# Bearing bit and contact cement



## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, all of you.

When I use a straight bearing bit to cut high pressure laminate on plywood, the glue and the residues form a paste-like compound that adheres to the bearing and fills up the space between it and the bit's bottom causing an irregular cut at the edges of the working piece. To eliminate this a second router pass is required after remove the above mentioned paste or a rough sand paper is used.

I remove the bearing and use a spray solvent to delete all the compound and then, reinstall the bearing to continue the job. But, when I use other than straight bearing bit to cut the laminate, a 45 degrees bit for instance to cover the exposed to the view edges, is easy to loose the setting so the procedure shown in the attached pictures is repeated very often. Is there some way to prevent this compound to form or to make it longer to appear?

Thank you very much.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Alexis

Spray the bit with PAM b/4 you use it.

Cooking Sprays by PAM: America's Favorite Cooking Oils and Sprays | PAM

http://www.pamcookingspray.com/videos/

Also works great on your hands if you use the nasty Gorilla Wood Glue and others like it,just spray you hands b/4 you pop the cap on the bottle and it will let you wipe it right off your hands/fingers..

http://www.dickblick.com/products/g...w=23629-1008&gclid=CKuu_fLi760CFbAEQAoddkAjtQ 

I also use it on my snow blower but I'm sure you don't use a snow blower in Venezuela.. 

==



papasombre said:


> Hi, all of you.
> 
> When I use a straight bearing bit to cut high pressure laminate on plywood, the glue and the residues form a paste-like compound that adheres to the bearing and fills up the space between it and the bit's bottom causing an irregular cut at the edges of the working piece. To eliminate this a second router pass is required after remove the above mentioned paste or a rough sand paper is used.
> 
> ...


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

I always use vaseline applied with a glue brush to the area where the bearing will rub. It prevents the glue from getting into the bit/bearing joint and lubricates the surface of the laminate so that there is no bearing burn even if the bearing begins to lock up and spin if the glue should begin sticking to it. This also works to lubricate the solid carbide laminate trimmer bits that have no bearings.

Charley


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Thank you very much, Bob and Charles.

Bob, you are right, I won't use the spray that you are recommending to me in my country but I can use it here in China. I didn't think that a cooking product can be used at woodworking but you have so many resources my friend. Now I will have some problems with my wife whe she realizes that I am using her de-molding cooking product.

Charles, have you never had a problem with the vaseline? I think that a solvent is needed to clean the laminate surfaces and this solvent can affect the contact cement

I never used an oily product to avoid wood contamination or stain. In fact, after cleaning the bit I run the router against a piece of scrap to delete any trace of solvent on the bit and the bearing and then continue the job. Next time I'll try your advice.


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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

Caution.....Solvents will also pull the lubricant out of the bearing. That's not good.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Gene Howe said:


> Caution.....Solvents will also pull the lubricant out of the bearing. That's not good.


Too true!

Personally I wouldn't apply anything to a cutter with a bearing to make it less sticky - if you apply anything solvent (even light oil) it can and will affect bearing life. I equally don't like the idea of a vegetable oil as it can dry out and go hard if stored over a prolonged period. 

In answer to the OPs question I think there are several possible solutions. Firstly try to get a more consistent layer of glue over the surface. I've found that spray adhesive (the industrial type) leaves a lot less glue residue to cope with, but even moving from a "standard" nylon glue spreader of the type supplied with the can to a spreading comb made by glueing two layers of laminate together then sawing teeth with a very fine (gents) saw can give a thinner, more consistent glue coating. Secondly pre-trimming with an overhang bit, such as the Porter-Cable #43516 or these by Amana then using a standard trimmer also reduces glue build-up. Larger diameter trimmer bits seem to be less prone to build up (i.e. 3/4in diameter are much better than 1/4in diameter). Finally there are specific glue well cutters made to address the problem as well, such as this one (Trend is a UK firm but generally I find that Amana sells almost the same range in the USA)

Regards

Phil


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## Jack Wilson (Mar 14, 2010)

An acquaintance who builds counter tops does it this way, he uses Crisco, a vegetable oil, and he has a plethora of routers each set up with a different bit for each purpose. However he also laminates the edges of the tops as well, so there is no concern of oil contaminating any of the wood product. Anyways, when done, he cleans the tops with lacquer thinner, the thinner breaks down the contact cement but the laminate is impervious.


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## digitless (Jan 28, 2012)

Phil P said:


> Personally I wouldn't apply anything to a cutter with a bearing to make it less sticky - if you apply anything solvent (even light oil) it can and will affect bearing life.



So even a silicone spray (for example THIS one) would eventually kill a bearing? I would tend to think it might help extend the life of the bearing rather than harm it in any way... I'm confused.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Silicone lubricant is totally banned from my shop because of the problem that it creates when it contaminates finishes. Any silicone lubricant that gets on the wood will produce fish eyes in the finish. You can't see it before the finish is applied and you can't clean it completely off the wood before applying the finish, even if you know it is there. 

When I recommended using Vaseline in a previous reply to this post I assumed that you had laminate on the vertical surface and you were trying to trim the horizontal surface laminate to it, so the bearing would be riding on the vertical laminated surface. This is where I use the Vaseline. It cleans off of the laminate surfaces and the router bit very easily with thinner after the trimming is complete and never gets on the wood. I never apply it to raw wood. A sticky guide bearing or a laminate trimming bit with no bearing can easily cause a burn line on the vertical laminate surface that it rides on. The Vaseline prevents this burn line. If the bearing or guide end of the bit will be rubbing on a wood surface the Vaseline should not be used. A slight burn mark on the wood will likely be covered with laminate in the next step anyway.

Charley


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

digitless said:


> So even a silicone spray (for example THIS one) would eventually kill a bearing?


I'm with Charley on that one - silicone might not damage your bearing (I'm not sure what the effects of heat are on it) but in a woodworking shop it is a sure fire way to contaminate anything and everything. That makes it a no-no anywhere near a router or cutter



CharleyL said:


> When I recommended using Vaseline in a previous reply to this post I assumed that you had laminate on the vertical surface and you were trying to trim the horizontal surface laminate to it...


That was how we used to handle pilot bearings before ball bearing bits came in. I still use those bits if I'm having to rout into a tight corner, but not often as the most common way of laminating in my experience is top first, then edgings (more difficult for kids to pick the top off that way). Most of the places I know doing laminate work add a strip of masking tape to the vertical edging (or dfor that matter any finished surface you are using as a trimming guide) for the guide bearing to run against, strip it off once the laminate has been trimmed and then file the edge flush before filing to remove the arriss (single, fine cut plastics or soft metal file). Using masking tape sidesteps the issue of marking/burning of edge strips - something you can't afford to do if you are low on materials (and the laminate sheet is $300 worth as some of the really fancy designs can be!)

As an aside I have a couple of Whiteside Euro square bearing trimmers which are are very easy to clean, easier than steel bearings) as well as being non-marring. Keep then specifically for finish cuts only, though, as they reduce or eliminate filing

Regards

Phil


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

CharleyL said:


> Silicone lubricant is totally banned from my shop because of the problem that it creates when it contaminates finishes. Any silicone lubricant that gets on the wood will produce fish eyes in the finish. You can't see it before the finish is applied and you can't clean it completely off the wood before applying the finish, even if you know it is there.
> 
> When I recommended using Vaseline in a previous reply to this post I assumed that you had laminate on the vertical surface and you were trying to trim the horizontal surface laminate to it, so the bearing would be riding on the vertical laminated surface. This is where I use the Vaseline. It cleans off of the laminate surfaces and the router bit very easily with thinner after the trimming is complete and never gets on the wood. I never apply it to raw wood. A sticky guide bearing or a laminate trimming bit with no bearing can easily cause a burn line on the vertical laminate surface that it rides on. The Vaseline prevents this burn line. If the bearing or guide end of the bit will be rubbing on a wood surface the Vaseline should not be used. A slight burn mark on the wood will likely be covered with laminate in the next step anyway.
> 
> Charley


Good morning, Charles.

If you see the second picture at my post, you will see what I was talking about. I was trimming the horizontal surface of laminate. That's why I was asking to you about the problems with vaseline. I appreciate your tips.

Thank you very much.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, Phil.

I share with you the most common way to apply laminate: top first, specially at the inside surface of my cabinets. I pay too much attention to this because the vertical surfaces will be the base for the edge banding that will be exposed to the view. I use a veneer or a moulding to cover the plywood and the laminate's edges.

Since woodworking is not my way of living (YET) I enjoy a lot spending some time at my garage doing such a thing. I can repeat my router bit cleaning procedure to be sure that the laminate will be applied in the best way. May be some of you do not have time to do so and that's why the so many differents ways to solve the problem. Meanwhile I'll try to learn from you.

I have seen the Whiteside Euro Square bearing bits that you mentioned but in my country they are not easy to buy and buying them by internet would be rather expensive.

Thanks a lot.


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