I’m piddling around in shop making some small boxes (inspired by Stowe article in recent issue of FWW). Twice I’ve wondered whether one is better than the other, TS vs router, specifically when it comes to tear out risk. One wondering was the step of making decorative chamfers at bottom edge, the other was the task of making slots for splines (I made “V”-shaped spline-slot jigs for both TS and router table)
Assuming that you’re using sharp blades/cutters and that technique isn’t an issue, is one better than the other if the concern is tear out? Didn’t know if RPM or blade/cutter diameter might give one tool the advantage over the other. Stock is somewhere between 3/8” and 1/2”, if that matters.
thanks.
Replies
I built jigs like this maybe 20 years ago, I think I saw them in Shopnotes. At the router table I start by backing the jig into the bit to cut the trailing end from the outside, then finish the cut as normal. Since it's a fresh slot it does not feel like a climb cut. I use a downcut spiral bit.
Bottom bevels are a crapshoot, I'd do them by hand with a plane or even sandpaper glued to some plywood.
I tried it that way once at the tablesaw and it felt way too sketchy, so I line the inside of the jig with thin whatever to make a fresh zero-clearance surface for tearouty material.
Both can create tearout but proper technique, sacrificial backing boards and zero clearance inserts on fences will easily all but eliminate it.
I would use the router table to cut the chamfer and if I was worried about tearout I would add a sacrificial fence to my miter gauge that butted tight to the fence and use that to push the box past the cutter.
For cutting spline slots I would use the tablesaw. If you are using a jig to hold the box at a 45° angle and press the box tightly into the jig tearout should not be an issue, unless you kerf has gotten sloppy in which case line the jig with some ⅛" hardboard and you will once again have a zero clearance kerf and no tearout.
Thank you both for the feedback. I was half thinking people would say router, because intuitively I’d think a 10” blade with 50 teeth weighing 1 pound (?) spinning at 4000 (?) RPM wouldn’t give as clean a cut as a 1” blade with 3 cutters weighing half an ounce (?) spinning at ~20000 RPM (I use 3 wing slotting cutters)
I ended up cutting the chamfer at the bottom of box on TS (using Van Dyke’s “Incredible L Fence” — by far my MVP of jigs) and the slots on the router table. They all came out ok (at least to my satisfaction). Since the setup for slots is much easier on router, I’ll probably stick with that for small boxes.
Thanks again!