Using Flush Trim Router Bit in Router Table

[George Bokros]

I am making some shelves and edge banding the front edge with hardwood. I want to trim the edge banging flush to the shelf surfaces can I do this using a flush trim bit in the router table?

I am assuming that if I set the fence flush to the bearing then run the shelf edge banding face down on the table it should work, am I on the right track?

Thanks

George

[Ethan Melad]

depending on the depth of the shelves, you could use a flush trim bit with a bottom bearing (on the top when in a router table) without the fence at all. just make sure the bearing is riding on the top/bottom of the shelf. if its a deep shelf with a thin edge, then it could be tough to keep the panel vertical and flat to the table. in that case just use the fence set flush to the bearing. i usually set it so i can just barely make the bearing roll when passing stock over it.

[Adam Diethrich]

depending on the depth of the shelves, you could use a flush trim bit with a bottom bearing (on the top when in a router table) without the fence at all. just make sure the bearing is riding on the top/bottom of the shelf. if its a deep shelf with a thin edge, then it could be tough to keep the panel vertical and flat to the table. in that case just use the fence set flush to the bearing. i usually set it so i can just barely make the bearing roll when passing stock over it.

Yes, this...

The only thing I can add is that I recently did a bunch of this myself, and modified the fence just a bit.

My fence is a benchdog universal clamp-on model with MDF faces. I cut an appropriate rabbet along the long edge of the MDF to act as the relief for the slightly oversize hardwood trim, and then otherwise set things up pretty much the same as Ethan it sounds like.

Works great.

A.W.D.

[Bruce Darrow]

George,

I just did this for the first time w/ 1/2" panels 24" wide nosed w/ 3/8 red oak. In the past, I'd always used a bock plane to bring the slightly wider nosing flush w/ the panel face. Got good at it, but it's time consuming.

Here's what I learned: A tall auxiliary fence is essential w/ any wide panel. I simply screwed a piece of melamine to the router table sliding fence pieces (MDF, and thus sacrificial) after adjusting them for clearance side to side. The melamine was first slotted vertically to allow the bit to be buried, and the assembly was adjusted flush with the bit bearing. First attempt with the melamine sitting on the table proved (in retrospect, obviously) to be ineffectual - the proud nosing resting against the melamine on the infeed side kept the panel from fully contacting the bearing. Solution: raise the melamine off the table to allow the proud nosing to slide underneath. Once I figured out the setup, I was able to quickly and accurately trim the nosing flush. A couple of quick, light passes with the block plane brought the joint to perfection. I did this on all four sides of the panels I was making by gluing and trimming only the two opposing sides at the same time - in this case, for the same reason stated above, the auxiliary fence must be somewhat less tall than the panel.

Hope this makes sense....

[Myk Rian]

Solution: raise the melamine off the table to allow the proud nosing to slide underneath.

^^^^ This is important.

[Peter Quinn]

I like to double stick tape a solid fence to my primary fence, set it just a bit higher off the table than the edge band is thick to accommodate any glue squeeze, use a bottom bearing pattern bit, biggest diameter you have for smoother finish, preferably with some sheer angle to the carbide. As noted the fence has to be tall enough to support the work vertical. Don't try passing a 20+ " shelf past a 3" fence for instance. And leave a few thousands for sanding if its plywood and has any bow to it, divits are hard to correct.

[Dave Zellers]

Yes- bowed shelves are a problem with this method. I made a custom router plate with a pie shaped cutout up to and around the bit. Then with a flat bottom wide bit set just a bit above the bottom of the plate I can trim the nose with the shelf flat on a workbench and the router will follow any bow in the shelf.