Routing End Grain?

[keith ouellette]

I am going to rout end grain on panels for some drawers. If the bit is guided by a bearing do any of you think it will make a smoother cut if it is sanded first. I would have to use an orbital sander as I don't have an edge sander.

[pat warner]

If the edge is rough from saw teeth or jointed with hills and valleys it will rout better if sanded first.
Notwithstanding, a bearing applies such high unit forces it will bounce along the edge, smooth or not. (More so if not sanded).
If the work is guided off a fence, expect better results.

Routers (http://www.patwarner.com)

[Gary Muto]

I am going to rout end grain on panels for some drawers. If the bit is guided by a bearing do any of you think it will make a smoother cut if it is sanded first. I would have to use an orbital sander as I don't have an edge sander.
You could attach some sandpaper to a flat surface, like a work table. That could allow you to smooth the edges of teh board before routing.
i don't think your routed edge will get any smoother after routing than it was before.
Maybe if you use the fence instead of the bearing 9if you don't need the whole profile) you could average out all of the little bumps... never tried it.

[Dave MacArthur]

Keith, you said "panels for doors"--if these are frame and panels, the profile is usually pretty deep on panels, and I would use a fence.

If they are just end caps, or light profile, remember that the bearing follows the contour of the edge... if the edge isn't flat, neither will the profile be, and it will usually stand out much more in it's deviations due to the scalloped nature of profile vs. edge. I would again use a fence.

If your bumps/roughness is just light, I'd sand it. And light passes on end grain is always key so you don't get chipout.

[keith ouellette]

I have found going backwards on the end grain for the width of the bit helps a lot if you can keep the work piece from running away from you. Not sure if its worth the risk.

[Lee Schierer]

I would suggest that even though you plan on using a piloted cutter that you use a fence and make light cuts. End grain can tear out more readily if the cut is removing lots of material. Remove 80-90% then remove the last 10%. Climb cutting (feeding backwards) can also produce a smoother cut but has the drawback that the piece will want to self feed into the cutter. Not a good thing to have happen taking large cuts with large bits.

[Jules Dominguez]

On end grain, I generally "climb cut" the very end of the cut first, then cut across the board in the normal direction. An alternative that works is to use a backing board, but be sure it's held snugly up to the workpiece.
And of course don't take too deep of a cut.
I've done this using both hand-held routers and a router table, whichever was most convenient (but safe) way for a given job. I don't really like to cut the end grain of a long board on a router table.