Ogee Bracket feet Pt 2: Saving my hands. Please help!

[Steven Shelby]

Last we tryped, I was asking for suggestion on how to make ogee bracket feet for DW's new dining room buffet/hutch/whateveryawannacallit. I took many of your suggestions to heart and decided that I would attempt to make them on the band saw and then just sand the daylights outa them. My results were marginal at best. And as I start to run close to my self-imposed deadline, I began to wonder if the time I was spending scraping and sanding wasn't better used on another part of the project like, say, building the doors and drawers.

I had become frustrated and was close to ordering pre-made stock online, as someone had mentioned, when I found another option. Actually, DW was about to throw an Eagleamerica.com catalog in the trash one morning and she started to leaf through it, and then blurted the imortal words"Honey, I think I found it!" "It" was this: http://eagleamerica.com/ogee-foot-molding-bit/p/175-1175/
Perfect, I thought. I can make it on the router table. So I prdered it and it came yesterday. I got home from work and immediately headed for the shop. Set it up in the RT1000SE, and the first thing I noticed was that, with the bit at the needed height, the bearing hit the bridge part of the fence on the RT. So I figured I either need to raise the fence or run it through without the fence. So I ran a test without the fence and proceeded to have the stock kicked back at me and thrown about 6 feet across the room. Don't think that'll work, ya know?

So this is where I ask for your help. What will work? Do I raise the fence? And, if so...how? I know I need to make several passes, taking fractions of material each pass. But how do I do that without a fence? What's more, how do I do any of this with this monster bit without losing a hand? I am a stickler for safety and will do do this unless I feel safe. But any time stock starts flying around the room, I tend to be concerned. Do I try it with router in hand instead of in a table? That doesn't seem to make sense. I have the motoer at it's slowest setting... is it too slow? too fast?

Yor expert input is badly needed! Please help!

[Pete Bradley]

I didn't see the original post, but I'd still recommend the band saw.

To use this bit on a router table, I'd probably use my own wood fence with a chunk cut out, or apply two appropriately sized pieces of hardwood to the existing fence on either side of the cutter.

Pete

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Steven,

Here's my take on it.

If it was me using that bit.....I would want a fence. Even if I had to make a wooden fence and bolt/screw to my existing fence......find some straight piece of 2x4; cut a hole in the fence for the bit... and screw it to your existing fence.

2ndly, that bit has a lot of vertical surface area, I would take extremely light passes...ie....this cuts.....and plan on making many. Start with just a hint of the bit exposed....one pass through.....maybe expose another 1/32-1/16" of the bit by moving the fence and make a pass. Don't try to rush this.

What you are making is the icing on the cake. Don't try to rush it and make extra in case after you cut it to length, you find you measured or cut it wrong....

Good luck!

[Greg Hines, MD]

Set it up in the RT1000SE, and the first thing I noticed was that, with the bit at the needed height, the bearing hit the bridge part of the fence on the RT. So I figured I either need to raise the fence or run it through without the fence. So I ran a test without the fence and proceeded to have the stock kicked back at me and thrown about 6 feet across the room. Don't think that'll work, ya know?

So this is where I ask for your help. What will work? Do I raise the fence? And, if so...how? I know I need to make several passes, taking fractions of material each pass. But how do I do that without a fence? What's more, how do I do any of this with this monster bit without losing a hand? I am a stickler for safety and will do do this unless I feel safe. But any time stock starts flying around the room, I tend to be concerned. Do I try it with router in hand instead of in a table? That doesn't seem to make sense. I have the motoer at it's slowest setting... is it too slow? too fast?

Yor expert input is badly needed! Please help![/quote]


You definitely should not be using a vertical bit like that without a fence or some kind of fixture to limit the exposure of the bit incrementally. I would attach a zero-clearance fence to your fence, and make it so that you can take light passes to form your moulding. The bearing on that bit, I would think, is useless.

I would definitely slow down the router, as low as you can to begin with and make some test cuts to see how fast it needs to run.

Doc

[David DeCristoforo]

If you are saying that you were running the stock between the bit and the cutter, it's no wonder you had the violent kickback! This can be done but only if you are using a stock feeder.

A "safe" way to do this would be to attach a temporary "backer" to the stock like this:
83654

A bit of hot melt glue or even TB to hold the temp. piece which can be cut away after milling.

YM

[Peter Quinn]

There is no safe way to use any bit that size in a router table without a fence. I would look at adding an auxilary fence (or one piece on each side of the bit) screwed or clamped to the front of your present fence that allows the bit to clear the top of your existing fence (that piece with the T track). A simple piece of square stock thicker than the diameter of the bit or perhaps a piece of MDF should suffice.

Take light passes and use the bearing only as a reference to set your final pass for the full depth of cut. I wouldn.t even try to take a cut that deep on a shaper in one pass freehand. Thats asking for trouble. I would be concerned that taking out that much material in a single pass would cause at least severe bit deflection and possible damage the bit and or router permanently. Obviously you have learned that kick back is also a serious possibility.

Also remember to follow manufacturers bit speed recomendations as advised above. Making your final pass very light will improve the finished quality of the piece and reduce chatter/sanding.

[Louis Rucci]

If the bearing isn't needed, can you unscrew it?

The fence should be sufficient.

[Paul Simmel]

Steven,

It sounds to me like you need a crash course on shaping… seriously, since you attempted to run the piece (and no where did you say how long that piece was… I get the feeling you were attempting to run a short piece) through without anchor points for your stock to rest against as you feed.

Yoshi’s example is a good one, but you have to visualize the fence in his example as half of a split fence. Also, you don’t need the backer board at all.

With the bit you have, and the way the stock (long stock) will be cut as you feed, you would have absolutely no problem whatsoever so long as the top and bottom of your stock stays up tight against your split fences. It’s a piece of cake, really. Just slide the fences up close to the bit. You’ll only have a couple of inches to bridge. Use the baring as a guide as to how far forward you move the fences.

Look at Yoshi’s example. The bit is just removing a portion of material out of the belly of your stock. You don’t even have to match the profile on the out feed side of the fence, because you aren’t removing anything from the top or bottom of your piece. This is an easy setup compared to, say, a handrail. On a handrail, you’d have to carefully match the profile on the out feed side, in order to maintain your anchor points. In either case, you’d safely be running this through all day long.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Also, you don’t need the backer board at all."

The backer is probably overkill motivated by the "Saving my hands" part of the subject of the OP's post....

:)
YM

[Barry Bruner]

Steven go to search and put in BRACKET FEET PATERN and there is a pattern and it shows how to cut the cove on the table saw. I used the pattern and cut mine out on the bandsaw and I then used a disc sander to smooth them out. If you happen to have the February 2002 addition of FINE WOODWORKING in your hand Lonnie Bird shows how to make them on the bandsaw. Barry Bruner

[Barry Bruner]

I am sorry it is on a WOODSMITH site not SAWMILL CREEK. BARRY BRUNER

[Richard McComas]

Here's a link to the instruction I used for my bracket feet on my cherry chest of drawers.
http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/145/extras/bracket-feet/

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/rmccomas0043/cherrychest-1.jpg

[Steven Shelby]

Thanks to everyone who offered their help! As soon as I saw Pete, Ken and Doc mention an auxilary fence, I kinda slapped myself upside a the head and thought "of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

I got a couple lengths of 2x4 and screwed them to the router table fence, made probably 6 to 8 different depths of cut with at least 2 passes per depth... and I am happy to say the result was wonderful and I have all my fingers!

Truth is, it was a simple solution. And though I should have thought of it myself But I didn't. I am thrilled to have my friends at the Creek helping me out! Thank you, all, again, very much!

Have a great week!

[Don Bullock]

Great news Steven. I hope you're planning on sharing your finished buffet/hutch.