router project help!!

[paul ashman]

Hello,
I usually post on the woodturners site, but I wanted to open this question up to more viewers. I have to do a laege quantity of a small, routed project. I am using pine or poplar, 1/2" by 2" and 8" long. I need to do a decorative edge (simple roman) all the way around. I have a basic router table with a craftsman (again basic) router. I tried an inexpensive bit and was able to do the long sides OK, but the ends are a problem, the piece is so small that I cannot keep it steady enough to make a clean cut. I tried to make a jig by screwing a piece of wood onto the mitre gauge, but it did not work. I do not have much experience with a router, am I doing something fundamentally wrong? Does the quality of the bit on such a simple project make a big difference? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

back to making square things round....

[Jim Becker]

Make a small sled that you can move along the fence that will provide good support for the board when you are milling the ends. A miter gage often isn't good enough for this purpose. The sled also doubles to make the exit of the cut cleaner. you should also mill the end-grain first for best results.

[joe greiner]

Just to clarify/augment Jim's reply (no offense, Jim), extend the backup support all the way to the fence, so that end-grain tearout is in the support instead of the workpiece.

Joe

[Lee Schierer]

It sounds like the piece you are making is long and thin. You need to support the piece you are cutting very close to the cutter so it doesn't vibrate when you make the cut. You may need to clamp it between two sacrificial pieces to make the cut. Make sure you make the cuts across the end grain first.