Operation - RIDGID R86044 Operator's Manual

OPERATION

WARNING:
Never install a trim bit in this router with a diameter
larger than the opening in the subbase. The use of
larger bits can result in loss of control and possible
serious personal injury.
WARNING:
Never use a trim bit in this router which is rated
at less than 25,000 r/min. Doing so could result in
serious personal injuy.
WARNING:
Always use the base for laminate trimming. Use
of the router without a base or using the incorrect
base can result in serious personal injury.
DIRECTION OF FEED AND THRUST
See Figures 7 - 8, page 12.
The router motor and bit revolve in a clockwise direction. This
gives the tool a slight tendency to twist in your hands in a
counterclockwise direction, especially when the motor starts.
Feed the router into the workpiece from left to right. When
fed from left to right, the rotation of the bit pulls the router
against the workpiece. If fed in the opposite direction, the
rotation forces of the spinning bit will tend to throw the router
away from the workpiece, causing kickback. This could result
in loss of control of the router.
Because of the extremely high speed of bit rotation during a
proper feeding operation, there is very little kickback under
normal conditions. However, if the bit strikes a knot, hard
grain, foreign object, etc., this will affect the normal progress
of the cutting action, possibly causing a slight kickback.
Kickback could be sufficient to spoil the trueness of your
cut if you are not prepared. Such a kickback is always in the
direction opposite the direction of bit rotation.
To guard against kickback, plan your setup and direction of
feed so that you will always be thrusting the tool—to hold
it against whatever you are using to guide the cut—in the
same direction that the leading edge of the bit is moving. The
thrust should be in a direction that keeps the sharp edges
of the bit continuously biting straight into new (uncut) wood.
PROPER RATE OF FEED
Professional trimming and edge shaping depend upon care-
ful set-up and selecting the proper rate of feed.
The proper rate of feed is dependent upon:
 the hardness and moisture content of the workpiece
 the depth of cut
 the cutting diameter of the bit.
When cutting shallow grooves in soft woods such as pine,
use a faster rate of feed.
When making cuts in hardwoods such as oak, use a slower
rate of feed.
Several factors will help you select the proper rate of feed.
 Choose a rate that does not slow down the router motor.
 Choose the rate at which the bit advances firmly and
surely to produce a continuous spiral of uniform chips
or a smooth trim edge on laminate.
 Listen to the sound of the router motor. A high-pitched
sound means you are feeding too slowly. A strained,
lower-pitched sound signals force-feeding.
 Check the progress of each cut. Too-slow feeding can
cause the router to take off in a wrong direction from the
intended line of cut. Force-feeding increases the strain
of holding the tool and results in loss of speed.
 Notice the chips being produced as you cut. If the router
is fed too slowly, it will scorch or burn the wood. If the
router is fed too fast, it will take large chips out of the
wood and leave gouge marks.
Always test a cut on a scrap piece of the workpiece wood
or laminate before you begin. Always grasp and hold the
router firmly when trimming.
If you are making a small-diameter, shallow groove in soft,
dry wood, the proper feed rate may be determined by the
speed at which you can travel the router along the guide line.
If the bit is a large one, the cut is deep, or the workpiece
is hard to cut, the proper feed may be a very slow one. A
cross-grain cut may require a slower pace than an identical
with-grain cut in the same workpiece.
There is no fixed rule. Proper rate of feed is learned through
practice and use.
7 - English