Using a router

[Forrest747]

I am little embarresed by this. I was smoothing out the edges of some solid poplar 8 feet long to remove the table saw cut marks. well about 12 inches into it it ripped out of my hand and shot out the door and into the back yard. Dogs went nuts chasing after it. i can hear it in thier minds daddy is throwing us a stick.

I was using a feather board to keep it up against the fence as i fed it in. thought i was taking about 1/16 of an inch off.

Any advice so that no dogs get hurt trying to get play fetch.

[toypusher]

I am little embarresed by this. I was smoothing out the edges of some solid poplar 8 feet long to remove the table saw cut marks. well about 12 inches into it it ripped out of my hand and shot out the door and into the back yard. Dogs went nuts chasing after it. i can hear it in thier minds daddy is throwing us a stick.

I was using a feather board to keep it up against the fench as i fed it in. thought i was taking about 1/16 of an inch off.

Any advice so that no dogs get hurt trying to get play fetch.

Not sure what happened there, but sounds like you may have been going against the grain and possibly against the rotation of the bit.

Always try to go in the direction of the grain if possible and so that the rotation of the bit is into the wood. Also, got slow and take a little as you can for each pass. Hope this helps.

A bit more expensive, but worth it if you have a lot to do is buy a jointer.

[Mightydog]

i can hear it in thier minds daddy is throwing us a stick.

Thanks for the giggle about the dogs. You know that they are waiting for the next time the router shoots out the door.

I don't have anything else to add other than to take your time with a router. Don't use it if you've had too much coffee to drink or your mind is on something else.

[CarlLaFong]

I presume we're talking about a router table and not a hand held router. On a router table, you must always feed from right to left. Left to right is a climb cut and is a recipe for disaster unless you are very, very careful. A very light climb cut can be used for figured woods that tend to tear out, but you have to be on your toe all the time to prevent launching your workpiece across the shop

[Forrest747]

Yes a router table I was feeding from right to left. gaurds in place fence and featherboard secured. i understand the climbing cut from my metal working days.

[IndyTom]

Forrest,

I am wishing that there was video footage of the incident because I would love to know how it happened. I have spent hours feeding work through my router table and cannot see how I could launch a piece like you had happen.

Tom

[ssrjim]

I prefer the jointer for smoothing the edge...

[Forrest747]

Forrest,

I am wishing that there was video footage of the incident because I would love to know how it happened. I have spent hours feeding work through my router table and cannot see how I could launch a piece like you had happen.

Tom

I wasnt this stupid but its what it looked like, insert into your mind three dogs running after it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcS0TAabedc

[chartle]

Did you happen to have the work piece between the router bit and the fence?

If so, I could see this happening real easy.

[Forrest747]

Yes it was between the fence and the fence and teh router. used the featherboard to keep against the fence. i pushed in 12 or so inches adusted my hands to fed more and ZOOOM out it went from right to left.

[chartle]

Yes it was between the fence and the fence and teh router. used the featherboard to keep against the fence. i pushed in 12 or so inches adusted my hands to fed more and ZOOOM out it went from right to left.

I'm pretty sure that was the problem. Have you ever done it this way before because I can't it ever working?

It should be switched around and you use the router like a jointer you feed in the wood and remove a tiny amount. In order for it work right your outfeed table has to be shimmed out the width of the cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9MUDjFW ... re=related

[Weirdnerd]

You have to be very careful with routers, I used to work at a furniture shop, and I have seen a couple of router bits going through a brick wall, and have had to provide first aid and search for a finger once....all three incidents were separate ones...

[Wanna Be]

Easy solution;
Watch for the direction of rotation,
Wayyy back in high school, the maintenace man changed the wireing on the machine I used every day. He FORGOT to tell anybody that he did.

The end result;; The piece that I was working on went out thru the
NEW DOOR that it made.
Scared the C%$* out of the whole class.

Yes I have BTDT only no dogs present.

Stay safe, and have fun!!!
Wanna Be

That guy didn' have a job afterwards.

[Larry C]

Yes it was between the fence and the fence and teh router. used the featherboard to keep against the fence. i pushed in 12 or so inches adusted my hands to fed more and ZOOOM out it went from right to left.

I'm pretty sure that was the problem. Have you ever done it this way before because I can't it ever working?

It should be switched around and you use the router like a jointer you feed in the wood and remove a tiny amount. In order for it work right your outfeed table has to be shimmed out the width of the cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9MUDjFW ... re=related

That could be it. I have a special fence I made for this purpose, and it has a piece of laminate attached on the outfeed side to take up the of the cut off space. It is a must if you don't want the dogs loose, including the canines

[Forrest747]

I messed up. Total fubar. I set the fence back to far which allowed it to grab the stock and throw it. I should of had the fence over the bit. A lesson learned and got very lucky that no one or puppy was hurt or killed. Putting myself in timeout.