Popular Woodworking 2004-06 № 141, страница 50

TIPS & TRICKS

PRO TIP:

Subtle Refinement

Edge treatments don't have to be complicated to be effective. A simple roundover bit or chamfering bit in the right locations can soften the look and feel of a piece of furniture, adding an extra level of elegance. And either of these bits work well with a bearing guide in an easy-to-manage trim router.

GREAT TRICK:

Keep That Piece Clamped Down Tight

Whenever you're routing something, make sure that either your workpiece or your router is stable and secure - they can't both move. If you choose to move the router across the work, clamp the work to your bench. If a clamp interferes with the operation, rout up to it and turn the router off. Then move the clamp to an area on the workpiece that you've already cut and resume routing.

GREAT TIP:

Back-routing (Also Known as Climb-cutting) Can be Tough

Occasionally you must back-rout a piece to reduce tear-out. This means you are cutting with the bit's rotation, rather than against it. It's much more difficult to control your work this way, so be sure to take shallow cuts and feed very slowly. Keep the router and the work steady, making sure the bit doesn't chatter.

may burn the wood. If you can't vary the speed of the router, you shouldn't use bits larger than 2" in diameter. Even bits larger than 1¹/2" can be troublesome.

Surface Treatments

In addition to cutting edges, you can create a variety of decorative shapes in the face of your workpiece. Surface treatments can be cut pretty easily with either a hand-held or a table-mounted router fitted with either an unpiloted or a point-cut bit.

The most common surface decoration is a simple groove - flat-bottom, round-bottom or V-bottom. If the groove is straight, use a straightedge, fence or miter gauge to guide the cut. If the groove is irregular, you'll want to use a guide collar and a template.

For decorative grooves with a more-complex geometry, you can make multi

ple passes - or use a more-complex bit. For example, by making multiple parallel passes with a point-cut roundover bit (sometimes called a "beading" bit), you can form cock beads and reeds. Or, you can make cuts with a veining bit or a round-nose bit to create flutes. Also, a point-cut ogee bit will rout a wide groove with a double-ogee shape.

Making Complex Mouldings

When you produce complex mouldings, you often make multiple cuts, combining edge and surface treatments. It isn't difficult, but there are tricks to help you.

• First, you will need to decide which router bits to use to cut the different shapes. Often this is more of an art than a science. There may be three or four bits in your selection that will produce a single shape. Knowing which one will work best is a matter of experience.

When cutting straight grooves, you can use a variety of jigs to get a decorative effect. Here, a tapering jig produces a pattern of angled grooves in a table leg. The grooves create the impression of a tapered leg, even though it's straight.

Popular Woodworking