Table or handheld (router use)?

[John TenEyck]

To prevent tear out on the router table I have for years done a quarter inch or less slow climb cut on the corner that will tear out. Then routing conventionally results in no tear out and utilizes the safety and advantages of the router table.

A backer board will take care of corner chipout, and that can be done in the conventional way. The greater issue is tearout along the edge when the grain runs into the bit, and there's no good way of dealing with that routing right to left. A climb cut along the entire edge is the only way of avoiding that tearout, whether done on the router table or hand held.

John

[Doug Garson]

You are right. The OP didn't ask if tearout would be an issue doing the profile cuts on the router table; he asked which was the better option, router table or handheld. I said handheld and gave a reason why - tearout. If you've done much routing on the router table you will know about tearout when the grain is running the wrong way. There's just no way to avoid it on some of the edges from a group of doors if you always route right to left. You can try to minimize the problem by taking small cuts but in some cases tearout will happen anyway ruining the door.

Your reference of the FWW article explains when it's possible to manually climb cut safely on the router table - when the workpiece is heavy, either of it's own accord or when cradled in a massive jig. This helps resist the force of the router bit that wants to shoot it out of your hands, left to right. It's a poor man's power feeder.

When you climb cut with the router handheld it can't shoot out the workpiece if it's clamped down. You, plus the mass of the router are acting as the power feeder to resist the tendency of the bit to run along the edge of the workpiece. I find one hand operation safe with a palm router and small diameter bit and the workpiece held down on a router mat to be safe but that's just me.

I think I've explained it the best I can. Do whatever you feel safe doing.

John

Good explanation, I think at the bit/workpiece contact point it doesn't matter whether the router is handheld or in a table, if it grabs it's going to pull the workpiece into the bit or the bit into the workpiece. If the router is in a table and your pushing the workpiece with your bare hand in line with the bit your hand is going to head for the bit and trouble, the solution is a push block or jig like the Fine Woodworking article so your hand is not in line with the bit and/or there is something between you and the bit. Taking light passes reduces the chance of the bit grabbing.
Just to be clear, I was not disagreeing that climb cutting is dangerous whether hand held or table mounted, just trying to understand the dynamics involved. I guess it's the Engineer in me that wants to understand what's going on rather than blindly following the rules.

[Jay Aubuchon]

I'm hoping I can deal with tear out by using a backer board.

This sounds as though you are thinking of blowout at the end of the cut rather than tear out during the cut.

[johnny means]

Either way will do as long as the panels are flat. If not, a router table will leave an uneven profile. Climb cutting shouldn't be necessary, and imo is almost never preferable, if your bit is sharp. Rather, take mulitiple passes with the bit not at full depth. It's the cutter's exit angle that causes problems. partial depth cuts will keep the angle more shear. Rout the endgrain edge first, the next pass along the long grain will clean up the blowout.
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[Mel Fulks]

I’ve never had any luck using light cuts to avoid tear-out. But maybe my luck is ready to turn!! If you don’t like the idea of climb cuts,
you can use sandpaper to slightly round corner before using the router, that’s just another way of dealing with the “loose thread”

[Alan Schwabacher]

If you climb cut on a router table, your hand is on the work that might be thrown, so it could be pulled into the bit.

If you climb cut with a lightweight router by hand, the router with your hand on it may be pulled along the cut. You can more easily make sure it does not hit your hand.