# Router neophyte



## darinstarr (Oct 30, 2014)

Hello all-

I'm relatively new to everything in my shop, but the router specifically is something that for one reason or another has always intimidated me. I'm slowly overcoming this by reading a bunch and doing just a little detail work here and there, but there's something I am apparently missing.

I'm trying to rout a series of rabbets (1/4" deep and 1/4" high) to the tops of some panels. I've done some other detail work to the faces of these panels with a v-bit, going with the grain. The rabbets are being cut on the end grain, and the pieces skip and jump around the bit like crazy and I feel like this is a massive safety problem with a very obvious solution I am overlooking.

I'm using a 3/8" x 1" straight bit, in a "router table" I added to the extension wing of my table saw, using the table saw fence with an MDF "bonus fence" clamped on to that for bit clearance. I've attached a picture of the setup and a sample of the cut I'm making, after having been cleaned up with additional passes. The wood is douglas fir.

I have previously had issues trying to rout a piece of oak and it grabbed and skipped so badly I immediately gave up and found another tool for the job. Figured it's time to find out what I'm doing wrong. Thanks in advance!


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## exelectrician (Oct 3, 2011)

First you need to take your router off the wall and put it on the floor, so much easier and safer that way.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

First of all end grain is a little tougher to route. I teach adult woodworking and many times folks that are new to routers route in the wrong direction. You should router from left to right. Another problem can be taking to deep of a cut and or dull router bits. Lastly fir does not router very well compared to other harder woods.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

whoops
When routeing in a router table you route from right to left,because the routers upside down. You want to route against the rotation of the bit.


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## darinstarr (Oct 30, 2014)

> First you need to take your router off the wall and put it on the floor, so much easier and safer that way.
> 
> - exelectrician


Noted, that was an obvious point indeed


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## darinstarr (Oct 30, 2014)

> whoops
> When routeing in a router table you route from right to left,because the routers upside down. You want to route against the rotation of the bit.
> 
> - a1Jim


Thanks Jim, that did the trick and made all the difference in the world. I had read about this before but for some reason tuned it out - going right to left seems counterintuitive and physically awkward for me (maybe because I'm a lefty? Dunno). I have done this correctly before going right to left, but I think when I move the table saw/router table around the garage, the different orientations leave me spatially puzzled.

Anyway, thanks a bunch!


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## ElChe (Sep 28, 2014)

My biggest rookie router mistake was the time that I tried to rout a board between a spinning router bit and the fence on the other side. It made sense to me at the time. The board shot out like a bullet. Clearly I have no sense. Glad you figured it out.


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