carpenter said:
Looks great! Solid, well seasoned oak (or ash perhaps)?
What do you use to remove the burn marks from the router bit? Sand it?
I find that to avoid the burns, the bit needs to be super sharp for the final pass. I've been sharpening mine with a small diamond stone with good results. Chop out most of the material in a couple passes, sharpen the bit and go for the final cut.
Yes, it's oak.
The bit is carbide, never considered sharpening it by hand. I plan to have it sharpened...someday.... you know how that goes.😀 Is your bit high-speed steel, or is it carbide?
I'll be sanding, but the stain is so dark that it'll cover most of the marks as long as they aren't too heavy. The burn is on the end grain, which absorbs stain well.
The bit is carbide, never considered sharpening it by hand. I plan to have it sharpened...someday.... you know how that goes.😀 Is your bit high-speed steel, or is it carbide?
I'll be sanding, but the stain is so dark that it'll cover most of the marks as long as they aren't too heavy. The burn is on the end grain, which absorbs stain well.
carpenter said:
Yes, my bits are carbide, Freud mostly. The diamond stone cuts the carbide like crazy - it takes no time to touch up the edge on a bit.
I know what you mean about the dark stain. Should hardly be noticeable.
I suppose that diamond stone is available at any decent woodcrafter's center?
What the brand name? I'm going to get one.
I've been out in the garage filing and sanding away at the burns and burrs. It's nearly ready for stain.
I'll wait until tomorrow, that way I can see it with a fresh set of eyes. I'll probably hit it one more time with the sandpaper.
Next, I have to make identical cutouts in the 1/4" aluminum plate beneath the decorative cover. That should be fun...
I've been using aluminum cutting oil on my router bits, but would prefer to use something that won't make a big mess...
What the brand name? I'm going to get one.
I've been out in the garage filing and sanding away at the burns and burrs. It's nearly ready for stain.
I'll wait until tomorrow, that way I can see it with a fresh set of eyes. I'll probably hit it one more time with the sandpaper.
Next, I have to make identical cutouts in the 1/4" aluminum plate beneath the decorative cover. That should be fun...
I've been using aluminum cutting oil on my router bits, but would prefer to use something that won't make a big mess...
carpenter said:
Should be, I bought mine at Busy Bee tools (the one on the page that loads).
Magura said:
Melt the wax and dip the bit in? Or rub it on?
I've used alcohol before in a small spray bottle. Works ok but a lot of stopping to wet the work. Keeps the bit from "gumming" up though.
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MJL21193 said:
Just rub the wax on the work piece. Also you may benefit for using HSS instead of carbide, for aluminum.
Magura 🙂
Magura said:
Does it stay sharp? They're generally less expensive than carbide. You've got me intrigued.
BTW, thanks guys for the candle wax tip. I'm going to give it a shot.
What I intend to do is sandwich my decorative screen mesh between the aluminum and the oak. Should be strong and lovely. 🙂 😎
carpenter said:
No, they don't stay sharp forever, but for that little bit of machining you need to do, HSS will work better.
Magura 🙂
Ok, I just gotta ask -- do you wear goggles and dust mask with detachable filters when routering? That's what I wear, and although I've gotten a lot of comments from my wife as to how that looks, "sexy" has never been one of them.
JJ
jupiterjune said:
Well, all this really tells us, is that John's wife has a fetish, and to be honest, rather a fetish for goggles and dust masks, than people that pee in their rain wear😀
Magura 🙂
Magura said:
I use the router mostly for wood, so I'm hesitant to get anything (like wax) on the machine itself. Wax and silicone are death to a finish.
I've been meaning to get a cheap router just for aluminum. If I do, I'll try the wax.
Yes, the HSS can be made much sharper than the carbide. It also doesn't seem to get as gummed up with aluminum stuck to it as the carbide bits - cleaner cut perhaps.
Tough to find them here now, not available in a lot of places.
carpenter said:
That's my K10A (thread explains).
Posted that mostly to show that I have, in the past, routed some aluminum. 🙂
jupiterjune said:
Magura said:
Well, the piece is so small, and I was outdoors at the time with a slight breeze... who needs a dust mask in a breeze... and then, you know how you have to flex your muscles to hold the router straight...
You can see where this is going? 😀 I did have eye and hearing protection though!
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