Shopsmith Forums

Perhaps you momentarily lost contact between the wood and the router bit, with the bit grabbing the wood when you once again made contact. This would be similar to starting a freehand cut without using a pivot pin which allows you to ease the wood into the cutter. Without a pivot pin there is good possibility the bit will grab the wood and shoot it around the shop as you experienced.

Depending on the size of the wood you're working with, it might be easier and safer to use a hand-held router rather than a router table. Clamp the wood to your workbench and move the router around the work piece. Also I'd rout one piece of stock at a time. If one piece separated from the other and then jammed into the bit, it could rip the stock out of your hands.

pennview wrote:...

Depending on the size of the wood you're working with, it might be easier and safer to use a hand-held router rather than a router table. Clamp the wood to your workbench and move the router around the work piece. ...

Not to be a wet blanket here, but I once observed a highly skilled General Contractor and woodworker pick up a router and apply same to a clamped down workpiece that had a "hidden" knot just below the surface. He was not gripping the router tightly enough, and yes, believe it or not, the bit grabbed that knot, tore the router right out of his two-handed grasp and threw it about 5 feet (to the end of the power cord, which it promptly cut off on the rebound).

Lessons: don't use the "Lock" on button; always expect the absolute worst.