Router bit burn marks

[Larry Browning]

I am having trouble removing those router bit burn marks you get when you pause the router. I have sanded and sanded but can't seem to get rid of them. My current project is not going to be stained at all, and these burn marks are really going to stand out unless I can get rid of them. Do you have any suggestions besides lots of sanding to remove these? I am afraid I will noticeably alter my pretty roman ogee profile if I sand any more.
I know, you will probably say something like "well don't pause the router" or "get a sharper bit". These are going to be wonderful tips for how to prevent these burns in the first place, and I am sure to learn a few things, but, this will not make the current burn marks go away. I need help removing the existing little nastys.

[Daniel Hillmer]

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[Larry Browning]

Daniel,
So are you saying I should just keep sanding?

BTW: I think I am one of the ones who doesn't understand binary.

[Daniel Hillmer]

Have you tried gently scraping the burn marks with a sharp utility knife blade held in the hand? That may help.

[Burt Waddell]

Larry,

Set the router just a hair deeper and go over the cut again. That will probably get the mark unless it is burned deeply. If possible it is best not to stop the router while doing a cut.

Burt

[Gary Breckenridge]

:cool:When I am routing a light colored wood like cherry I plan on making two passes. The first pass is to chop off 90% of the wood. The second pass is to smoothly finish off the final 10% of the cut in the wood. On the second pass I go for an even feed speed without any pauses.

The dark marks are burned wood, not as bad as charcoal, but almost.:eek:

You might want to try another pass over the router to get rid of the burn marks.

[glenn bradley]

First of all (and you've got this one figured out) don't pause with a cutter in contact spinning 25 - 30,000 rpm. If you need to pause, back the cutter off the surface. Now since I have explained how to avoid burns we can assume I NEVER have this happen . . . . so I use a scraper or if the area is tucked away or smaller, an X-acto knife (used like a scraper) and then sand. I also find the sooner you repair the damage the easier.

[Rusty Elam]

Dampen the burn marks with mineral spirits, it will make them sand out easier.

[Jim Becker]

Burt has it right...a very slight adjustment in depth for a light pass will clear up most, if not all of the burning. The remainder can be removed by scraping.

[Larry Browning]

Thanks for all the replies. As usual SMC rocks!
I am going to try the scrapping first. I have already changed router bits and adjusted the height on the router several times since the burning incident. So setting the bit a "hair" deeper might be problematic at this point.
Scrapping seems a little less radical to me as well. I think I might try the mineral spirits if the scrapping doesn't work out.
I will let you know.

[Chris Padilla]

You ever watch Woodworks, Larry? I love it that they show burned wood on some of his cuts. Makes it seem more common that it can happen to even folks some think are ww'ing gods.

Burning wood is dependent on the wood, the sharpness of the cutter, and the amount of cuts per unit length. That is why pausing is bad...the cutter just chops at the same point for "a while" and heats up the wood.

If you have trouble with burning while ripping, try increasing your feed rate a little bit. I was shocked at the difference and it was actually easier to rip feeding a little faster.

I have a video from Mark Sommerfeld where he shows how to make raised panels using curved templates. He really whips the wood through that large cutter and surprisingly, the cut is very nice and clean.