I need to cut a deep slot, 3/4 wide by 3/4 deep, on a curved edge. This is to accept a 3/4 thick panel into a 1 3/4 rail. I can’t go with a dado since it’s curved. I can’t find a rabbet bit with this dimension. 1/2 each deep is all I can find without going over 3/4 wide. Any suggestions. The panel and rail have a curve that steps down twice about 3″, 18″ apart.
Thanks for any help!
Replies
Slot cutter with a pilot bearing. There are several options since some are stackable for wider cuts or simply make multiple passes raising the cutter on each pass. You can vary the depth of cut by the diameter of the pilot bearing. Whiteside, CMT and Freud make excellent slot cutters for this purpose.
Doug
I checked Whiteside and Infinity and only found slot cutters that would reach 1/2 cutting depth. Same with Rabbet bits, the only one that would cut over 1/2" was 1" long. Do you have a supplier of other slot cutters?
Edited 1/7/2005 9:52 am ET by treefreak
You can adjust the depth of cut by changing the diameter of the pilot bearing. For example, if the cutter has a 1" depth using a 3/8 dia. bearing, then by using a 7/8 dia pilot bearing you can reduce the depth to 3/4". Make sure that your bearing set is the same diameter as the cutter shaft. Some are 1/4 and some are 5/16. Slot cutters are very versatile and you find many uses for them.
Doug
If I had to take out that much material, I think I'd try a 1/2" Spiral up-cut bit and get to the 3/4" width in two passes. I'm assuming from your post, that you've already got the edge-guide/curve-following issue already tackled.
I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.
I don't think I can get the wide base of the router to follow the curves w/o picking up on the inside curves.
Sorry. I think I was picturing cutting the slot on the face adjacent to the one you have in mind.
I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.
I'm not sure this will help, but Amana and CMT both have rabbet bits that will go 3/4".
http://www.carbide.com/catalog/SearchRBDetail.cfm?ID=AMA-49360&GroupID=0201.01.06
Thanks for trying. The shortest cutting length I can find is 7/8 . Can you grind one down or something? Maybe time for a design change.
Being you are going to have to make the cut in several passes of increasing depth, the bit doesnt need to be full diameter over it's entire length. Just leave a little bit of the bit's shank exposed when you install the bit in the collet so that you can reach all the way to the 3/4 inch depth when you make the final pass at full depth.
John W.
Why not just chop it out by hand with a mortise chisel?
I should have added it is 38 inches long. Sounds like a combination of vertical and horizontal cutting. Maybe I can get the width to 3/4 with a rabbet or slot cutter and then finish the depth to 3/4 with a spiral cutter or other bit with a top bearing. Sound reasonable?
Edited 1/7/2005 1:41 pm ET by treefreak
Might be that you can get a rabbet on the work and the depth of the slot to add up to 3/4"?
In that lucky event, you have a lot of cutter options.
Routers
I'm not sure I follow you on that one.
Edited 1/7/2005 9:24 pm ET by treefreak
From your original description it sounded like there were only two mortises, each 3 inches long. 38 inches is a lot but if you drill out most of the waste and then clean up with a wide chisel you could probably do it quite efficiently. It might take me two hours but I'm slow.
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