Router problem making drawers

[Tamara White]

I'm using a router in a router table to cut the slots in the side of the drawers that will run along rails in a stack of drawers in a dresser if that makes sense. I'm new to this so don't think I'm using the right terminology. The drawers will "hang" on the rails inside the dresser and then glide on them with those corresponding slots. It's a very standard drawer thing but just not something i'm used to doing. I'm familiar with using a router, however i'm not familiar with using it in this fashion, or even using it in a table. The problem I'm having is, when pushing the wood through (over the router bit) there seems to be WAY too much force attempting to pull the wood out of my hands. So then it whips into the fence I've clamped, dislodging it and resulting in a bad cut. It's similar to bad kickback I've experienced on a table saw but opposite. The first set of drawer sides I ran through went fine. The second set was the problem. The second set there was more distance between the fence and the bit, and that seems to be the only difference. I feel like this should be so simple and I'm just missing something. Direction, speed setting, space from fence, etc?? I know this is pretty standard woodworking technique so apologies if I sound like an idiot haha. HELP!

[Lee Schierer]

Please provide more information. Such as:

Type of wood?

Type and size of the router bit being used?

Width and depth of cut?

When you start your cut is the work piece being held tightly against a fence?

Are you pushing the piece along the table into the bit or lowering the work piece onto the spinning bit?

[Tamara White]

Lee, it's walnut. Its a straight bit, 5/8". Doing the cut the width of the bit and the depth is 1/2". I was taking two passes though to achieve the total depth. The piece was tight against the fence and I also clamped a second piece on the other side of the drawer side to help hold it in place against the fence. Pushing the piece in and then stopping rather than lowering onto the bit.

[Richard Coers]

You should be pushing the wood from the right side of the bit to the left side, facing the fence. Sounds like you are going from left to right. That is called climb cutting and very dangerous.

[Tamara White]

oh no I definitely knew about that part, but thanks for the heads up. definitely pushing right to left.

[Jim Dwight]

Is it possible you hit a dense spot in the wood or something and the bit jerked the wood a bit and now you are tensed up and pushing the wood too firmly into the fence?

I would decrease the depth of cut to 1/8th and try that. The wood should push easily for this cut and it should help you build confidence. I don't like "screaming routers" so I generally take light cuts.

I think you are talking about side hung drawers where the drawer sides are fairly thick and the cabinet they go into have runners on the side to fit into the grooves you are making. Nothing wrong with that construction but I don't think there is a significant advantage over drawers sliding on a frame in the cabinet with the bottom of the drawer on the frame. Eliminating the groove in the side of the drawer means you can use thinner drawer sides, the drawers will be lighter, and the drawers will hold more. Something to think about for the next time.

I think if you slow down and make more passes you will have better luck. You bit might also be getting dull or have gotten hot on the first set of drawers. Does it have black deposits on it? If so, it will work better if you clean it.

[Lee Schierer]

Lee, it's walnut. Its a straight bit, 5/8". Doing the cut the width of the bit and the depth is 1/2". I was taking two passes though to achieve the total depth. The piece was tight against the fence and I also clamped a second piece on the other side of the drawer side to help hold it in place against the fence. Pushing the piece in and then stopping rather than lowering onto the bit.

First off, make sure your fence is clamped well enough to resist the side force of the cut as you are making it. Instead of a 5/8" bit, I would suggest using a 1/2" Diameter X 7/8" Double Flute Straight Router Bit in 1/4" or 1/2" shank, depending on your router, with 1/2" shank being better.

Each cut into the end of the piece is going to try to move sideways toward the fence and that tendency will continue as you go through the piece as the bit will continue to be hitting end grain and also will want to self feed as you are still cutting on the pulling side of the bit between the bit and the fence. You really need to hang on and let the fence help you. If the fence isn't sturdy you will continue to have trouble. Don't rush the cut, let the bit do the work. Just keep the piece moving at a slow, steady rate to reduce the chance of burning.

Reduce your cutting depth to no more than 1/4" each pass, maybe less, and make multiple passes. Time making passes beats replacing pieces of walnut. You can take deeper cuts when you start making the cuts to reach the final width of your slot.

Check your router speed against the recommended rpm's for 1/2" diameter bits. Your maximum rpm for a bit less than 1" dia should not exceed 24,000 rpm. You can run it slower and it may work better.

Making multiple passes with less depth of cut will also give the chips some place to go after the first cut.

When buying router bits, you get what you pay for. Cheap bits generally don't cut well and don't last long. Freud, Whiteside and Amana are good quality bits. Get carbide tipped bits as they hold up better.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I had similar happen to me once. The bit ripped the workpiece right out of my grip and tossed it into the wall.
I later found out in my case, I was going against the grain.

[James Jayko]

Just my two cents...I don't think I'd use a router table for this. I'd make a jig to do it with a handheld router. You could make a big jig to do all the dados with one setup, or you could make a single dado jig and do both piece at once, clamped together edge to edge.

Also, 5/8" is a honkin' bit...I'd probably take four 1/8" passes instead of two 1/4". You could also use a dado stack (or a smaller router bit...1/4" pr 3/8") to clear out a bunch of the waste before going to full width?

[Michael Rutman]

I agree with all the advise, just adding that you may want to get some featherboards. One to hold it down and one to keep it against the fence.

If the piece is small enough and you have metal on the router table, look at the magsafe featherboards. They are a must have for me on my table saw and bandsaw and I wish my router table was metal so I could use them there.

[Ron Citerone]

Most router problems get better with multiple light cuts. A rule of thumb that I have seen and use is the amount of wood removed should be approx 1/4” x 1/4” in volume. That might be on the light side , but a good starting point.

[Andrew Hughes]

Too me it sounds like a dull bit. Taking smaller cuts will help even with a new bit.
I don’t use a router table very often especially large bits for the reasons to op is describing.
Good Luck

[Ron Citerone]

Too me it sounds like a dull bit. Taking smaller cuts will help even with a new bit.
I don’t use a router table very often especially large bits for the reasons to op is describing.
Good Luck

Agreed. I had access to router tables after years of hand held only. While they help in many ways, they have their limitations too.
I also think learning with less powerful routers was easier. The bigger powerful ones magnify the learning curve IMO.

[Brian Runau]

Another vote for feather board and sharp bit. Brian

[Ola Carmonius]

Just my two cents...I don't think I'd use a router table for this. I'd make a jig to do it with a handheld router. You could make a big jig to do all the dados with one setup, or you could make a single dado jig and do both piece at once, clamped together edge to edge.

Also, 5/8" is a honkin' bit...I'd probably take four 1/8" passes instead of two 1/4". You could also use a dado stack (or a smaller router bit...1/4" pr 3/8") to clear out a bunch of the waste before going to full width?

I would say this is a cut much better suited for a router table than a jig for handheld router. Clamping a dado jig to a narrow piece like a drawer side is not super simple, and it should be parallell too and same distance from edge for all drawers. Can be done of course but router table is superior for this.