[Duane Bledsoe]

I was making my second to final pass on an ogee edge routing in poplar earlier when the bit tore out a chunk of the wood. Not sure what I could have done differently. I used a scrap backing block anywhere I could but this happened as the bit came off of the end grain side where it meets the edge grain. Since the piece was routed all the way around a little at a time and then the bit raised slightly for each consecutive pass the front edge had already been routed so no backing board would have helped this. Fortunately I didn't panic and thought through a few solutions before attempting a fix. My fix ended up being to finish routing the piece and then glue the chunk back in and blend it in with the router a micro cut at a time. I used an artist paint brush to fill the void with a thin layer of glue, pressed the piece into place and waited about 15 minutes for it to set. It was well proud of the surface since I had finished the route before starting the repair. I maybe should have glued it in first and then finished the route but in the end all came out well and I'm very pleased with the results. It looks so good I'd never know it happened.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

Here's the repaired piece. I think it looks fantastic considering the before pic.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

One question, did I accidentally learn a new trick or did I just get lucky?

 

[Dave Paine]

You learned a new trick. I have done this a number of times when the chunk of wood was a good fit. :thumbsup:

These days I have CA glue on hand for filling voids in my wood turnings. A fast glue for such fixes.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

What's CA glue? If it works well it should be called CYA glue, if you know what I mean, LOL.

 

[Dave Paine]

What's CA glue? If it works well it should be called CYA glue, if you know what I mean, LOL.

Normal yellow glue, is the compound PVA poly vinyl acetate.

CA glue is a compound cyano acryllate, best know as super glue, but many different brands. The main difference between brands in my limited experience is shelf life.

CA glue is available in different viscosities
Thin (runs like water)
Medium
Thick
Gel

In my wood turning I will use CA glue if I see cracks to stabilize the wood so I do not get the chunks tearing out as you experienced with the router.

CA glue is expensive. If you only want to purchase one type, get the medium.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

It's just super glue? Or is there a name I need to look for? I didn't think super glue worked very well on wood.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

If anyone is interested here's how the project is going. The face frame on the right is not attached, it's just laying there so that's why it appears lower than the one on the left. It will not contact the side, but rather attach only to the top and bottom so it leaves room for a sheet of plexiglass to slide in behind it. I know this will leave a long skinny piece of wood only attached at the ends but I couldn't think of any other way without having a swinging door which was not wanted. Hope it was a good idea because it's too late for a design change now. I thought it would be ok since I made a table a few years ago and used even narrower poplar for the stretchers underneath it horizontally to form a shelf and they never bowed or sagged. They're bearing a light load also. This piece will bear no load and be stood vertically, and is a little wider so I hope that means stouter as well. The top and bottom boards are not attached yet either, they're just propped up for the picture. I still need to route a channel in each to allow for the plexiglass to slide in and out. The face frame on the left is glued in place and is separated from the shelves about 1/4 inch to allow the plexiglass to slide behind it. This unit has eleven shelves and will hang on a wall for display of model trains. If you've read any in my other thread concerning dadoes, now you know why I needed 20 of them. This was a very ambitious project for someone with virtually no prior dado experience.

 

[Hammer1]

When you rout all four edges of a panel, start on the end grain on one end. If on a router table, turn the work counterclockwise, do the long grain edge, then the other end grain, finally the last long grain edge. If you get blow out on the end grain, the next long grain pass will remove it, the final cut is always on the long grain. It always helps to take several light passes to get to the full depth profile. This will give you a much better finish and keep any blow out to a minimum.

If you only do three sides, on the last end grain cut, have a backing block that fits tight to the work, this is also often used to guide the work piece. Once some of a profile is cut, a backer block won't help since it would have to be shaped to fit tightly against the partially cut profile, and that will change if doing incremental cuts. With difficult species, it's sometimes best not to rip the work piece until after routing. If blow out happens on the last end grain cut, you will have extra that will be ripped off.

 

[Dave Paine]

It's just super glue? Or is there a name I need to look for? I didn't think super glue worked very well on wood.

Several brands. I like the Titebond brand "Insta Bond", gives me a long shelf life in the bottle without going off.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2021102/24490/Instant-Bond-CA-Adhesive-Medium-2-oz.aspx

 

[cabinetman]

One question, did I accidentally learn a new trick or did I just get lucky?

Both. You might try backing up the piece slowly to go around the corner. Climb cutting done carefully can prevent tearout.

.

 

[daveinjersey]

Not sure if this is relevant, but a book of mine describing the process of routing a bullnose tabletop edge says "remember to route the ends first, then the sides. Any minor tearout along the ends will be cleaned up when you route the sides."

Did you route the edges first, and experience the problem routing the ends later? I wonder if the other order might have avoided the problem.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

When you rout all four edges of a panel, start on the end grain on one end. If on a router table, turn the work counterclockwise, do the long grain edge, then the other end grain, finally the last long grain edge. If you get blow out on the end grain, the next long grain pass will remove it, the final cut is always on the long grain. It always helps to take several light passes to get to the full depth profile. This will give you a much better finish and keep any blow out to a minimum.

If you only do three sides, on the last end grain cut, have a backing block that fits tight to the work, this is also often used to guide the work piece. Once some of a profile is cut, a backer block won't help since it would have to be shaped to fit tightly against the partially cut profile, and that will change if doing incremental cuts. With difficult species, it's sometimes best not to rip the work piece until after routing. If blow out happens on the last end grain cut, you will have extra that will be ripped off.

This is spelled out to the letter exactly what I was doing. I was routing 3 sides, using a router table, and using the backer block on the last side. I went counterclockwise and did end grain, long grain, and then end grain again. I moved the router bit up about 1/16 each time and made about 5-6 circuits to arrive at my final pass. The blowout occurred on my second to last pass as I exited the end grain coming into my previously routed long grain. As you said no backing block would help me here. I'm not sure what I might have done differently. I read your post and recognized all the same steps, but when I did it I didn't think of it as doing step 1, step 2, step 3....I just tried to keep grain direction in mind as compared to the direction the router bit turned. I guess I have a good comprehension of it because I did it exactly as you said. But I still got the blowout. Murphy maybe?

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

Both. You might try backing up the piece slowly to go around the corner. Climb cutting done carefully can prevent tearout.

.

I actually did think of this but I tried a climb cut yesterday with the piece flat to the fence and it threw it out at me. I didn't think it wise to try it on the end of a board less than 6" wide and almost 3' long sticking out off of a small table. Need a bigger table maybe? Better hold down methods?

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

Not sure if this is relevant, but a book of mine describing the process of routing a bullnose tabletop edge says "remember to route the ends first, then the sides. Any minor tearout along the ends will be cleaned up when you route the sides."

Did you route the edges first, and experience the problem routing the ends later? I wonder if the other order might have avoided the problem.

No, I did one end, then one long side, and then the last end. I took very shallow bites with each pass. Unless router speed and feed speed was too much I don't know what else caused it. Maybe there was a hairline fracture already in the grain and it gave out once enough material was removed. Might have been one of those unavoidable things that was just going to happen no matter what. But I fixed it and I'm as satisfied with the fix as I would have been if it had never happened. I can't believe how well it blended, at my skill level anyway.

 

[gmcsmoke]

you need to do the ends first then the long grain lengths to eliminate the problem you had.

 

[Hammer1]

Looks like you started on the wrong end. You don't want to finish towards a long grain side that has already been routed. You want to end on the unrouted back edge with three sided edging. Since the backer block will fit tight to the square back edge, even with incremental cuts, it will provide the needed support to eliminate the blow out. Sometimes grain is cantankerous all over, particularly figured species. Try to choose the edge with grain direction that will be advantageous to the rotation of the bit. Dampening the edges with a wet sponge can help when nothing else does, slower feed, lighter cuts, sharp bit. Carbide bits can get marginally dull quickly. They'll work fine with less critical cuts but not as well on the tough stuff.

Be careful gluing back pieces if you will stain the work. It's likely to show the glue line and any left on the surface won't accept stain.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

So I should have did both ends and then the one side? I can see how that would help. I used the same router bit again today after the first blowout, but this time on a piece of red oak. It cut like a dream and I had no blowouts at all. So I'm guessing the bit isn't too dull since this is the very first time I've ever routed red oak, or any kind of oak for that matter.

So am I supposed to run both ends and then the long side, then readjust the bit and do both ends again and then the side, and keep repeating until it's finished.....or am I supposed to get both ends completely finished first with all incremental cuts and then start over doing the same for the long side?

Here's the piece I made from the oak. It's just a simple wall hanging plaque with cup hooks on it.

 

[Duane Bledsoe]

Another shot of the plaque. These are measuring spoons my mom saw in the gift shop at a lodge on Greenbo lake where we all went to see the Christmas trees they have put up. She wanted to buy them but no one there knew the price so she didn't. The next day I went back and found someone to price them and bought them. She went back that night to get them too but I already bought the and they told her someone had came that morning and they were sold. So she'll have a nice little surprise at Christmas. The spoons are hanging a little low on the plaque but that's because I plan to inscribe at least a part of this biblical verse:

Romans 12:3 KJV

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

 

[Hammer1]

Work counterclockwise around the entire piece, one end first. Do all around at each height change of the bit. Don't do just the ends first. You will have all the complications you listed plus, having the profiles meet perfectly with two different set ups. Working CCW will remove any tear out that occurred with the preceding cut.