Edge rout

[hogiewan]

preface - i don't have a router table, but I have roundover bits

I want to do a 1/4 roundover on all sides. When I tell it to do a depth of .25, it barely touches the wood. If I try .5, it tells me the bit is too short. I have a carvetight setup - do I need a spacer between the bit and the spindle?

[AskBud]

preface - i don't have a router table, but I have roundover bits

I want to do a 1/4 roundover on all sides. When I tell it to do a depth of .25, it barely touches the wood. If I try .5, it tells me the bit is too short. I have a carvetight setup - do I need a spacer between the bit and the spindle?

If you are using a CarveTight Chuck, the answer is YES. I would think that is also true for the Rock chuck.
AskBud

[hogiewan]

What should I set the depth to for a full 1/4" roundover?

[mtylerfl]

What should I set the depth to for a full 1/4" roundover?

Hello,

I suggest simply watching the preview in Designer as you experiment with the depth settings until you get the appearance you want. The WYSIWYG preview is very accurate for things like that.

On my Old-Fashioned Wooden Toys Project, I used the 1/4" round over with a depth setting of 0.370" for the wheels and the platform. That may or not work for your own project, but you can try that setting to see if that's suitable.

[hogiewan]

I am trying to use the built-in function on the machine, not in the software

[mtylerfl]

I am trying to use the built-in function on the machine, not in the software

Oh, sorry 'bout that. Guess you'll need to experiment on some scrap wood.

I don't recommend using the machine's edge routing function since it requires that the piece leaves the captivity of both the rollers (alternately) during the routine, but some folks have used it successfully.

If at all possible, I use a regular hand router to do outer perimeter edge routing unless the piece will fit within a board dimension that can stay under the rollers at all times in the CarveWright. Like the rectangular platform of the toys in the photo I posted - that part has a full-perimeter edge route, BUT it is positioned within the board dimension, so the project never leaves the pressure rollers, and there is no danger of board tipping or Z-axis errors.

[hogiewan]

I tested it on a piece of scrap and a depth .37 worked perfectly. I put in the actual piece I wanted routed and I get a "clear board sensor" error

[mtylerfl]

I tested it on a piece of scrap and a depth .37 worked perfectly. I put in the actual piece I wanted routed and I get a "clear board sensor" error

Try cleaning the sensor window in case there is dust on it. Sometimes dust can get INSIDE the window, but that's rare now since the sensors have been sealed pretty good for some time. (If your machine is older than 2 years, it might not have a good seal on the sensor).

If that doesn't work...

Is the wood very dark? If so, the board sensor may not be getting a good reading. Put a strip of masking tape across the board where the board sensor measures the width and try again.

If that doesn't work...

You may need to remove the plastic window to clean it on the inside, or just leave it off to get through this project and order a new one to install later on.

[hogiewan]

I was trying to fix a sign that got messed up during the cutout. The brass roller must have slipped and the cutout was off by 1/4" or so. The pattern I used for sort of a frame already have a roundover as part of it, but one side got cut off and I had to cut the other side to make it even. So I had no roundover on two sides and I wanted to clean up the other two with the roundover bit while I was at it. The pattern that was on the board was causing the sensor error, so I put making tape over the whole top and it routed the edges just fine. There was a slight dip where the board left the rollers on each end, but nothing that sandpaper couldnt fix

[mtylerfl]

Good job! Glad it all worked out in the end!