kajay920 Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 On 3/14/2014 at 12:16 AM, jonister said: What is the big danger behind using a router? I have been considering using one myself but wasn't sure if it would be worth the risk, if there is one. I have been hearing some stuff about loosing fingers and such and wouldn't like that to happen. jonister, Used improperly the router can be a very dangerous tool. Its bits often moving at around 28,000 rpm. When you form materiel on a router you are shoving a piece of wood into the bit that is moving toward you. If that wood is not absolutely control some violent actions can occur. If insufficient downward pressure is not maintained the work-piece will vibrate and lift off of the spinning bit and if you hand is still moving toward the blade... gotcha. If the work-piece is pushed into the bit in the wrong direction, the bit will grab the work-piece and launch it violently into whatever direction it is pointed. The standard rule of thumb that I've been taught and used is to keep your fingers 3"-4" away from the bit as you are moving toward the bit. If you have a small crankbait that is only 3" long that you have to both push into the fence or bearing AND hold down at the same time maintaining that safe distance is quite impossible with out some sort of jig to hold the work-piece for you. Now, you need to use something that is stable enough to still control the movement and pressure. A pair of simple push sticks like used on a table saw will easily slip and potentially be jammed into the spinning bit. (Insetr violent reaction here). You could use a push pad like those for a joiner. That will most likely cover up the entire work-piece and you are working blind. Also, if the bearing on the router bit is too tall it will hit your push pad and not your work-piece. The shaft of the bit above the bearing is still a moving piece and could catch on the padded part of the push pad. (Insert violent reaction here) Don't get me wrong, as stated above, I have occasionally routed small pieces of wood. Your fingers cramp up and you have to go slow. Not very good for production runs. Below is a link to a video that shows just what a router can do to a finger that gets too close. ***Warning**** it is very graphic! https://youtu.be/cgNCFojZZJw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajay920 Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 google router accidents on You tube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonister Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I get it now. I don't think I want that thing now that I know the danger. Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I've used routers for 50 years, and the best place for your hand is on the handle of the router, not on the work piece. Either find a way to safely clamp your work piece, make a jig to hold it so you can use an undertable mounted router, or don't do it. I've seen shapers, which are just more powerful table routers, through pieces of wood through concrete block walls. It's not worth the time savings you envision, if you wind up losing a finger, or worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aydensdad82 Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I remember the first time I experienced the vibration using my scroll saw. I was stupidly trying to take off small amounts that could have just been sanded. Felt vibration, heard scary noise, and my piece of wood went flying and my saw blade snapped....That was a "might need to change my pants moment". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwh624 Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Anyone use the rubber mats to hold baits when routing? How well do they work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I've used them for some routing, but they don't hold small pieces like lures. There isn't enough lure surface, at least on smaller lures like cranks, to allow the router's body to push down and hold the work piece. The lure body tips into the opening between the router base and the cutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Times 2 with Kajay. If the lure will have flat sides you can "double sided tape" it to the work bench and use both hands of the router. I have used the rubber mats and they work nicely, if you keep dust and chips from between the work piece and the mat. For a router to work as intended, the lure would need a rather large percent to be flat sided. When you get into the small sizes of baits, look for a router base where the center hole is very close to the size of the bit you will be using. Another problem with routers is the length of the bearing area. On thin lures the screw that holds the bit on the shaft will hit the work bench. The ideal situation is to make a string of lures attached, then run all four sides, then seperate the individual lures and finish shaping the cut ends as needed, not always practical. I don't believe they are practical for lures with no flat side, unless you improvise a duplicator. Musky Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Adams Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 I have used router to cut out and shape 4" and 5" pine wobblers with mostly flat sides. I made a template out of pvc for a router bush guide and fixed it to base with a space underneath to slide and clamp a strip of 2" x 1". This meant the work piece was clamped and the router had a flat surface to ride on, so no hand hazards. To get the round over i left the lure attached to the 2 x 1 buy the tail and then clamped it down to a bench with a couple of other pieces of 2 x 1 so the router wouldn't tilt and used a bearing guided round over bit rounded the edges. The reason for this long winded approach was because i came very close to losing a bit finger trying to round over small lures on a router table, lets just say i added a few new words to the english langauge that afternoon. What suprises me people have have used the this methods for years and never had any problems, so it is just me. I found this set up worked well for producing large amounts of baits in short time, but then i discovered i am not really into making large amounts of baits as i tend to give them away. I was planning to make a video about this process. The larger lure was made using the router template a couple of years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aydensdad82 Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Paul those are great looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Adams Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Thanks aydensdad82 it has been i a while since i have made wooden lures, hopefully i will be doing some more soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I use the router table a great deal in lure building and woodworking. The rubber mat idea is the best but you want to get 1 or 2 rubber floats- the ones you use to put grout in tile. They have a nice handle to keep your hands well away from the cutter. I have been making some glide baits about 4" long and that is what I used to round the edges. Gee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveG Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 It can be done as pointed out you need a small aperture for the bit to pass through this stops the lure being routed from dipping in the hole, Iv routed lures as small as 3.5 inches, you really need to keep your fingers away from the bit here`s how I do it.. I cut the head off a 3" screw so its flat and screw the usual pointy end into the end of the lure, having cut the head off the screw you can grip it with a pair of mole grips, now you can feed the lure past the router bit with your fingers well away from danger, any ugly holes made in the lure to do this can easily be filled, hope this is explained ok Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) I realize there are lots of people using routers successfully, but, unless you're going into production and are practiced with routers, I think the risk far outweighs the advantages. Carving and hand sanding work really well, and give you a much safer method. If you're making lures as a hobby, you'll be able to hand shape them just fine, and they will catch as many fish as machined lures, maybe even more because they aren't "perfect". Have faith in your abilities, which will develop as you make more lures, use centerlines to help you keep them symmetrical, and you'll be fine. It's not rocket science. Edited March 15, 2014 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Adams Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I think you are probabaly right Mark, making lures with a router felt like work to me, were as sitting down with a bit of wood, knife and sandpaper just feels good. But i still think routers offer a few interesting possibiltites that i might get round to exploring one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveG Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Couldn't agree more about the dangers of using routers, it still worries me after making literally hundreds of lures and im very careful, just keep your fingers well away and stay safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanderLaan Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) If I was going to use a router, I would put it in a table and construct a jig to hold the lure. That way, is thing go south, you will still have all of your fingers. Here a jig along tbe lines of what I would build. Should cost you less than $15 and a few hours in the shop building it. http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/jigcontest/brownA1.jpg Edited March 16, 2014 by VanderLaan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Nice setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aydensdad82 Posted March 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Vander that is very impressive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontPhisher Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I use router bits on my poppers and gliders and find it time saving. You can lay out several lures on a single board and leave them connected like a chain ,this helps to keep your 10 fingers away from the bit. When you are done you can cut the lures apart with a band saw and finish the hard edges with sand paper. I hope this helps. One more thing a bit with four cutters leaves a cleaner look than the old two cutter bit. Good Luck, Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don-Art Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 I believe that Mark had mentioned "U" profile sanding blocks. I just picked some up today. They look like they should work well. The name on the package is Tadpole II. They appear to be a extruded rubber product. You wrap your sandpaper around them. The package has 4 sizes,1/4" through 5/8". They retail somewhere in the range of $5-$6 per package. A nice item to have regardless if you use a router or not. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbar Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Hi from Ireland. I make furniture for a living and some time ago I picked up a jig (I think from a company called Veritas in Canada) that allows you to hold pieces of wood as small as 1" securely for routing. I use it for anything small, narrow or thin that I'd rather not be holding close to a cutter spinning at 15,000 revs. Works fine on the pike plugs that I make here. Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLT785 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Take a look at this guys work, and his version of the copy carver under the section "building cranks". http://www.pondbuster.come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLT785 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Sorry, bad copy and paste. http://www.pondbuster.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 That's a neat setup, for sure. He must have a heck of a dust collector system. I can't help but wonder why he doesn't smooth his master more, so he has less hand sanding to do after the initial machine shaping. His idea of a poplar dowel down the center is slick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
