Subject: Routers & Pressure Treated?

From: Rick Shelton <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 10:08:21 -0600

I'm looking at building a deck in the near future and would like to
round over the 2x6's I'll be using for the deck.  I've heard that
rounding over pressure treated would burn-out my router, not to mention
dull out bits rather quickly.  Any comments, suggestions out there?

Thanks.

-- 
- Rick Shelton

  [email-masked]

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From: keevmk <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 23:15:36 -0600

> dull out bits rather quickly.  Any comments, suggestions out there?

I doubt it would burn up your router, as long as it's not underpowered &
you take multiple passes, however being pine & saturated with
preservitive will almost surely trash your bits.  You might go for the
el cheapo high speed steel bits & toss them when they are burnt up.

Buzz

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From: [email-masked] (Garrett Lambert)
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 09:14:14 GMT

It won't hurt your router, but it might hurt your lungs. The stuff is
really quite toxice. In any event, there are two other reasons why wou
shouldn't and don't need to do it:

First, PT, like beauty, really is only skin deep. The lighter wood
colour underneath will show, and you'll be very unhappy with your nice
rounded over "stripes". Not to mention that the wood will be far less
"protected". 

Second, any decent lumber yard ought to be able to offer you rounded
over PT deck boards. They're a standard item for which you pay a small
premium.

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From: [email-masked] (Chris West)
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 15:40:45 GMT

I rounded over 4x4 pt for a swing set. looks ok to me. used steel bit
with a 1 1/2 hp router, making a 1/2 inch radius cut. I agree with 
it being toxic.

However, for decking, I'd go with the suggestion of the previous poster.
When I did my deck, the decking was 5/4 inch thick, by 6 inches wide, 
with rounded over edges that look real nice.

Garrett Lambert ([email-masked]) wrote:

: It won't hurt your router, but it might hurt your lungs. The stuff is
: really quite toxice. In any event, there are two other reasons why wou
: shouldn't and don't need to do it:

: First, PT, like beauty, really is only skin deep. The lighter wood
: colour underneath will show, and you'll be very unhappy with your nice
: rounded over "stripes". Not to mention that the wood will be far less
: "protected".

: Second, any decent lumber yard ought to be able to offer you rounded
: over PT deck boards. They're a standard item for which you pay a small
: premium.

: On Mon, 31 Mar 1997 10:08:21 -0600, Rick Shelton
: <[email-masked]> wrote:

: >I'm looking at building a deck in the near future and would like to
: >round over the 2x6's I'll be using for the deck.  I've heard that
: >rounding over pressure treated would burn-out my router, not to mention
: >dull out bits rather quickly.  Any comments, suggestions out there?
: >
: >Thanks.
: >
: >-- 
: >- Rick Shelton
: >
: >  [email-masked]

--
Chris West                  
[email-masked]

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From: "R Webb" <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Apr 1997 21:58:17 GMT

I have never heard of that but I must admit that I have never heard of a
lot of things.

If you do go ahead and use the router on the pressure treated lumber,
remember to use a very good dust mask because you just don't want to inhale
any dust from pressure treated lumber.

Rick Shelton <[email-masked]> wrote in article
<[email-masked]>...

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From: James Foster <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 10:14:10 -0600

> el cheapo high speed steel bits & toss them when they are burnt up.

I'd have to disagree with the bit suggestion. If something is going to 
be hard on bits then it'll waste HSS bits really quickly. Then, with
dull bits, you do have to worry about your router burning out. First,
as another poster suggested, don't do this. Get the commercially
rounded over boards instead. Second, if you do have a lot of work
like this to do then get a couple of mid price carbide bits. Use
them, touch 'em up a couple of times on a diamond stone, and if they
survive to be used again on another project then count that as a bonus.