# Dual Router Table Fence?



## ssevey17 (Mar 13, 2014)

Has anyone ever used two router fences? I have a bit that I bought to cut a casing profile to use on the router cabinet I built. I'm thinking that the best way to keep the wood tight to the fence and bit is by sandwiching the board between another fence. Has anyone ever done this before or have any advice?


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## mbar57 (Apr 20, 2015)

That sounds a little iffy to me? Why can't you just use feather boards?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

vertical and horizontal feather boards...
you risk pinching because of irregularities in the edges of the material and getting kick back...
kick backs are a trip to the ER waiting to happen...


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## myicq (Apr 16, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> vertical and horizontal feather boards...
> you risk pinching because of irregularities in the edges of the material and getting kick back...
> kick backs are a trip to the ER waiting to happen...


Just what I was about to say. Feather boards can give a little when / if there is some tolerance. 

I do not have a featherboard myself, but use a clamped stick. It too will give way if pressure is enough.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Scott, Please do not take offense to the following:
Sandwiches are for eating only. Sandwiching a workpiece between two fixed objects [read: fences] will get you fed, but it will be wood and that ain't ketchup (catsup); but rather it is blood.
Please DO NOT EVER DO THIS!
Occasionally, someone will say, "Oh I do it all the time", or, "I don't see the problem with that". Similar things get said for numerous activities, but that activity is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
FEATHERBOARDS are your best route! ESPECIALLY in consideration of the extremely high speeds (RPM) of a router!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Scott, as others have said you never trap wood between a bit and the fence because it will grab and shoot out too fast for you to react. Featherboards are one option; if you do not have a track to fasten them to you can clamp them to your router table.

Another safe choice is to use two GRR-Rippers to hold your material down to the table and against the fence. This photo shows them in use on a saw table but conveys the idea.


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## ssevey17 (Mar 13, 2014)

Thanks for the advice everyone. I don't know why using feather boards didn't cross my mind. Stupid me...


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Search the forums for making feather boards.


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## 163481 (Jul 8, 2015)

ssevey17 said:


> ...sandwiching the board between another fence.


This sounds to me like an injury waiting to happen. I'd opt for a push sled...perhaps one with a toggle clamp to keep the workpiece secure. Sleds are available commercially or you can make your own. Look on Youtube.com for inspiration.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

OPG3 said:


> Scott, Please do not take offense to the following:
> Sandwiches are for eating only. Sandwiching a workpiece between two fixed objects [read: fences] will get you fed, but it will be wood and that ain't ketchup (catsup); but rather it is blood.
> Please DO NOT EVER DO THIS!
> Occasionally, someone will say, "Oh I do it all the time", or, "I don't see the problem with that". Similar things get said for numerous activities, but that activity is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
> ...


well said Otis..


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

ssevey17 said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone. I don't know why using feather boards didn't cross my mind. Stupid me...


hope something here helps..

Shop Safety: How to Make Feather Boards

.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

My neighbour was in the ER for a bad cut (boating accident: no blame attached) on Sunday. Same day, two hand injuries from TSs in the ER. Pretty sure they were both home-type so no Workers Comp investigations.
I'd love to know what the Hell these two guys were doing when things went sideways. I know one of them lost a slice off the tip of his finger, so just guessing no guard and no pushstick? 
Hopefully the ER Doc gave them a tongue lashing...


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## katabrontes (Nov 12, 2014)

I have used a double fence with no problems and good results. I was a bit surprised by Mike's (02.39) comment. This would only happen if you fed the wood in "the wrong way" i.e. not against the cutter.

I used a slanted fence to control the angle of the board when I was making a moulding on the top of skirting boards. I don't know how else this could be done as the wood needs to feed into the cutter at an angle to produce the correct shape. It was done on the advice of Axminster tools (UK) technical expert.

I have attached a few of photos to show the set-up.

Curiously the best finish was when I cut the moulding in a single pass. Doing it in several passes of 2-3mm each time wasn't as good.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Mike, what you show is a jig or fixture and not a fence. Your wood is at an angle and fully supported; it is also easy to hold or clamp in position.

With a second fence there is no control as the wood is vertical and in most situations there would be no way to hold it down and against the fence behind the bit. A second fence does not provide the spring pressure you get from feather boards or the control from the GRR-Rippers.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Stick486 said:


> hope something here helps..
> 
> Shop Safety: How to Make Feather Boards
> 
> ...


Here is another home-made featherboard specifically for router tables. I have a Grip-Tite feather board Grip-Tite Magnetic Feather Board - Rockler Woodworking Tools - except an older model with the wooden body and no easy way to release the fairly strong magnet from the saw table except a sideways twist. The featherboard is the same principle as the Grip-Tite which works remarkably well, producing a force towards the table as well as towards the fence, although it does work better for narrower work. It isn't shown in the article, but I'd hope that the user has a means of holding down the material and pushing it past the bit other than his hands as shown in the picture.

Tom


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## katabrontes (Nov 12, 2014)

Sorry Mike it's a fence! It is fixed and the board is stable as it is 3-4 meters long and there is no way it can kick back due to its weight. The slope holds it tightly between the two fences which guide it into the cutter on the I feed side. The board is clear of the standard table fence on the out feed side as the photo shows clearly. I agree the diagram is of a moveable jig but this is not the way I have set it up.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Mike (Katabrontes):
here's an echo for you...



> Occasionally, someone will say, "Oh I do it all the time", or, "I don't see the problem with that". Similar things get said for numerous activities, but that activity is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.


In my mention of "trapping" - two parallel fences were what I was speaking of. Evidently you're an experienced Router User - but there is a distinct difference in the two (parallel versus what you have illustrated) - yours (in the photo) isn't vertical, as is the fence. In consideration of purely physics your method isn't truly trapping. Mike (Retired Moderator) is speaking of a workpiece pinched between to fixed items - thereby giving said workpiece a small list of options - kickback being very often the least resistance.

IMHO, you guys are speaking about two slightly different scenarios!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Mike, a fence is 90º to the table. A fence is positioned even with or behind the bit. What you built is an angle jig like one of Bob Rosendahl's designs as seen in the photo. Putting a second 90º fence in front of the bit means the feed direction would be the wrong way and would cause an accident. This is similar to what would happen when feeding stock from left to right on a regular set up. The angle of the wood makes all the difference in the world.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

Assuming the fences are parallel, and the board being routed has parallel sides that slide easily but not sloppy loose between the fences, there is no more chance of kickback if you just pay the same attention to feed direction and don't let go of the board being fed through the router. If the bit is partially buried in one fence then feed forward with the bit in the fence on your right. If the bit is in the middle, then feed either way and the bit will help keep the board against the fence to the right. 

It is only when the bit is partially buried in one fence and you feed it the wrong way (bit in your left fence) that it will pull/run-away with the board. This isn't kicking "back". It is also the same mistake with the same consequences if done with only one fence. 

This said, there is no reason to use two fences. The bit itself will help hold the work against the fence it is in if fed "right". A couple of push sticks (one on top, one pushing toward the fence) will keep the board against the fence and down on the table, and you can still slide out or up if you get in trouble. Feather boards are still trapping the board against the fence and prevent you from easily pulling away if you need to. 

4D


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

4D, the accident I am speaking of is run away. When wood is grabbed by a router developing 1-1/2 or more HP you can't hold it, you do not have enough time to react. Read through our safety threads and look at some of the accidents our members have had. You will find: "It happened before I realized it" as a recurring theme.

I retell this story from time to time to emphasize this point. I was finishing a simple cut on my table saw, trimming a long board to width. My foot slipped. Being off balance I lost control of my push stick and it hit the saw blade. Faster than a blink of an eye 1/2" of the corner of my push stick was gone. If I had not been using a push stick I have no doubt I would of been in the emergency room for surgery. Other members have not been as lucky as I was.

This is why I keep bringing up safety threads. This is why I advise beginning woodworkers on how to be safe. Advanced routing techniques are not for beginners. You walk before you run and you learn about controlling your router before you attempt advanced techniques.


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## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

I don't disagree with you Mike. I've been teaching furniture design for the last 35 years and have seen plenty of run-away mistakes on a router table but no injuries. Never from students in my class sections though. Why? I teach them the "right" rule before anything else. Then I remind them of it daily. I won't tell a student their idea is a bad idea without explaining why it is a bad idea and give them either an alternative or a safer approach to the task at hand. Just presenting the reasons here. 

I don't let my students use our table saws without me watching over them each time. I'll stop them before anything touches a blade if there is the slightest potential of kickback in what they intend to do. We have friction paint on the floor in front of each saw to manage sure-footedness. And of three saws we have the only one they are allowed to use is the SawStop. Our other two are where all our "scary" stories originated from. 

4D


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, guys.
This is a very interesting post for hobbyist, beginners and others. Thank you for your advices and lessons.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

papasombre said:


> Hi, guys.
> This is a very interesting post for hobbyist, beginners and others. Thank you for your advices and lessons.


I agree . I actually thought a dual fence was a cool idea in some circumstances . Not pinching something inbetween so much , but more or less as a guide for certain cuts . Guess not though


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## katabrontes (Nov 12, 2014)

OK Mike understood. I can see the difference between my set-up and using two parallel fences at 90 deg to the table set closely against the moving work piece which would, of course, lead to problems.


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