Accident waiting to happen

[cfellows]

I was at Home Depot today in the tool department (where else?) and happend to hear this early 20-something girl talking to a 20-something Home Depot employee was wanting to buy a router and I could tell from the conversation that neither knew anything about routers.

So, I injected myself into the conversation with a casual suggestion about the router I would recommend and asked about the application. Turns out this girl was planning to use a router to make raised panel cabinet doors. She informed me she had seen how to do it on youtube and she had already paid $100 for the half inch shank, 3" diameter panel raising bit and wanted a 1/2" router to fit into a router table. I found out that she was planning to use Birch (she was almost sure...) and that she had never used a router before in her life. Wow! Router Bits that big scare me half to death and I've done a lot of routing. I tried to pursuade her to be very careful, and to make multiple passes taking only a little wood off on each pass. I sure hope she doesn't wind up losing several fingers or worse in this endeavor.

Chuck

 

[kjk]

I long ago gave up raising panels with that type of bit for the same reason you have cited - they terrify me. I switched to a tall fence and the vertical style panel raising bit - much safer.

Hopefully your comments in the store will save a nasty accident.

 

[bearcar1]

Wow! The potential accident in the making for sure. I've done my fair share of routing using conventional sized (1/4") bits of various contours, but when I see some of those 'mahmoo' sized panel bits, my backside puckers so hard it squeaks. To hear of someone that is not certain even what material is being trimmed, using one of those bad boys is terrifying at best. Man I hope that gal heeds your warnings Chuck, or better yet dismisses the idea altogether. "I saw it on Youtube" what a crock. This could be another classic example of why some things are better not discussed or propagated over the internet.

BC1
Jim