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+-- Thread: Router plane burnishing surface? (/showthread.php?tid=7337716)
Router plane burnishing surface? - Troywoodyard - 02-25-2018
Has anyone had issues with their router plane scarring the surface of the wood? It was worse when I didn't have a piece of wood attached to the sole, but I added a piece of oak and it seemed to help. I just cut some dados in cherry and got a similar burnishing of the wood. I don't know if the chips are getting under the oak and being pressed into the work piece as I route the dado, or if it's just because oak is harder than cherry. I have never heard anyone with a router plane discuss this issue. It scrapes out fine, but it is just a pain.
Anyone have this issue? Do you live with it or did you find a solution?
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Strokes77 - 02-25-2018
(02-25-2018, 05:29 PM)Troywoodyard Wrote: Has anyone had issues with their router plane scarring the surface of the wood? It was worse when I didn't have a piece of wood attached to the sole, but I added a piece of oak and it seemed to help. I just cut some dados in cherry and got a similar burnishing of the wood. I don't know if the chips are getting under the oak and being pressed into the work piece as I route the dado, or if it's just because oak is harder than cherry. I have never heard anyone with a router plane discuss this issue. It scrapes out fine, but it is just a pain.
Anyone have this issue? Do you live with it or did you find a solution?
I can't recall this. I wonder if it's your technique with the router? Are you using too much pressure I wonder? Did you chisel out the waste first? Most of the time when I use the router, it is really only for the final 1/16th or less of wood. I use it as a fine removal tool, not to hog out material with... so maybe that's why I haven't noticed. I have used it both as an iron sole, and with a piece of cherry as the plate.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Admiral - 02-25-2018
(02-25-2018, 05:54 PM)Strokes77 Wrote: I can't recall this. I wonder if it's your technique with the router? Are you using too much pressure I wonder? Did you chisel out the waste first? Most of the time when I use the router, it is really only for the final 1/16th or less of wood. I use it as a fine removal tool, not to hog out material with... so maybe that's why I haven't noticed. I have used it both as an iron sole, and with a piece of cherry as the plate.
Routers can, but are not usually used for, completely routing out dados, but only for the final flattening and fitting. If you are using it for the full operation, that would account for the burnishing. Depending on where the dado is located, the proper tool is either a plow, or a dado plane (the metal ones are pretty uncommon items, and not all that effective IMHO, I prefer the wooden ones but the nickers are always missing), or you score the lines, chisel a valley off the lines and use a backsaw to cut the shoulders down a bit, then chisel out the waste and finish with the router.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Troywoodyard - 02-25-2018
These were stopped dadoes in wall shelf... so the plow or dado plane I don't think would really work that well... the dadoes were only 1/4-5/16 and I did most of the chopping with chisels, but maybe I was not aggressive enough... I probably took the last 1/8-3/16 with the router plane... I wonder if I'm just being too rough with it. Maybe next time I'll be more aggressive with the chisels so I can be more controlled and efficient with the router plane. I just always chicken out that I'm going to go too deep with the chisels, or take too big a bite and tear out fs chunk from the dado bottom.
At any rate, thanks for the input... it certainly gives me some things to consider
next time.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - MichaelMouse - 02-26-2018
(02-25-2018, 05:29 PM)Troywoodya Wrote: Anyone have this issue? Do you live with it or did you find a solution?
You took some 400 sandpaper and made sure you didn't have any casting/milling imperfections around the edges that needed rounding off? If they're smooth, then I would watch the pressure and tilt.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Admiral - 02-26-2018
(02-25-2018, 08:14 PM)Troywoodyard Wrote: These were stopped dadoes in wall shelf... so the plow or dado plane I don't think would really work that well... the dadoes were only 1/4-5/16 and I did most of the chopping with chisels, but maybe I was not aggressive enough... I probably took the last 1/8-3/16 with the router plane... I wonder if I'm just being too rough with it. Maybe next time I'll be more aggressive with the chisels so I can be more controlled and efficient with the router plane. I just always chicken out that I'm going to go too deep with the chisels, or take too big a bite and tear out fs chunk from the dado bottom.
At any rate, thanks for the input... it certainly gives me some things to consider
next time.
Ok, got it. If doing the same thing again, my suggestion would hold, i.e., scribe with a knife, chisel the line to create the kerf for the backsaw, saw a bit, then chisel then router.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Strokes77 - 02-26-2018
(02-26-2018, 12:55 PM)Admiral Wrote: Ok, got it. If doing the same thing again, my suggestion would hold, i.e., scribe with a knife, chisel the line to create the kerf for the backsaw, saw a bit, then chisel then router.
And remember the bottom of the dado, except at the edge of the board, doesn't "Have" to be perfect. It's not structural. So don't be afraid to go after it with a chisel. Obviously the goal is a flat bottom, but sometimes if the chisel tears a chunk out I get over it pretty quickly as the parts are glued together...
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - JimReed@Tallahassee - 02-26-2018
I think "plane" is misleading when it comes to routers. I use my router plane more like a drawknife than a plane. With a plane I make long continuous strokes but with a router, I jig it back and forth as I pull it toward me through the waste. Most of my force is on the forward cutting action and there is very little force on the bottom. The wood surface burnishing you see is probably due to pushing the router like a plane and using too much downward force. Try pulling with the jigging action. Pull one handle and then pull the other. It might help.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Troywoodyard - 02-27-2018
Thx all. I'll try these things.
RE: Router plane burnishing surface? - Strokes77 - 02-27-2018
(02-27-2018, 06:23 AM)Troywoodyard Wrote: Thx all. I'll try these things.
This is a fantastic place to learn. Come back when you have more questions. The men here are very knowledgeable.