Routing EndGrain direction? No tear out? Major Brain Fart!

[Patrick Irish]

Been using my router table for long I’ve seen to forgot the proper direction to go when using a hand held (Palm) router.

I made a few endgrain cheese boards and want to round over the edge and would like to avoid going the wrong way and causing tear out.

Thanks!

[Lee Schierer]

Generally speaking you normally want to go left to right with a hand held router. End gain can be tricky, so I would hughly recommend a Freud Quad cut router bit to do your round over.

[Brian Holcombe]

Is the board end grain up?

I'd cut the profile stopping before the exit all the way around, then go back and trim to the exit. When you're trimming into a profile it reduces chip out. It also helps if you can back up the cut with a clamped on board.

[Prashun Patel]

Climb cut the corners right to left.

Do the whole thing in several passes, thin cut each time. It will allow you to move quicker, reducing burning, and creates less resistance on the climbing portions which you know makes the router want to run away from you.

[Mark Hockenberg]

What Brian said - back up your exit with a sacrificial board. Always cut the two end grain sides first, then come back and rout with the grain. The rout with the grain will often cut off any oops cut from the end grain tear out.

[Pat Barry]

Been using my router table for long I’ve seen to forgot the proper direction to go when using a hand held (Palm) router.

I made a few endgrain cheese boards and want to round over the edge and would like to avoid going the wrong way and causing tear out.

Thanks!

It'll be obvious once you try it, so try it on a scrap piece first.

[Rich Aldrich]

Counterclockwise for the outside. if you are routing the inside opening, go Clockwise. Absolutely agree with doing the end grain first with a sacrificial backer board on the exit cut.

[Lee Schierer]

Absolutely agree with doing the end grain first with a sacrificial backer board on the exit cut.

He is rounding end grain cutting boards, all he will be cutting is end grain.......

[Brian Holcombe]

The edge can chip out at the end if the cut.