 45 degree cut is perpendicular to the slot cutter. I am using a brand new carbide 3 wing slot cutting bit.
the problem is that the router bit starts to smoke and burns the slot. I have tried varying the router speed and varying the speed that I feed the work into the bit but it still smokes.
I am wondering if the problem is:
a) the speed of my router isn’t correct i.e. too slow or too fast
b) because its end grain
c) the wood is hard i.e. zebrawood.
if its a) then what should the speed range be?
if its b) or c) is there anything I should do differently?
Replies
Change the direction you are feeding the piece.
F.
Cutter is upside down.
Safe Routing.
wow! don't I feel stupid. thanks so much I never would have figured that out by myself.
If all else fails - try performing the same procedure on
a table saw. This is how I've done it with good results.Bill-http://www.franklinwoodwright.com
I had thought about using the table saw before I built the jig for the router. I chose not to go with the table saw because of all the machines in my shop the table saw is the one I am least comfortable with from a safety point of view (although I have never had an accident on the TS and did almost lose a finger on the router).
The other reason is my table saw isn't very accurate. Its a craftmen contractor style but with the motor on a trunnion. It has a cast aluminum table and is too light. The main advantage it has is its a 3 hp on 120 volts so its fine for the first rough cuts. There are some things I could do to improve it but my next acquisition will be a new TS.
The problem on the router I am sure will be fixed when I reverse the slot cutter blade. I obviously installed the blade on the shaft the wrong way after taking off the protective coating
Don't feel bad, G. I and many other people in the world have installed a dado blade backwards in their saw. Got the same result, strangely enough -- lots of burning and smoke!! A certain blade-company rep we all know told me once that it's not uncommon to get a blade returned as "defective" when all that needed be done is to turn the darned thing around.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Many years ago I bought a Porter Cable biscuit joiner. It came from the factory with the blade upside down. Took me a while to figure out why it was so hard cutting slots for biscuits!
Bob
I make a lot of boxes, and use the splined miter joint you describe on almost all of them, though a few are dovetailed (it's really hard to convince someone to pay for hand dovetailing). I have made and used jigs on both the table saw and router table to cut the slots for the splines, and there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Perhaps I can offer some insight:
Table Saw, Pros: 1) Very easy to set the depth of the spline, and no limitations induced by the shaft-to-cutting surface distance as on a router slot-cutting bit.
2) Very fast with very little jig set-up; the thickness of the side of the TS jig is marked on the jig itself, so I just add this distance to the fence setting, and I know precisely how far the spline will be from the top or bottom corner of the box.
3) Very easy to adjust the spline-slot to top or bottom corner distance, all you need are blocks to insert between the side of the TS jig and the box.
Cons:
1) (And in my opinion, this is the big one) Very little choice in spline thickness - you've got two, one using a standard thickness TS blade and one using a thin-kerf TS blade. A dado set would give you more choices, but generally makes a slot that's too wide, IMO.
2) Safety - The TS jig requires that you push it through the blade, then move it back around the back and left side of the blade to make the next cut, and I don't particularly like reaching around the back of a TS blade for any reason. You can, of course, turn the saw off before you do this or walk around to the outfeed table and carry the jig back to the infeed side, but that destroys the efficiency of the method.
3) Not as easy to use the jig to make frames rather than boxes. Because frames aren't stable in the jig, you need to install a de-stay-co clamp to hold the frame steady against the side of the jig, or clamp the frame with a c-clamp.
Router Table:
Pros:
1) Lots of choices for spline thickness - there's at least 4 different thickness slot cutter blades from most manufacturers.
2) Gang cutting - some manufacturers offer shafts that are long enough to gang two slot cutters of the same diameter but different thicknesses together with a spacer, so you can cut a double slot with one pass, assuming your router has enough umph.
3) Safe - the motion when using the jig keeps your hands and arms away from the spinning cutter at all times.
Cons:
1) Not as fast, at least with set-up. You've two measurments to make with a ruler - depth of the slot and distance from the bottom corner of the box. Note that those with fancy router tables with lifts and digital readouts don't have this limitation.
-------
Overall, I find myself cutting the splines for most frames at the router table, and splines for boxes on the table saw, mainly because of ease-of-handling considerations. Just my 2 cents.
thanks for the very reasoned comparison. now that I have over come my own stupidity the router jig has worked out very nicely and I particularly like the fact that my hands are well away from the spinning parts (one accident was enough for me). since I only do a few boxes a year I will stick with the router.
as a hobbiest I tend to do boxes as a way of practicing new techniques or experiment with designs - typically between other projects (small furniture pieces)
Mr Keller,
Whille I haven't tried it, you can gang cut on the table saw. Just put your first blade on, then a spacer, then the second blade, then the arbor nut.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Don't feel bad. I once came in from the shop acusing my teenage son of borrowing my good mechanical pencil. He had to have done it it was missing and he loved to use it. Well, the wife and my son pointed to my head and I knew at that moment, that darn pencil was above my ear. Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled