Using milescraft router pattern maker

[Len]

I want for make a lot of 4 inch square blocks for the corners of door and window trim. I don't care for the typical rosettes you can buy in the big box stores. I want something a bit more unique for my house. I have a Mil escraft router pattern maker and have chosen a daisy flower design that is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. The blocks will be painted so I chose popl ar for the wood. However, the cuts are not smooth and require a lot of wor k after the routing phase. I have tried going around the pattern twice in b oth the forward and reverse directions. All it seems to do is make the gro oves a bit wider. The problem is that the rotary pattern requires some cut s with the grain and some across the grain. The latter are rough!

My last thought beside junking the idea is to go to a harder wood. Has anybody used this beast (Milescraft ..) with good success? Is there a hidd en secret to it that I should know?

Len

[Lew Hodgett]

The problem is that the rotary pattern requires some cuts with the grain and some across the grain. The latter are rough!

My last thought beside junking the idea is to go to a harder wood. Has anybody used this beast (Milescraft ..) with good success? Is there a hidden secret to it that I should know?

------------------------------------------------------- After making sure bits are sharp and you are taking light cuts, I'm out of ideas.

Lew

[woodchucker]

It's not the jig. It's the wood. Like any wood, you can cut in one direction and all is fine, cut in the other and you get tearout.

It's like rubbing a dog's coat one way, then rubbing the other one goes with the grain one against.

The way to tame this problem is to take light cuts. Sometimes climb cut routing will help. Have sharp bits. A dull bit will never work.

If you have the above and are failing find wood that is fine grained. Coarser wood tends to be more of a problem. Beach is a good example of a wood that works well, so is bass wood.

If you want to continue with the poplar, and all else failed. Try wetting the wood. Green wood cuts more easily, and so does wet wood. Take cuts that leave you with more to do, then wet the wood for the final passes. And see if the fibers are cut more easily.

That's about all I can recommend.

[dadiOH]

Hard or soft, cross grain cuts are going to be rough though - possibly - the degree will vary.

To smooth, you can sand or you could apply someting to even out the roughness. If the cuts are wide enough, I'd rub in some drywall joint compound with my finger. That still won't make for perfect smoothness but a light sanding will.

[Leon]

Actually if you are going to paint I would recommend using MDF instead of wood. If you use the green water resistant MDF you will have little issue if any at all with water based finishes.

[-MIKE-]

I second that. The next subject that always comes up is the best primer in the world for mdf, and that would be Zinsser B-I-N shellac based primer. It's expensive but perfect for mdf. It dries fast, doesn't "soak" nearly as much as other primers, dries hard for easy, light sanding to a glassy smooth finish.

Best part is the shellac grabs tight to any topcoat you put on top of it.

[CW]

I want for make a lot of 4 inch square blocks for the corners of door and window trim. I don't care for the typical rosettes you can buy in the big box stores. I want something a bit more unique for my house. I have a Milescraft router pattern maker and have chosen a daisy flower design that is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. The blocks will be painted so I chose poplar for the wood. However, the cuts are not smooth and require a lot of work after the routing phase. I have tried going around the pattern twice in both the forward and reverse directions. All it seems to do is make the grooves a bit wider. The problem is that the rotary pattern requires some cuts with the grain and some across the grain. The latter are rough!

My last thought beside junking the idea is to go to a harder wood. Has anybody used this beast (Milescraft ..) with good success? Is there a hidden secret to it that I should know?

Len ========================================================================================= Try a new router bit. Sounds like a dull bit.