Trim Router Safety & Usage

[Kin Creed]

I was using a big router to cut out a design on an oak plaque with a template and that worked great.

I also wanted to edge the plaque with an ogee bit and I have to make at least seven of these plaques so to save time I thought I would just use the trim router instead changing bits on the big router.

Well using a trim router to cut an ogee on an oak board works, but it's a bit sketchy. The oak is pretty tough and the trim router is so light I felt the tool wanting to torque out of my hand a few times. Also, I was routing against the rotation for the most part (of course) but there were a few sections where the piece was clamped it was easier to rout with the rotation for a short length and that was crazy. The little router grabbed the oak and went for a quick ride down the edge!

I used to view the big router as more dangerous than the little router but now I've changed my mind. The big router is heavy with big handles and does not get away from you as easy, especially in hard wood.

The trim router is pretty much a one handed machine by design, but it still packs plenty of power. And cutting away significant material in hard wood is stressing it limits, especially on the control side.

I will probably still use the trim router to finish the rest of the plaque edges, but I'm going to be much more careful. However I am thinking a small router doing a bigger job like this is inherently unsafe. The trim router seems too light and unstable for this type of work.

Has anyone had similar experiences using a trim router? I don't want to be changing bits all the time, so maybe I'll just need to finish all the template work then edge all the plaques with the big router.

Anyway, that little trim router has been great for soft woods like pine, but in a hard wood it really got a bit freaky!

 

[James-W]

You may find that a router table works really well for certain things.

 

[Kin Creed]

Well I finished this project and as often is the case the issue was not so much with the tool (trim router) but more with technique.

I used the trim router to finish all the edges on 8 oak plaques and just by being more careful and paying more attention to detail it worked perfectly fine.

The key was slowing down and taking off the edge in multiple light passes instead trying to plow through in one pass. The small size of the router meant less stress on the machine and for removing a large amount of material light passes are better anyway.

Also, edging the end grain first helped minimize tearout, and the overall result came out nice.

A router table would be ideal for this type of edging, so I agree with that advice. Thanks! It's on my wish list.

But, just by paying more attention to how the tool works best allows this type of work to be done easily and safely without a table also.

 

[rsanter]

Trim router is not really meant to be used with an ogee bit

Bob

 

[Hawk]

Kin you have now learned the biggest secret of the 1/4 inch trim router. It will gladly do most any cut you ask of it. The main thing is patience and multiple shaving cuts.

"But, just by paying more attention to how the tool works best allows this type of work to be done easily and safely without a table also."