Hi all...
I posted this over at PE as well, wanting to get a broad opinion from the woodworkers out there. Router safety is very important, and I want to learn the right procedures and habits... Some interesting info and comments came up there. I also found a link to a standards paper on router safety I'm attaching below...
Router Safety Paper
I wanted to tap the woodworker collective mind out there on what might cause a solid carbide bit to break? Had a carbide spiral shaft snap, but luckily not leave the chuck. Heavy chunks of Tungsten Carbide spinning at 24,000 RPM, then breaking, kinda put the fear of (MV)2 in me if you know what I mean.
I was routing out rabbets and holes in some Baltic Birch, and was using my trusty solid carbide spiral 1/4" bit with the Jasper Jig. I was usually stepping into a full width cut, sometimes not. (this is 5/8" BB) My typical mounting technique is to put the bit all the way down in the chuck, then raise it up 1/8 - 1/16" back out to not bottom it, then tighten it as much as I can.
I began to get some noise and vibration, while making cuts. I have heard this before, seemingly connected to the speed of feed, etc. It got a fair amount worse, and wouldn't quiet down with different speed of motion, so I stopped.
Since the bit gets pretty hot, I'd been getting into the habit of putting my vac hose near the bit for a few seconds while it spins down, to draw air past it.
Anyway, after putting the router down, giving it the cooling air, and picking it up again... there's NO BIT in the chuck! It had cracked about 1/2" down in the shaft, and apparently when cooled, just fell out on the table! There was about another 1/2" of shaft still down in the chuck. No visible damage to the cutting side of the bit, though it's starting to get slightly dull.
So, did this just happen or is there something I did wrong? And most importantly, what can be done to minimize this, for my and other's safety?
Off to check woodworking sites for router bit safety...
I posted this over at PE as well, wanting to get a broad opinion from the woodworkers out there. Router safety is very important, and I want to learn the right procedures and habits... Some interesting info and comments came up there. I also found a link to a standards paper on router safety I'm attaching below...
Router Safety Paper
I wanted to tap the woodworker collective mind out there on what might cause a solid carbide bit to break? Had a carbide spiral shaft snap, but luckily not leave the chuck. Heavy chunks of Tungsten Carbide spinning at 24,000 RPM, then breaking, kinda put the fear of (MV)2 in me if you know what I mean.
I was routing out rabbets and holes in some Baltic Birch, and was using my trusty solid carbide spiral 1/4" bit with the Jasper Jig. I was usually stepping into a full width cut, sometimes not. (this is 5/8" BB) My typical mounting technique is to put the bit all the way down in the chuck, then raise it up 1/8 - 1/16" back out to not bottom it, then tighten it as much as I can.
I began to get some noise and vibration, while making cuts. I have heard this before, seemingly connected to the speed of feed, etc. It got a fair amount worse, and wouldn't quiet down with different speed of motion, so I stopped.
Since the bit gets pretty hot, I'd been getting into the habit of putting my vac hose near the bit for a few seconds while it spins down, to draw air past it.
Anyway, after putting the router down, giving it the cooling air, and picking it up again... there's NO BIT in the chuck! It had cracked about 1/2" down in the shaft, and apparently when cooled, just fell out on the table! There was about another 1/2" of shaft still down in the chuck. No visible damage to the cutting side of the bit, though it's starting to get slightly dull.
So, did this just happen or is there something I did wrong? And most importantly, what can be done to minimize this, for my and other's safety?
Off to check woodworking sites for router bit safety...
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