I want to buy the premade oak stair treads (steps) and use a half inch router to smooth the edges, will this work? The front part of the tread is already rounded but my customer wants the sides rounded too. People told me the router will burn the wood because oak is hard, is there a trick to rounding without burning?
maybe you could experiment on some scrap pieces??
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Check your local laws and see what they say. I know here in West Virginny it's against the law!
They have some DUMB laws, though. I can't even use a router on my sister legally.....
I have an oak desk and the router sits on top of it. So far, it has not burned it at all. Where the router connects to the computer there is plenty of space for ventilation. If you mount the router on the stairs, be sure the is out of the way so no one trips on it.
I was making some dog dish stands with oak tops. I had no problems. Use standard practices and keep the router moving
Frank
Edw> >I want to buy the premade oak stair treads (steps) and use a half inch
On 23 Sep 2004 00:45:49 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (ississauga) wrote (with possible editing):
Yes. Take off a little at a time and keep the router moving. If the cutter is dull, sharpen it first - nothing burns hardwood like a dull cutter.
Use a carbide tipped router bit or you probably will burn your stock.
Should do.
Oak routs fine. Some is a bit hard and splintery, so watch out for splitting on end grain and use a spelch plate (bit of scrap clamped to the end of the cut).
If it's burning, turn the speed down and the feed rate up.
No "trick" really, just good routing practices:
1) Keep your cut depth shallow. Don't try to take off too much wood in one pass. Remember that, with a roundover bit like you'll be using, as you lower the bit, each pass takes off a lot more wood than the previous pass. So for your first pass, you might be able to lower the bit as much as 1/8" -- but for the second and third passes, no more than 1/16", and for subsequent passes, you should probably limit it to 1/32". 2) Keep the router moving fairly quickly. If you move it too slowly, the wood will burn.-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)
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| >Use a carbide tipped router bit or you probably will burn your stock.
As you said "although it (carbide) will hold an edge longer". Experience has shown me that HSS may be as sharp as carbide, but one doesn't rout hardwood long before the bit is dull and you're burning your stock. To me, with all other things be equal, the longevity of a carbide edge makes it my choice for router bits. Carbide tipped saw blades have almost completely replaced un-tipped saw blades as the blades of choice in almost all saws today for the same reason.
Of course, there are some who clean the carbide and touch up the faces with
600 diamond file prior to routing, and sometimes during long runs. Process is exactly the same as your HSS.
look here:
But, of course, I was. Which Is why I said it. It works, which is why I do it.
Firstly, I suggest that there are no rules that always apply. One obvious variable is the amount of routing you intend to do. In general, I've heard it said that carbide lasts about 5x HSS. On the other hand, I can route hardwood for several projects with HSS before it begins to get dull, which is a bit different than what you've seen. I've got a few HSS bits that I use to hog out MDF and particleboard, which also more quickly dulls carbide, but these same bits have been used for maybe twenty years now. There are also cheaper carbide bits that will tend to chip out much sooner, and they also have a place for some projects where they're maybe 1/4 the cost but get the job done. For saw blades, if you mean circular saws, I won't argue that one since sharpening a HSS saw blade takes quite awhile. Overall, most of my router bits are of a quality carbide, but the others have a use as well. GerryG
I made oak window trim and base boards for my kitchen with a router and had no problems at all.
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I used a router on an oak once - I wasn't able to cut it down at all, one heck of a big oak. I coverid it in gasoline just to soften the wood up and then started the router back up and damn if it didn't burn it. I stay away from oaks with my router now. I only use it on small poplars and an occasional sycamore.
I suggest that the original poster subscribe to the rec.woodworking newsgroup and post the question there. Those guys have oodles of experience with routers on almost any type of wood. For a newbie, they will try to help out.
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