How do I rout a stopped groove - success!

I just stop moving the piece and lift it up. I continue to hold it against the fence, then lift only one end of the board until it clears the route bit. Lift the end that has the groove or dado cut in it, so you don’t angle the uncut part of the board into the bit. I’ve never had any problem doing it this way with the router still running.

-- Dale Manning, Carthage, NY

Thanks Dale, seems a bit scary to me. I love learning new skills, but have a highly developed fear of getting hurt.

-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.

You can just stop moving and shut the router off if it feels safer. In reality I’m not sure it matters.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

I agree with the avoidance of injury.

If you’re gonna read the instructions you’re taking all the adventure out of it :-)

Hope you’re feeling better

-- Mother Nature created it, I just assemble it. - It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability

I’m chicken, and shut the router off and let it spin down.

-- Joe

After I rout the groove, I have to rout a slot in the groove. Again, how do I start and stop that?

That has me a little confused.

After I’ve finished the groove I have to go over it again, this time with a narrower bit set deep enough so that it does go all the way through.

Soooo I have the stopped groove running along part of the board length, and then a narrower slit all the way through the groove.

Man, even I’m confused. So how would I start the line that goes all the way through??

Monte – feeling somewhat better. Gone from feeling very crappy to only moderately crappy. It’s an improvement!
Being in the shop helps keep my mind off it.

-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.

Don and Joe – I think I’ll try letting it spin down. Does it burn the wood?

-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.

JJ
just clamp some stops on the router table ,reduce the size of your router bit ,center the smaller bit and make a cut half way through on one side then turn the board over and cut through to complete the groove.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Maybe try to clamp some guides on the piece. I’d run a few dry runs on some scrap. Thing is….. it’s only wood. For me (not saying this includes you) I’m used to having a few fails and learning a bunch from them. You can do it.

Edit: And, what Jim said….....

Ahhhhhh. That makes perfect sense. It would have taken me a month of Sundays to figure that out.

Thanks Jim!!

-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.

Your welcome Sandra

since it means you have to let go of the board to turn the router off it could be more dangerous to turn it of verses just doing it while the routers running. the trick is to make sure you have your board firmly against the fence,I must have done this a thousand times with out problems.All said and done you should not do any operation you don’t feel safe doing. Depending on the type of wood you use it can burn the wood turning the router off.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Good point. I was actually thinking about having the router plugged in to a surge protector that I can turn off with my foot…. That way I still have both hands on the board.

With the stopped groove, I’m starting at the end of the board. Stopping one of the ways mentioned.

With the ‘through groove’ however, neither the start nor the finish are at the end of the board. So how do I start the cut in the middle of the board?

Thanks for your patience.

-- No, I don't want to buy the pink hammer.

First off, are you using a router table? If you are then this is pretty easy. You need to put lines all around the board where the router stops are. Then mark your fence and or router table where the front and rear of the bit is. Do this after you set the fence for the center of the board. When you go to rout, set the bit height to take a small bite, somewhere around an 1/8” or so depending on how dense of wood you are using. Then turn on the router and hold the board against the fence and lower it straight down onto the bit. Rout until the line on the board and the line on the fence line up. If you are confident that the groove is centered then flip the board and do the other side. Then raise your bit another 1/8” or so and repeat until the slot is all the way through. I built that exact planer stand last year. Your gonna like it, it works great.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I set up stop blocks on either side of the bit so I would have equal spaced groove. Start somewhere other than either end of your groove, then back feed and/or go forward until your groove is right. Make the groove in a couple of passes, cuting deeper on each pass until your reach the desired depth. Then change bits and do it again.

Here is a picture showing two grooves to hold pencils, pointers etc. I set up the table so I could make one groove, then turn the board around and do it again. The result was two identical grooves.

-- Handcrafted by Mike Henderson - Channelview, Texas