Can I do this with a router table?

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
This may sound like a dumb question, but I’m still a newbie, so I’ll ask it.
Suppose I want to put a slight profile (maybe roundover or chamfer) on all four edges of a 1x8 piece of lumber, 4 feet long.
I have a decent size Bosch router table. Even though I’m a newbie, I’m pretty sure that I can guide the piece well enough to do the long edges, but what do I do when I try to handle the short edges? When I’m pushing the short edge past the bit, and I have most of the length of the 1x8 perpendicular to the fence, what do I do to keep the piece from wobbling as it goes past the bit?
If you tell me to hand route the short edges, won’t I have a problem getting the bit positioned properly to exactly match the degree of roundover or chamfer that I did on the long edge?
Or are you going to tell me to do the whole job by hand and not use a router table at all?
Thanks,
Louis

[Richard Wolf]

If your round over bit has a bearing on top, you shouldn't be using the fence. Start on the end of one of the long sides and just go right around the corner and do the end grain, try and maintain contact with the bit at all times and just follow around all four sides.

Richard

[glenn bradley]

I'm going with the idea that you don't have an outfeed table or stand to support the length not to mention, as you say, trying the narrow edge on the RT is a bit of a juggling act. I'll also assume this isn't a bearing bit. As I would do the short edges by hand anyway, I'd just do the whole thing by hand. If you're using a bearing bit do what Richard suggests.

Do your short edges first. That way if there is any tear out at your exit point, the profiling of the long edge will most likely take care of it. If you don't have a large routing pad so that you can just lay the board fully supported on a bench or the floor, clamp one end and do most of the job. Move clamp and finish off.

[Joe Spear]

You might want to make some kind of a sled to clamp the board to, with a strip on the bottom to ride in the miter slot, if you have one. Having said that, you're going to get tear-out running the end-grain through the router bit. I would chamfer the long edges on the router and then use a sander to chamfer the ends. You could get sort of a round-over one the ends by sanding, but you could do a chamfer more consistently. I have done end grain edge-routing on narrow pieces, but it's frightening when the piece gets kicked out and spins around. A 4-foot piece might be dangerous to work with. Go with sanding or hand-planing for the ends.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Don't forget to clamp a sacrificial bit of wood when routing the end grain.

And yah you can do it on a table router.

[Russ Buddle]

I agree with Richard. Do not use the fence, and stretch your arms apart. 4 feet is not that hard to balance on a router table. Make sure to keep the edge of the wood in contact with the bearing, and you will be fine.

[pat warner]

" do the long edges, but what do I do when I try to handle the short edges? When I’m pushing the short edge past the bit, and I have most of the length of the 1x8 perpendicular to the fence, what do I do to keep the piece from wobbling as it goes past the bit? "
_______________

With a curtain fence. (http://patwarner.com/images/new_fence.jpg) The plastic curtain has no breaks; it is transparent, deflection-free, and continous. The bottom of the bugger rests just above the cutter projection. 8" of stock (end grain or whatever) is plenty of stock to slide against (the fence) and no fear of jamming it in a cutter pocket.
Routers (http://patwarner.com)

[J.R. Rutter]

That curtain fence is COOL! Thanks for posting that!

I do a similar thing UNDER my shaper cutters with aluminum stock when exact thickness under the cut is important.

[Jules Dominguez]

If I didn't already have a roundover bit with a bearing guide, I'd buy one and do it like Richard said. It's pretty much foolproof, and those bits are indispensable. You can use them when routing either handheld or on the router table, with or without a fence.
I generally find that the little bit of tearout I get at the end of a crossgrain cut is cleaned up when I make the following pass on the adjacent side, and I only use a backing piece in those cases when the adjacent side isn't going to be routed.
Having said that, another way to avoid tearout is to carefully make a climb, or back cut at the corner before routing across the edge.
Whichever way you do it, practice on a scrap board before doing your workpiece. This will also let you check your depth of cut. It's easy to have just a hair too much bit exposed and end up with a line that has to be sanded out of the workpiece.