Craftsman 315.17473 Owner's Manual page 9

OPERATION
DEPTH OF CUT
As previously mentioned, the depth of cut is importantbe-
cause it affectsthe rate of feed which, in turn, affectsthe
qualityof a cut (and, also, the possibility of damageto your
router motorand bit).A deepcut requiresa slowerfeed than
a shallowone, and a too deep cut willcauseyouto slowthe
feed so muchthatthe bit isno longercutting,it is scraping,
instead.
Makinga deep cut is never advisable.The smallerbits--
especiallythose only 1/16 inch in diameter ---are easily
brokenoff when subjectedto too much side thrust.A large
enoughbit may not be brokenoff, but ifthe cutis toodeep a
rough cutwillresult-- and itmay beverydifficult t oguideand
control t hebitas desired.Forthesereasons,we recommend
thatyoudo not exceed 1/8 inchdepthofcutin a singlepass,
regardless of the bit size or the softnessor condition of the
workpiece.See Figure 10.
To make deeper cuts it is therefore necessaryto make as
many successivepasses as required,loweringthe bit 1/8
inchfor eachnewpass. In ordertosavetime,doallthecutting
necessary at one depthsetting, b eforelowering thebitfor the
nextpass.Thiswillalso assurea uniformdepthwhenthefinal
passis completed.See Figure 11.
DIRECTION OF FEED AND THRUST
The routermotorand bit revolvein a clockwise direction. T his
givesthe toola slighttendencyto twist(In yourhands)in a
counterclockwise d irection,especiallywhen the motorrevs
up (as at starting).
Becauseofthe extremelyhighspeed of bit rotation duringa
"proper feeding" operation, there is very little kickbackto
contend with undernormal conditions. H owever,shouldthe
bit strikea knot,hard grain, foreign object, etc. that would
affectthe normalprogressofthe cutting action,therewillbe
a slightkickback--sufficient tospoilthe truenessofyourcut
if you are not prepared. Such a kickbackis always in the
direction oppositeto the directionof bit rotation.
To guard against such a kickback,plan your set-up and
direction offeed sothatyouwillalwaysbe thrusting the tool--
toholditagainstwhateveryou are usingto guidethe cut--in
the same direction that the leadingedge ofthe bitis moving.
In short,the thrustshould be in a directionthat keepsthe
sharpedges of the bit continuously bitingstraightintonew
(uncut)wood.
ROUTING
Wheneveryou are routinga groove,yourtravelshouldbe in
a direction that places whatever guide you are usingat the
right-handside. In short, when the guide is positionedas
shownin thefirstpart of Figure 12, tooltravelshouldbe left
torightandcounterclockwise a roundcurves.Whentheguide
ispositionedas shown in the secondpart of Figure12 tool
travelshouldbe rightto leftand clockwisearoundcurves.If
there is a choice,the first set-up is generallythe easiestto
use. Ineithercase,the sideways thrustyouuseisagainstthe
guide.
DEPTH
OF CUT
Fig.10
2ND. PASSJ I /
I _L_
GUIDE OUTSIDE,
_ TH_
Eoo
jou,o
THRUST" FEED
GUIDE INSIDE Fig. 12
i
ROUTING WITH GUIDE BUSHINGS
When usingtheTemplateGuideBushings ItemNo. 9-25082
with your router,you must visuallycenter the bit with the
bushing beforebeginning yourcut. Yourroutersubbasemay
be adjustedby loosening the screwsholdingthe subbaseto
yourrouter.Be sureclampingleveris securelylockedbefore
centedng bit in bushing.After centering bit with bushing
tightenscrewsfirmly..
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