Need “bit tip” for routing grooves
Just finished making 5 drawer-like pull-outs for storage in the shop. Fried one 1/4″ straight router bit making the grooves for the bottoms in the first 2 drawers. Did the other 3 in two passes, bit seems to have survived.
What type of bit survives this operation the best? I’m routing in the table, seems like an up-spiral bit would pull out the chaff, but send it right down into the router. The bits I had laying around were 1/4″ shaft (not my preference). Would a 1/2″ shaft make any difference?
Currently using a PC690 in the table. In general, is bit life longer with a more powerful router? I have a big Freud I could stick in there instead.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
Replies
Forrest Gurl, Why don't you first dado the grooves on the table saw using just your blade but shift it once to widen the groove??/
This doesn't have to be perfect ,as you now can finish it off on your router tablewith the proper sized bit
Incidently, a spiral up cut bit when used on a router table becomes a down cut bit .
Were you trying to rout the full depth iin one pass? were you advancing too slowly?
Dull bit? Only one cutting edge on bit?
Your router should handle a lot wider and deeper grooves with a good bit.
Straight Carbide correct feed (Not slow not too fast)( Two flute) ED.
Edited 8/26/2004 1:14 pm ET by steinmetz
Hi Steinmetz, thanks for the reply. Hmmmm, I thought about the tablesaw, but only using a dado, was too lazy to change the blade out. Lack of creativity on my part to not think of just using my combo blade. The session where I fried the first bit, yes, I did the whole depth (a whopping 1/4") in one pass. I think it was a Bosch bit, two-flute. Next one I get will be a 1/2"-shaft Amana or Freud.
With respect to "down" and "up" spiral, I try to stick with terminology used in the catalog -- otherwise, the bits get schizophrenic, LOL!
OK, gotta go get these glued up and in clamps. Then I can spend some time on that Router Template composition!! See ya!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
1/4" straight cutters are low duty, fragile cutters, that clear their chips poorly, deflect and otherwise wreck wood. Try a slotter.
1/4" slotters slice and eject chips like a saw blade, usually with three teeth, they can cut hundreds of feet without burining out. Not as easy to stop a slot as the straight bit but the gain it produces (if stopped) can be wasted by hand if necessary.
The do not have all the application of a straight bit and are restricted to ~<2" from edge of stock. But they do perfect work if you're fixtured well & your work is flat & well jointed.
Routers
Edited 8/26/2004 1:57 pm ET by routerman
Thanks for the tip, Pat. I've been kinda skipping over the slotters when looking at bits, but I think I'll pick up a 1/4" just for making drawer slots. I like using the router rather than tablesaw for these grooves when possible.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG, router man suggested using slotters ON THE ROUTER TABLE
It is a three tooth cutter wheel mounted on a shaft
In use , the cutter cuts in a horizontal (Rather than vertical) plane.
You must feed the drawer sides into the moving slotter, while holding the the board upright against the router fence.
ED.
Hah! You thought I'd use it hand-held, didn'tcha? Naaaahhhhhhh, I understood the table thing.
Just got done experiencing some fun kickback on the tablesaw. Taking a break before going back to work. At this rate, it'll be midnight before I get the darned things done!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
The best tool for making drawer bottom slots is the dado set. You can adjust the slot width very accurately that way. With a slotting bit you are stuck with what the mfr. makes. Few slotting bits will rival the dado set for quality of cut and depth and position are both very easy to adjust. Most table saws will also do the job quicker than most routers due to their power ratios. If you are too lazy to use the best tool you will pay in other ways.
Clay (and Dusty) -- got it! Next time, especially if I'm making several drawers, I'll pull out the dado set.
re: the plywood, I was very suprised to find that it was actually .25" -- I expected it to be undersized by a few thou or whatever, but it was right on (and a tight fit). forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG,
I bought a Whiteside sprial bit(not gonna take the chance on the direction) with a 1/4 shaft and the darn thing would not stay put. Called Dewalt and they sent me a free 1/4" collet for the 621 and it still is not sufficiently trustworthy. But it did cut much easier than a regular 1/4" bit...
Jamie,
I use a spiral up-cut with no problem. In fact, I rarely use any other kind of straight bit. I buy them from MCLS, which has free shipping, and I have yet to get a bad one. But, they are disposable. I think the 1/4"ers are about $10 or so, and with free shipping, it is just a quick phone call. Give them a try. I have not had trouble with dust into my router (a big old Bosch) when using it table mounted.
Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
I buy my spiral solid carbide bits from them too. Get a 1/4" shaft on the 1/4" bit - it will actually be less likely to break than one with a 1/2 shaft. The shoulder area where the diameter changes is a weak point.
FG,
I destroyed about 6 trying to rout around a template. I tried spraying DriCoat on the bit, which helped for a while. I bought the several of the same Bosch bits as you. Most of them burned up as well.
Here's what I finally used. A solid carbide bit with a vacuum attachment. Sucking the chips up helped immensely. The bit ran cooler and with the Dricote I was able to cut longer. I also slowed the feed rate and the speed of the bit.
For drawers. I would take the time to set up the dado head. It seems like a waste of time but when you can run your parts in a quarter of the time. It's worth it.
Len
Hi Len. Outch! A guy could go broke at 6 bits/template.
I almost got out the can of PAM cooking spray, but decided the other day to just do it in two passes. Really helped because the chip clearance was so much better on both passes. With the router in the table, it's really hard to get down-directed vacuum.
The table saw it is, unless I'm feeling masochistic.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi FG.
Your comment: "With the router in the table, it's really hard to get down-directed vacuum" caught my eye. What kind of setup fo you have? I have one of my routers in a table with an enclosure below it. A dust collector line is connected to the enclosure and I get enough suction it makes a slight whistling sound around the router. Coupled with dust collection at the fence makes for very little cleanup.
On the original issue about drawer bottoms: I routinely use a 1/4" bit with 1/4" shaft when building my shop drawers. I use 1/2" ply for the bottoms to handle the weight in most drawers. The 1/4" bit takes care of the dados and the rabbets -- I use lock rabbets on my drawers.
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
I destroyed about 6 trying to rout around a template.
Wow! You weren't be a little agressive were you?
Bill Arnold
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
F.G.
I agree with some of the other posters about the T.S. being the best tool for the job. My main reason for thinking so is because as you know 1/4" panels as others are not consistent in thickness from one type or batch to another. This gives you the ability to make the groove exactly the right size. Besides the T.S. has more power and cuts slots very effortlessly.
try it you will like it
good luck dusty
F.G.
Just to make things a bit clearer , yes I say the T.S. is the tool of choice , but not necessarily a dado blade . It can be difficult to cut slots less than 1/4" with some dado sets , and just one 1/4" raker only has a few teeth , so the cuts may have more tearout than a say 50 tooth combo blade produces. So I generally make 2 passes unless I am using 1/2" bottoms. The time it takes you to get your dado set up I can be done with the drawer parts when it is just a handful .
dusty
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