# No bearing = Projectile



## alteridiom (Jan 27, 2013)

New here and looking for some tips and tricks to avoid wasting wood and potentially hurting myself. I use a cheap Skil router and router table from Lowes. Every time I try and use a bit that doesn't have a bearing, especially straight bits, the wood is ripped from my hands and shot across the garage. How can I avoid this? Is it just a matter of making multiple small passes? It sounds like maybe a spiral straight bit will make a cleaner cut and be less likely to cause this? Thanks for any insight.


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

alteridiom said:


> New here and looking for some tips and tricks to avoid wasting wood and potentially hurting myself. I use a cheap Skil router and router table from Lowes. Every time I try and use a bit that doesn't have a bearing, especially straight bits, the wood is ripped from my hands and shot across the garage. How can I avoid this? Is it just a matter of making multiple small passes? It sounds like maybe a spiral straight bit will make a cleaner cut and be less likely to cause this? Thanks for any insight.


Hi n/a, welcome to our little corner of the 'net. 

What direction are you feeding the wood to the bit when it gets "ripped from my hands"? Proper feed direction on a table is always from right to left, NEVER from left to right. And, NEVER trap your work between the fence and the bit. Either of the aforementioned actions are extremely dangerous, and can result in both loss of wood, and loss of fingers. 

The quality of router, table, bearing guided or non-bearing guided bits, don't matter as long as you always feed from right to left. This way you are feeding AGAINST the bits rotation, and not WITH the rotation.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

alteridiom said:


> New here and looking for some tips and tricks to avoid wasting wood and potentially hurting myself. I use a cheap Skil router and router table from Lowes. Every time I try and use a bit that doesn't have a bearing, especially straight bits, the wood is ripped from my hands and shot across the garage. How can I avoid this? Is it just a matter of making multiple small passes? It sounds like maybe a spiral straight bit will make a cleaner cut and be less likely to cause this? Thanks for any insight.



I'm with brian - I'm guessing you are trying to run the stock between the fence and the router bit, just like a table saw. Not a good thing, I just can't figure out why it doesn't do it with a bearing mounted bit.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

Here's quick tip always keep the bit in the fence opening..or to say under the fence you can use a climb cut ( right to left by the bit) but with great care and it works well for a nice clean cut but only remove 1 /16" on each pass..it can be use to remove burn marks on the stock..

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alteridiom said:


> New here and looking for some tips and tricks to avoid wasting wood and potentially hurting myself. I use a cheap Skil router and router table from Lowes. Every time I try and use a bit that doesn't have a bearing, especially straight bits, the wood is ripped from my hands and shot across the garage. How can I avoid this? Is it just a matter of making multiple small passes? It sounds like maybe a spiral straight bit will make a cleaner cut and be less likely to cause this? Thanks for any insight.


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## rexlobo (Jul 29, 2012)

there are many videos on you tube on how to feed wood on a router table just put in safety tips for router and no matter what do not feed the wood left to right always right to left ( take this from a guy who almost lost two of his digits ) whhen ever possible use pushsticks for small peices of wood to be shaped get wood clamps from harbor freight they are cheap over there ( especially with their coupon) . One more thing do not feed between bit and fence.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

There is a free plan for a very safe and easy to make push stick courtesy of the Router Workshop in our project plans section.


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