Working Soft Maple

[Dave Lehnert]

I am doing a project out of soft maple. The tear-out is horrible in spots.
Some of my tools could be sharper but others like the router bits (rail, style, raised panel) is brand new. Same result.

This is the first time working with soft maple. Is this typical?

[harry strasil]

you need to cut to full depth in stages, always leave just a tad for a final finish cut.

[Dave Lehnert]

you need to cut to full depth in stages, always leave just a tad for a final finish cut.

Thats what I did on the raised panel bit but made no difference.

[Mike Henderson]

I've used soft maple and never had any excessive problems that I can remember. It doesn't work as nice as Honduras mahogany but it isn't horrible, either.

Mike

[Dave Lehnert]

Just may be the batch I purchased.

[Mike Henderson]

While this is a bit dangerous, you'll get less tear out if you climb cut on your router table. Just take small bites and keep a good handle on the work. After I climb cut, I finish with a regular direction cut, just to pick up anything I might have missed because I couldn't control the wood as well.

Mike

[Ed Labadie]

I've had the same experiences with Soft Maple.
Raised panel doors are a real pita, lots of hand sanding...not much fun.

Ed

[Frank Drew]

I had a lot of tearout issues with some figured soft maple the one time I used it, and in the end it proved to be more trouble than it was worth.

[Prashun Patel]

Curly soft maple can be a real bear. A sharp smoothing plane with a high bevel angle is the only thing that tamed mine. You can also try a card scraper for the flat surfaces.

For the routing, what kind of bits are you using? For any edge or straight work, you might consider a spiral carbide bit.

[Steve Clardy]

I've had the same experiences with Soft Maple.
Raised panel doors are a real pita, lots of hand sanding...not much fun.

Ed

Yep. One batch will be fine, next one will be a real pain.

[Conrad Fiore]

Dave,
Try wetting the area to be machined with either water or mineral spirits just prior to working the wood. That helped me when I had problems with curly soft maple.

[David DeCristoforo]

"While this is a bit dangerous, you'll get less tear out if you climb cut on your router table. Just take small bites and keep a good handle on the work."

This is one of those times when I just want to shout. But I won't. I will simply express MMHO that climb cutting "by hand" without the use of a power feeder on either a router table or shaper is one of the most unsafe things you can do in the shop. PLEASE do not attempt this! It's one thing with a handheld router with a small bit but with a panel cutter and the router in a table or on a shaper? Very risky!

[Peter Quinn]

Soft maple is a bear with router bits. Sharp or otherwise, figured or not. Keep your cuts light, keep your feed rate at a minimum. slow the bit down if you have to, pick your best grain orientation when possible, which often is impossible given all the grain switch backs. Spiral carbide is almost a must for flush trim situations.

It goes a lot easier with a shaper I can tell you given the gentle exit angle. Even then I have still have to climb cut some batches. I would second what David says about climb cutting. Not no but HE double hockey sticks no on a shaper without a power feed, and not too smart on a router table hand fed either. In any event, DO NOT climb cut small parts on the router table (and most cabinet door rails would constitute small parts IMO) either.

I have climb cut with some pretty big bits freehand with a router making counter tops and mantles, but its a big router and big well secured work too. Nothing to fly away and get weird or pull the hands into a spinning cutter. Have you tried the Freud 2X2 panel raisers? Good stuff that keeps tear out to a minimum.

[Mike Henderson]

"While this is a bit dangerous, you'll get less tear out if you climb cut on your router table. Just take small bites and keep a good handle on the work."

This is one of those times when I just want to shout. But I won't. I will simply express MMHO that climb cutting "by hand" without the use of a power feeder on either a router table or shaper is one of the most unsafe things you can do in the shop. PLEASE do not attempt this! It's one thing with a handheld router with a small bit but with a panel cutter and the router in a table or on a shaper? Very risky!
You're right, David, and I hesitated to recommend it because of that. And my recommendation was for a small bit and not for a panel raising bit - but I should have specified that.

Mike

[Dave Lehnert]

Dave,
Try wetting the area to be machined with either water or mineral spirits just prior to working the wood. That helped me when I had problems with curly soft maple.

I will give that a try next time. Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the woodworking and safety tips.