Do I cut in One Pass or Not…
July 28, 2010 by admin
Filed under Router Tips
Well today’s question is a raised panel question and is directed towards making the raised panel in one cut or should I make a series of smaller cuts. This is a good question and one that needs some discussion.
Firstly, if everything is set up perfectly the router can cut the raised panel in one pass. Now having said that there are things to consider. There are three elements that determining that the cut can be made in one pass.
1) What kind of router are you using and is your router designed to cut the raised panel in one pass. Does your router have industrial bearings, the Collet accepts a 1/2″ shank router bits and is in good condition, does your router have a built in speed control that allows you to control the speed of the cutter, etc…
2) Is your router bit designed to cut the raised panel in one pass and yes not all router bits are created equally. For this you need to check with the manufacture of the router bit. And after you have purchased such a router bit is it being kept in good working condition. It is sharp and free of any chipping and or carbide defects.
3) Is your router fixtures designed to cut the panel for the raised panels in one pass. This only works if the other two elements are designed to cut in one pass and in good working condition.
That’s the short answer to the question about if the router can cut the raised panel in one pass or not. Please leave us your comments and until next time folks, happy and safe routing.
Good reply. My advice is “let common sense prevail”. There is such a thing as overloading your router and running the risk of an accident. The router is a powerful machine and should be respected as such. Think of this operation as being done by hand. If, based upon your router experience, the piece could be pushed through by hand without any vibration or chance of bouncing upwards, then do it in one pass. If, however, you feel that because of the cutter size it would be better to do it in two or three passes then so be it. Again, “let common sense prevail”.
Wouldn’t the type of wood you are using play into this also?
Also depends on the wood type, and any irregularities in the wood, sometimes known as figure.
Yes, the type of wood and imperfections also plays a concern to the speed of the router bits.
Rick
I have several 1/4″ and 1/2″ hardboard table shims that I use for this purpose. Make table shims the length of the table by the distance from the bit to the edge of the table. Cut a space for the bit to come up through. Set the router bit to the final cut height using a sample panel. Start with a sandwich of one 1/4″, one 1/2″ and a final 1/4″ table shim made of hardboard or waxed MDF, stacked and clamped to the table. Mine have a 1/4 dowel holes in the corners to index all shims together in the stack. Run all of the project panels through cutting in the normal sequence, end grain first and rotating the panel counter clockwise. This will help hold down the tear-out at the end of each pass. Remove the top 1/4″ shim and machine each panel again, which will cut 1/4″ deeper in the panels. Remove another 1/4″ shim repeating as above. Remove the 1/2″ shim replacing it with one of the 1/4″ shims cutting still deeper in all of the panels. Finally, remove the 1/4″ shim routing directly on the table top for the last cut on all panels. This provides just one bit setup and consistent results with all panels.