I bought a couple of larger round over types including a 1-1/2" and 1" type. Now that I have these in my hand they seem too large to use safely in a regular router - I even have my doubts in the router table with the 1-1/2", its quite large:
I can't remember seeing any projects using roundovers of this size so I'm guessing its not a great idea. I haven't tested or tried any yet because I'm too chicken now that its dawned on me how large they are!
Any thoughts or experience you could share before I rip my arm off?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I can't remember seeing any projects using roundovers of this size so I'm guessing its not a great idea. I haven't tested or tried any yet because I'm too chicken now that its dawned on me how large they are!
Any thoughts or experience you could share before I rip my arm off?
Hi Ant,
I have used these large bits (round overs and even panel raising bits) in the hand held router. You need to solidly clamp the work piece down and have a firm grip on the machine.
It is also a really good idea to make several passes to get to the final finished cut. Lowering the bit by 1/4" increments will get it done safely and smoothly.
Good luck!
I have used these large bits (round overs and even panel raising bits) in the hand held router. You need to solidly clamp the work piece down and have a firm grip on the machine.
It is also a really good idea to make several passes to get to the final finished cut. Lowering the bit by 1/4" increments will get it done safely and smoothly.
Good luck!
Thanks guys, pretty much what I was thinking but guess I needed to hear it from a couple of other people to make sure it was safe.
I just tried fitting the larger 1-1/2" bit into the router and realised that it fouls the baseplate unless you increase the depth of the plunge in order to clear the obstruction. I think this little problem makes the 1-1/2" bit a router table only job. The 1" fits fine though.
Are there any routers out there with larger openings in their base plates for these types of bits?
I just tried fitting the larger 1-1/2" bit into the router and realised that it fouls the baseplate unless you increase the depth of the plunge in order to clear the obstruction. I think this little problem makes the 1-1/2" bit a router table only job. The 1" fits fine though.
Are there any routers out there with larger openings in their base plates for these types of bits?
Oh, I misunderstood. You would not need the feather boards with a heavy box.
This is a picture of feathers boards used with a table saw.
featherboards
This is a picture of feathers boards used with a table saw.
featherboards
Shin,
I think you can do it by hand if you understand how the cutting forces work and how to reduce them.
The magnitude of the cutting forces are effected by mostly three things. The depth of cut, the hardness of the material, and how much of the cutting edge is engaged with the material.
By taking small depth passes you will be reducing two of these three things. I would start with no more than .100 of an inch depth the first pass and as you go down and more of the cutting edge arc is engaged with the wood, work towards shallower cuts each time. By the time you are down near the proper depth you should be taking no more than about .030 inch depth of cuts.
Make sure the box is very well clamped down and the vibrations are damped. Any movement at the cutting edge will grab and increase the cutting forces. You might try placing small bags of sand on top of the panel you are cutting leaving only enough room to get the router in.
You should also conventional mill instead of climb milling to keep forces at a minimum. If the rotating blade is pulling itself into the material then you are climb milling. This should be avoided unless you have a more rigid setup. This means that if you are pulling the router on one side of the box to make the proper cut you will either have to push it on the opposite side cut or move to the other side of the box and pull it towards you.
I think you can do it by hand if you understand how the cutting forces work and how to reduce them.
The magnitude of the cutting forces are effected by mostly three things. The depth of cut, the hardness of the material, and how much of the cutting edge is engaged with the material.
By taking small depth passes you will be reducing two of these three things. I would start with no more than .100 of an inch depth the first pass and as you go down and more of the cutting edge arc is engaged with the wood, work towards shallower cuts each time. By the time you are down near the proper depth you should be taking no more than about .030 inch depth of cuts.
Make sure the box is very well clamped down and the vibrations are damped. Any movement at the cutting edge will grab and increase the cutting forces. You might try placing small bags of sand on top of the panel you are cutting leaving only enough room to get the router in.
You should also conventional mill instead of climb milling to keep forces at a minimum. If the rotating blade is pulling itself into the material then you are climb milling. This should be avoided unless you have a more rigid setup. This means that if you are pulling the router on one side of the box to make the proper cut you will either have to push it on the opposite side cut or move to the other side of the box and pull it towards you.
Hi
I use the exact same bits (from Axminster right?) Perform Ovolo 3/4" radius was the largest roundover that I could find in a 1/2" shank.
I have used these by hand on Baltic Birch with no problem. You can do it in one pass (with a reasonably powerful router) but it is better to do it in two. The easiest way, I found, was to use a champfer bit first.
The overall diameter is too large for my machine also, so I have to use it with the wooden baseplate that I made to make the circular cuts required for driver flush mounting.
This is a piece of 10mm Ply bolted to the base of the router instead of the plastic one supplied. The bolts have to be countersunk, and it needs to be nice and smooth/slippy. I found a piece lying around that had been painted with a few layers of housepaint, which worked well.
OT: When using this baseplate to cut circles, I drill small holes at the required distances from the edge of the router bit and bang in a pin (I use the shaft off a rivet) to act as a central axis - you will, of course, also need a slightly larger hole drilled in the speaker baffle. The pin should be tight in the router baseplate and just turnable in the baffle. Very simple, but don't forget to test and measure first.
Doesn't fit
Much better
N.B. This photo was for example purposes only. I had not removed the original faceplate, or bolted the ply piece to the router. You can see the countersinks though.
Detail
Please do not remind me that the bearing screw is missing. It is being used for another job.
Results
I use the exact same bits (from Axminster right?) Perform Ovolo 3/4" radius was the largest roundover that I could find in a 1/2" shank.
I have used these by hand on Baltic Birch with no problem. You can do it in one pass (with a reasonably powerful router) but it is better to do it in two. The easiest way, I found, was to use a champfer bit first.
The overall diameter is too large for my machine also, so I have to use it with the wooden baseplate that I made to make the circular cuts required for driver flush mounting.
This is a piece of 10mm Ply bolted to the base of the router instead of the plastic one supplied. The bolts have to be countersunk, and it needs to be nice and smooth/slippy. I found a piece lying around that had been painted with a few layers of housepaint, which worked well.
OT: When using this baseplate to cut circles, I drill small holes at the required distances from the edge of the router bit and bang in a pin (I use the shaft off a rivet) to act as a central axis - you will, of course, also need a slightly larger hole drilled in the speaker baffle. The pin should be tight in the router baseplate and just turnable in the baffle. Very simple, but don't forget to test and measure first.
Doesn't fit
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Much better
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
N.B. This photo was for example purposes only. I had not removed the original faceplate, or bolted the ply piece to the router. You can see the countersinks though.
Detail
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Please do not remind me that the bearing screw is missing. It is being used for another job.
Results
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Router bits of this size usually have speed limitation. I would guess, that bit should not be run faster then 12 000 rpm. It is very unlikely that if you exceed the speed, carbide will fly off but high speed may actually destroy bearings in your router. 3Hp variable speed router is highly recommended. A 1.5 hp router will not have enough power and will cause chatter marks.
Porter Cable and Bosh are the only 2 companies that I've used. Both have over 3hp model that retail close to $400 US. Bosh is not recommended for router table. Due to the construction, they don't last very long. Porter Cable is like AK 47. Will run in dirt, dust, upside down and sideways. Both have removable plates. I usually use my own plates anyhow.
Best way would be to run it in the shaper if possible.
As mentioned before, multiple passes are recommended. You can start with ¼ increments but as you get closer to the radius, the amount of removed material is increasing so the depth of passes should decrease. For a clean result, final pass should be almost nothing.
Earmuffs or plugs if you like this hobby and want to keep on hearing things.
Porter Cable and Bosh are the only 2 companies that I've used. Both have over 3hp model that retail close to $400 US. Bosh is not recommended for router table. Due to the construction, they don't last very long. Porter Cable is like AK 47. Will run in dirt, dust, upside down and sideways. Both have removable plates. I usually use my own plates anyhow.
Best way would be to run it in the shaper if possible.
As mentioned before, multiple passes are recommended. You can start with ¼ increments but as you get closer to the radius, the amount of removed material is increasing so the depth of passes should decrease. For a clean result, final pass should be almost nothing.
Earmuffs or plugs if you like this hobby and want to keep on hearing things.
Some excellent advice here, thanks for sharing. 
Dublin:
Those bits do look remarkably similar, if not identical. However I couldn't find any reasonably priced 1" or 1-1/2" radius bits from UK sources, Trend was one of the few that I saw and they were asking a whopping £130 for a single bit. I know from experience with my little Trend box set that these are great cutters but £130 is silly money. In the end I bought from the States who really are spoiled for choice when it comes to serious equipment like this. The UK->US exchange rate is also favourable at the moment. I ordered a 3/4", 1" and 1-1/2" bits at a total cost of £53 including postage.
Seller is here for those interested:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQdfspZ32QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ34QQsassZghsu2ia3QQsbrsrtZd
I also like the idea you've had of tackling the baseplate fouling problem. I'll certainly give that a go.
R-Carpenter:
I have a few routers, most of them are cheap rubbish that I bought just to save swapping the bits around. I think when your dealing with the regular sized 1/4" shank bits then a cheap 800w is enough and the cutter quality itself becomes the determining factor.
The best quality 1/2" shank router I have is a 1850w Makita 3612CX:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=22630
Dublin:
Those bits do look remarkably similar, if not identical. However I couldn't find any reasonably priced 1" or 1-1/2" radius bits from UK sources, Trend was one of the few that I saw and they were asking a whopping £130 for a single bit. I know from experience with my little Trend box set that these are great cutters but £130 is silly money. In the end I bought from the States who really are spoiled for choice when it comes to serious equipment like this. The UK->US exchange rate is also favourable at the moment. I ordered a 3/4", 1" and 1-1/2" bits at a total cost of £53 including postage.
Seller is here for those interested:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQdfspZ32QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ34QQsassZghsu2ia3QQsbrsrtZd
I also like the idea you've had of tackling the baseplate fouling problem. I'll certainly give that a go.
R-Carpenter:
I have a few routers, most of them are cheap rubbish that I bought just to save swapping the bits around. I think when your dealing with the regular sized 1/4" shank bits then a cheap 800w is enough and the cutter quality itself becomes the determining factor.
The best quality 1/2" shank router I have is a 1850w Makita 3612CX:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=22630
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