Round-over bits basics | WOOD Magazine

Dan has been a homeowner for some 40 years and has nearly always done his own repair and improvement tasks. He is a licensed electrician.

Throwing sawdust to the side, this router is working hard. How to use a router is an impossibly broad subject for one article; entire books can't cover everything there is to know. The problem is that a wood router is such a versatile power tool and can perform so many different tasks. Nevertheless, it is possible to cover the basics of using a wood router properly and safely and a few basic tips will go a long way toward learning all the intricacies of what a router is capable of.

Towards that end, let's start with the cutting edge of a router—the router bit that does all the work. Carbide bits generally cost more up to twice as much but last 10 to 25 times as long. They retain their sharp cutting edges much longer, resulting in a cleaner cut, and are indispensable when cutting man-made panels such as plywood or particle board. The glue in plywood will dull even a new HSS bit after making only a few short cuts, and particle board is even worse.

Carbide router bits are highly recommended for any router work being done. In general, router bits are either used to make cuts in the center of the wood or to produce a decorative edge. Bits designed for those beautiful edge treatments will nearly always have a section that rides on the edge of the wood as a guide, and a rotating bearing is much preferable to a simple extension of the shaft.

If the rapidly rotating shaft is held against the wood, it is all too easy to leave burn marks behind; the bearing guide will not as it does not rotate with the shaft. A major concern when choosing a bit or bit set is the shank Router Roundover Bit How To Use Local router roundover bit how to use 40. Make sure that your router can use the bit you have chosen.

With the bit chosen, it must be inserted into router roundover bit how to use 40 router and the correct depth set. Bits should be inserted as far as possible into the tool and the "chuck" tightened firmly.

Don't try to use the router with only a short length of the bit shank actually in the tool; it can all too easily come out and cause serious injury. With the bit fastened securely into the router, it is time to set the depth of cut that the bit will produce. Start by changing the depth adjustment on your router until the router roundover bit how to use 40 tip of the bit is at the surface of the base plate; just to the point that the bit would just barely touch the wood if the Router Roundover Bit How To Use 80 router were used at this setting.

This can be accomplished by either setting the router upright on a piece of scrap wood and lowering the bit until it just touches the wood or by setting the router upside down and "raising" the bit until it is even with the baseplate. In this case, some kind of flat material should be used to verify it is even with the baseplate; simply eyeballing it won't give a good indication. The pictures below show this step.

Snug the adjustment lock and set the measuring wheel or device to zero, indicating that the bit is at exactly zero depth. Loosen the lock and, without changing the zero adjustment, move the bit the desired amount for the correct depth of cut.

Tighten the adjustment lock once more. Some bits for edge decoration will require a slightly different technique as the pilot bearing on the bottom of the bit interferes with getting a true zero setting. In these cases the depth will have to be set with the router upside down, measuring from the baseplate to the end of the cutting surface on the bit.

A steel ruler, the type sold in office supply stores, is invaluable here. Make sure that the ruler is sitting perpendicular to the base of the router and not tilted when measurements are being taken.

While most routers are capable of adjusting a bit to a depth of one inch or more, this is far too deep a cut to attempt. If the router motor bogs down or does not cut smoothly, decrease the depth somewhat. Edge bits, of course, will need to be set to the full depth necessary so that the entire cut can be made router roundover bit how to use 40 just one pass. Wood routers operate at a very high velocity, up to 25, RPM, and can catch and move the workpiece very easily.

Smaller pieces of wood will need to be firmly clamped to a work table of some kind. A full sheet of plywood, longer boards or other large pieces are probably OK, but you could find a 12" square workpiece suddenly flying across the room if it is not clamped. Router roundover bit how to use 40 sure that the clamps will not interfere with the movement of the router.

In the photos below a Black and Decker Router roundover bit how to use 40 bench has been used to clamp the workpiece and is ideal for just this sort of thing. The same high speed that can throw the workpiece around is absolutely going to throw sawdust, and lots of it. Wear safety glasses whenever using a router. Similarly, the movement of the router across the workpiece must be guided. Freehand work with a router is possible with very shallow cuts, but it is router roundover bit how to use 40 difficult to maintain the correct path.

While edge bits have a guide built into them, use a guide for any work in the center of the workpiece. The guide in the photos below is quite old, and I have been unable to find another one, but it has been very useful over the years.

It is actually a three piece straight edge that can be bolted together for a total length of over eight feet full length of a sheet of plywood and has clamps that slide into a T slot on the bottom to clamp to the workpiece. A similar guide is available from Amazon, although I have not used that model. Mark the workpiece where the cut is to be made, showing both sides of the cut.

With the router firmly held against the guide, slowly move the router into the workpiece. I like to make just the very start of a cut, back the router out and check that it is cutting in the proper place. It is easy to make a math error and clamp the guide in the wrong place, Router Roundover Bit How To Use Queue but a little more difficult to replace the wood routed out from the wrong place!

Once the guide placement is verified as correct, continue the cut, always cutting router roundover bit how to use 40 left to right. Moving the router from right to left will almost always result in a poor cut; the router will catch and pull away from the guide. Cutting from left to right the router will pull itself into the guide instead of away from it. The speed at which a cut is made is important as well; too slow and the bit will burn the wood, too fast and it will router roundover bit how to use 40 the router down and slow the bit rotation.

Move the router just fast enough that it doesn't leave burned wood behind it but not so fast that the motor changes speed and slows down. If cutting clear across a board, the far edge at the very end of the cut deserves special attention as it will likely splinter when the router exits the board.

The solution is to carefully back the router up or turn it off and wait until it stops turning and cut the last little bit from right to left.

Take extra care here as the router will try to curve away from the guide and make that last cut only as long as absolutely necessary. When edge bits are used and the cut is across the end grain of a board the same thing is done; router roundover bit how to use 40 very last little bit is cut in the opposite direction to avoid splintering the board.

An edge bit router roundover bit how to use 40 with the grain and reaching the end won't splinter, but one cutting across the grain at the end of a board will.

This should get you well started with using a wood router. Power tools make a wonderful addition to any shop and the router is one of the more powerful and useful; with a little practice you can do practically anything router roundover bit how to use 40 a router.

Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying I could do anything with a router - but if I had to do something with one, then I would definitely come to you for advice! Home Appliances. Air Conditioners.

Water Heaters. Home Improvement. Interior Design. Home Furnishings. Home Decor. Lawn Care. Pest Control. Bed Bugs. Beneficial Organisms. Garden Pest Control. Rock Gardens. A set of various router roundover bit how to use 40 bits; closeups of some are in the following pictures.

Setting the Depth of Cut. The router is waiting for a bit. The workpiece is clamped with the orange "dogs" onto a workmate bench. Related Articles. By L M Reid. By Eugene Brennan. By Sharon Bellissimo. By Fredrick aka JS.

Feb 25,  · When you use router bits for edges in woodworking, you want perfect chamfers or roundovers. I show a very common mistake and how to avoid it! It's simple onc. Mar 22,  · I recently received a set of router bits and am now making trial cuts to learn how to use them. I made a few cuts with the roundover and feel I didn't have the depth set correctly. The first cut seemed to be a fairly nice roundover but the top of the wood was cut leaving a lip on it. I moved the. The main advantage for choosing Chamfer router bits is their flexibility when creating different Chamfer-sized cuts on the wooden surface. 2) The Roundover Bit. If your target is to create rounded sharp cuts on a square edge, Roundover bit is the best choice for you. Furthermore, you can use this bit to create 90 degrees arcs. 3) The Beading Bit.

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