Craftsman 315.175342 Operator's Manual page 17

Whenrouting a groove, y ourtravel s houldbeina direc-
tionthatplaces theguideyouareusingatthe right-hand
side.When theguideis positioned asshown inthe "guide
inside"illustration, tooltravel s houldbefromleftto right
andcounterclockwise around curves. W hentheguide
is positioned asshowninthe "guide outside" illustra-
tion,tooltravelshouldbefromrightto leftandclockwise
around curves. I fthereis a choice, t hefirstsetupisgener-
allythe easier t o use.Ineithercase, t hesideways t hrust
youuseis against t heguide.
GUIDEiNSiDE
ROTATION _._
ROTATION _.___
FEED
_THRUST
GUIDEOUTSIDE
ROTATION _at,,,_ \ I
THRUSTK )_'11 J
FEED GUIDE
Fig. 19
PROPER RATE OF FEED
Professional routing depends upon careful setup and
proper rate of feed which is learned through practice and
use. The proper rate of feed is dependent upon:
[] hardness and moisture content of the workpiece
[] depth of cut
[] cutting diameter of the cutter
When cutting shallow grooves in soft woods such as pine,
a faster rate of feed can be used. When making cuts in
hardwoods such as oak, a slower rate of feed is required.
Several factors will help you select the proper rate of feed.
[] Choose the rate that does not slow down the motor.
[] Choose the rate at which the cutter advances firmly
and surely to produce a continuous spiral of uniform
chips or a smooth edge.
[] Listen to the sound of the 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 fed too fast, it will take large chips out of the wood
and leave gouge marks.
Test a cut on a scrap piece of the workpiece before you
begin. Always grasp and hold the router firmly with both
hands.
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 cutter 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.
!
TOOFAST
Fig. 20
FEEDING TOO FAST
See Figure 20,
Clean, smooth routing and edge shaping can be done
only when the cutter is revolving at a relatively high speed
and is taking very small bites to produce tiny, cleanly
severed chips. If you force the router to move forward too
fast, the RPM of the cutter becomes slower than normal
in relation to its forward movement. As a result, the cutter
must take bigger bites as it revolves. Bigger bites mean
bigger chips and a rougher finish. Also, because bigger
bites require more power, the router motor may become
overloaded.
Under extreme force-feeding conditions, the relative
RPM of the cutter can become so slow--and the bites it
has to take so large--that chips will be partially knocked
off (rather than fully cut off). This causes splintering and
gouging of the workpiece.
The router is an extremely high-speed tool, and will make
clean, smooth cuts if allowed to run freely without the
overload of a forced feed. You can always detect force
feeding by the sound of the motor. Its high-pitched whine
will sound lower and stronger as it loses speed. Also, the
strain of holding the tool will be noticeably increased.
17