Mortises on a router table

High risk, blind cutting on the router table. Smart to be skeptical.
Work can jetison unexpeditly.
In my view, one of the most frequent reasons for loss of work piece
and injury.

Routers
_________________
http://patwarner.com/








On Nov 3, 8:20 am, samson <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?
>
> Thanks,
>
> S.

It can be a bit tricky to do it that way, but many people do.

I prefer using a plunge router and an edge guide. Clamp the part in a vise,
set the edge guide so the mortise ends up in the right position and then
carefully make the cut. Make sure you are moving the router so that the bit
rotation pulls the edge guide toward your part rather than away from it.

Charley




"samson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?
>
> Thanks,
>
> S.

"samson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?
>
> Thanks,
>
> S.

No problem. Although, 1/2" might be a lot to hog out with a 3/8" bit in
one pass. Two passes might be in order.

One more thing, I highly recommend an up-cut spiral bit for this job. Make
sure the bit is in the collet tight because they have a tendency to creep
out of the collet (through the wood) if not tight.

--
www.garagewoodworks.com

On Sat, 3 Nov 2007 11:20:11 -0500, samson <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
>my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
>length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
>the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
>looked around on the web for examples of others using this
>method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?

There's nothing really wrong with it so long as you're careful. Make
sure your hands never get close to the bit, even if it is buried in
wood and make sure the workpiece isn't going to come back at you and
you should be fine.

Depending on the size of the piece though, using a hand-held plunge
router is probably easier and more exact.

It will work, but a mortising jig would be a good bit safer.

Mortising jigs come in "many" different flavors but here is
a "dead simple" method for basic mortising.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=29

or even this fairly simple one:

http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/090/extras/plunge-router-mortising-jig/





samson wrote:

> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?
>
> Thanks,
>
> S.

Pat Barber wrote:
> It will work, but a mortising jig would be a good bit safer.
>
> Mortising jigs come in "many" different flavors but here is
> a "dead simple" method for basic mortising.
>
> http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=29

That's the exact jig I use. Easy to build and simple to use.

I've done lots of router table mortising by lowering the work onto the
spinning bit, and I find Tage's jig to be far safer. The table works,
but definitely has a higher pucker factor.

Pat Barber wrote:
> It will work, but a mortising jig would be a good bit safer.
>

I forgot to mention...

Mounting two edge guides to a plunge router, on one set of rails, also
works really well.

GarageWoodworks wrote:
> "samson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
>> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
>> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
>> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
>> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
>> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> S.
>
> No problem. Although, 1/2" might be a lot to hog out with a 3/8"
> bit in one pass. Two passes might be in order.
>
> One more thing, I highly recommend an up-cut spiral bit for this
> job.
> Make sure the bit is in the collet tight because they have a
> tendency
> to creep out of the collet (through the wood) if not tight.

Not only tight, but make sure the bit and collet are _clean_. A tiny
bit of grease will let the bit creep right out even if it's tight.
DAMHIKT.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Check out a site called EagleLakeWoodworking.com for a really elegant
way of doing what you need .. .. ..


samson wrote:
> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?
>
> Thanks,
>
> S.

"samson" wrote in message
> I'm making 1/2 inch deep and 3/8 inch wide mortises on
> my router table. I set a block and use guidelines for the
> length. I push the wood straight down on the bit and slide
> the wood forward until the mortise is made. I sort of
> looked around on the web for examples of others using this
> method and found none. Is this a no-no for some reason?

Actually, what you are doing is a quite common method. Where it gets dicey
is on deep mortises close to end of the stock.

A plunge router, either equipped with an edge guide, or a with a router jig,
is ideal for this task and may be more accurate in many situations.

For a look at a couple of ideas go to:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/Jigs.htm

... and scroll down to "Router Mortising Jigs".

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/25/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)