tearout

[Buddy Greenoe]

I am in the process of making several raised panel doors out of red oak. I am making the rails and stiles on my router table and seem to be getting alot of tearout on the inside edge. Is there a way to prevent this?

[Dave Gaul]

If you are getting tearout on a routed edge, then you are probably either feeding your stock too quickly, or your bit speed is too fast for the material and/or bit size, or a combo of both!

Also, make sure your bit's edge is clean and sharp...

HTH

[Matt Day]

Are you going against the grain, or is the grain inconsistent?

[Chuck Isaacson]

Try making the cut in multiple passes instead of just one pass. That might help too.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Sometimes I need to take lighter cuts. I also have been known to climb cut to avoid tearout - but you have to think that through before you do it, and light passes become essential - flying wood ain't good.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm with Kent and Chuck. Multiple passes and climb cut the final pass. Just be aware of the potential hazards of climb cutting. It will tend to pull your work into the cutter so you must have good control of the part. Sometimes climb cutting is the only way to accomplish a cut.

[Van Huskey]

I'm with Kent and Chuck. Multiple passes and climb cut the final pass. Just be aware of the potential hazards of climb cutting. It will tend to pull your work into the cutter so you must have good control of the part. Sometimes climb cutting is the only way to accomplish a cut.


You can reduce the dangers of climb cutting by bump cutting prior to the climb cut.

One other way to reduce tearout is use the Freud quadra-cut bits when possible, they effectively double the speed (number of cuts) of the bit.

[johnny means]

You have a couple of things working against you. First is your material, red oak tends to splinter a lot when routed. Second is your smaller size cutter. Your router bit exits the stock at a steep angle, thus lifting the waste out of the wood with no uncut material backing it up.

What you can do is use a zero clearance fence. Make a sacrificial fence attach one end to your table and pivot it into the spinning bit. This will create a hole in the fence the exact shape of your bit. Now that little edge that keeps splintering will have support when routed.

[glenn bradley]

Red oak can really tearout while routing. I call it blowout as it can be quite severe. I have a mirrored door on a cabinet that is thinner than originally designed due to just what you are experiencing. Here's some good info: http://woodworking.about.com/od/dealingwithproblems/p/ReduceRouterTearOut.htm

When profiling it is not always an option to route "downhill (http://www.zimbio.com/Woodworking/articles/48/Reading+understanding+wood+grain)" as desired. If I have an edge that is really prone to blowout I will take very small passes and climb-cut (http://thewoodwhisperer.com/router-climb-cutting-question-of-the-week/) the last 1/32" to get a clean edge. I have had some success with bump cutting (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l4suyL84-w&feature=channel)but this can be tricky in red oak, ash and other really fibrous woods.

[Kent A Bathurst]

You can reduce the dangers of climb cutting by bump cutting prior to the climb cut.

One other way to reduce tearout is use the Freud quadra-cut bits when possible, they effectively double the speed (number of cuts) of the bit.

All right, Van - you got me - "bump cutting"?

[Dan Bowman]

bump cutting with Charles Neil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l4suyL84-w

[Kent A Bathurst]

Dan - thanks - that was a new one on me.

[pat warner]

Some data (http://patwarner.com/tearout.html), tho not particular new, neither is tearout.

[Dennis Lopeman]

hey - that Bump Cutting looks kinda purty!!!