Help with Pine cuts

1

I’m working with some pine offcuts and having trouble getting a good finish. I appreciate pine is very soft so hard to work with but I really want to work with driftwood so want to persist!

Any tips on how to get a better finish? I’m currently using a 6mm ball nose bit and it is pulling the grain and leaving a rough finish which is hard to sand. Are there better bits to use for this? For this I used Easel with 1500mm/min and 10k rpm on a Makita Trim Router. 2mm dpp.

2

Try a down cut bit

3

Some people have tried putting sanding sealer on the board first. Also covering the board with painters tape or packing tape has worked better,

4

Thanks. I have a downcut bit in the post so will try that. I’ve had a bit more luck with a V-bit than the ball nose and still gives a nice look. The wood is already varnished so already sealed, but will bare that in mind for other pieces.