Routers Gone Wild! need some advice...

General Discussion
1

So, I went ahead and did what everyone on here was warning me not to do.  I made the set up for cutting out outlines with a router.  Did my first board with the new set up, and it worked perfectly.  Man… it worked good!

Next board - the router slipped on top my masonite template and it got wild.  It cut a quick wobble in the outline and then a finger size indentation.

I know - I probably shouldnt have used the router for this.  If I had just used a saw this would have never happened.  I’m super bummed! 

BUT, I really want to try and salvage the blank and finish my shape… 

I was thinking I could, perhaps, glue some foam on the area and then maybe shape the rail and pretend it never happened.  Is there a type of glue that would work good for this… Elmors?  I want to avoid a glue that will dry to hard and make that part of the rail unshapable…

Any other recomendations out there besides just giving up and hitting the bottle? (<jk)

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated…

Oh, it’s a US Blank - Poly

 

 

2

Do exacly as you think. In woodworking it is called a "dutchman". Put the foam plug in and shape. Make the fit tight as possible to keep the glue line small as possible. If the joint is tight, the glue shouldn't hamper shapeing at all.

 

At 20 to 30 THOUSAND rpm, you don't ever want to let up on your grip, as you found out. Speed Kills!

3

I almost cried when it happened…  Thanks for the advice!

4

Use white gorilla glue to glue a piece of foam back in if its a big divit. The gorilla glue is ‘soft’ since its essentially PU foam when it dries. There will be a slight discolored line at the joint, but you have to look for it to see it. I have snapped swallow tails off before when not being careful and no one ever noticed when the board was finished. 

 

If its a shallow divit you could adjust your outline a little and re-cut. 

5

Relax take your time and realize everyone makes mistakes.  Seems like the perfect place for a logo, or paint, or even a sticker when its finished.  I was cutting out a board for a renown shaper a long time ago and the same thing happened, so I modified the template to get the nick and burn out.  Didn’t take that long before he caught on; in hindsight it would have been best to tell him at first, but I didn’t.  He straight up asked me if I changed the template, and by then we had a new model.  We as humans have the ability to learn from our mistakes, if we choose to, most of the time its not ignorance, but pride that keeps us from learning from them.

6

 

I would not glue something in, there is a better solution!

It is : super lightweight ultra white spackle

You can even color it to match the color of the foam

dont glue it, you-ll hate the shaping glue part

7

Hey - Too late to say now but…

I have a couple of routers - A laminex trimmer and a variable speed one with 1/4 in. shank. These are lighter and less scary that the big mothers.

The variable speed one allows me to cruise along at a managable pace.

It’s worth looking around for one. I feel way safer with it.

JD

8

Ya can glue in a piece without having to shape through a glue line; just use a small drop of glue and put back in the interior of the gap where you won’t shape into it. It doesn’t take much glue to hold a patch in place during shaping process.  Don’t ask me how I know this…

9

Chainsaw, I still outline all my production boards with my old trusty Porter Cable router. I’ve had that happen more times than I want to admit! Not only doe’s it mess up the blank, but it also f’s up the template. Some Solarez and some tape will fix the template. Either re-adjust the template or use the blank for something else later. Glueing foam in the hole works but it never seems to be the same. Next, routers spin way too fast for cutting foam. They were built to cut wood and the like. Go to harbor frieght and buy a router speed controller. It slows them down and tend to not get awy from you. I made one years ago from a dimmer switch. I use it also to slow down some of my other tools as well. Routing is the cleanest way I’ve seen to outline blanks consistently . Good luck! Barry

10

Here’s what will work for poly - Slightly modify the damage/hole to be a clean tapered shape, something that you can easily make a corresponding wedge piece from an off cut to fit in tightly all the way around at the surface. Leave your piece/wedge a bit proud, don;t shape it flush until the glue sets. IME white Elmer’s glue works fine. When applying glue make sure to use only a small amout- it won’t take much, just enough to cover the lowest point/bottom of the hole. The Key is - NOT TO HAVE ANY GLUE SQUEEZE UP TO THE SURFACE to where you will be shaping it down to. 

No glues lines, and if you have a tight fit the repair will be just about invisible.

Keep in mind, if this is near the rail mid section of the outline that’s probably where the board will snap one day :slight_smile:

 

11

I have done this a few times too. Most notably at the end of the template on the tail when cutting through the stringer. Be very careful there!

Like others suggest here, I just cut a small piece of foam from a rail offcut and glued in in. I used poly resin as my glue and put a thin coat on with a paintbrush. Pretty much invisible in the scheme of things.

Also I have a variable speed router and run it at the lowest setting (10,000 rpm) when cutting outlines. It’s still fast and you still need to be very careful.

12

Zap a Gap CA glue (super glue for model airplanes)

its for balsa wood

and it sands like foam

 

13

Thanks for sharing all the knowledge!  Im going to glue in some foam with the glue in the deepest part.  Thanks everyone for the details too.  The template getting gouged was definitely another bummer.  Getting ready for repair mode - then back to shaping!

14

 

Variable speed routers are a plus. I use a Porter Cable router with a “D” handle with a trigger pull switch; gives me a lot of control and the ability to hold the router with one hand. 

15

I'm a carpenter and use a router almost daily. My "D" handles are the first I grab because of the better control. Also it helps to make a larger base plate with an offset grab knob when you need two hands.

 

Right now at www.reconditionedtools.com, they are having a sale on some pretty decent tools. There is a Skil 2&1/4hp router with a fixed base AND a plunge base on sale for about $70.00 U.S. Are you listening Mr Stingray? I know you think I'm nuts for this but it is a helluva deal. There are plenty of other routers as well on sale.

16

Everyone I know that cuts outlines with a router has to fix their templates every now and then, you're not alone.

Any time one of these threads comes up I feel obligated to say BE CAREFUL to any DIY'ers tempted to use this technique. Pencil bits in routers are very, very dangerous.

17

Mike, didn’t Jeff Haney have a Milwaukee router motor drop  through the barrell on onto his arm while running ?

18

yeah ZAP A GAP

fix the blank with a foam wedge plug

and fix the template with saw dust

and a wax paper mold with tape form

dries in seconds and ready to shape

in less than 5 minutes

dont use so much glue that it gets out

to the surface and the seam edge

of the plug will fill with foam dust.

by the way q-cell reacts instantly to solidify

for patching the template.

By the way, it is xothermic

gets hot ,the fumes are scary

and weaar gloves ,latex or vinyl

as your fingers will stick together 

 

or to the work

if you try to smoothe it out.

get the green one.Zap-A-Gap

basa turned me on to zap a gap

it is the greatest.

we fixed broken plastic rearview mirror on rent a car

wrapping the parts with long strands of e-glass fiber

and then saturated the glass with zap a gap

and  sand and gloss with the z-a-gap

and returned the rental car 

with a functioning side mirror.