how to route a thin deep slot in end grain of 18mm wood

Hello all This is an enquiry about how to use a router to cut a slot in the end of a sheet of wood. Below is an ASCII-art side view of the sheet. The wood is around 18mm thick.

The slot needs to be say 3mm across, and perhaps 15mm deep.

| |< slot approx 3mm from edge >| |< 3mm slot, 15mm or so deep / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / |-| |------| | | | | | | | | | |_| | | | | | |SIDE VIEW | >| ~18mm |< thickness of wood

I have a Router (1/2" chuck) available to me. I originally presumed that the approach would be to get a suitable 'deep pocket' router bit and cut the slot in several passes. However I cannot find such a router bit and am wondering if there are any other options.

I am expecting to have it pointed out that the 3mm strip of wood left on the LH side of the slot will be very weak. I do realise this... a last resort is to make a rebate rather than a slot, but this leaves me with a different finishing problem.

Thanks for any pointers and suggestions

jon N

Reply to
jkn
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perfect job for a groover cutter!

Try here

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Bob

jkn wrote:

Reply to
Bob Minchin

I think a 3mm bit is going to be a problem at 15mm deep.

What I think you actually want is a 3mm wide slotter fitted to an arbor

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Or if you have a table saw try using that.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

These are deeper cutting

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Reply to
Bob Minchin

Solid wood, or ply-wood?

Reply to
Andy Burns

Table saw would be my choice.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

Forget the router. This is a job for a table saw or - at a push - a biscuit jointer.

Reply to
Roger Mills

+1, a 3mm wide bit has too little strength or rigidity. FWIW you can get 3.2mm spiral saw bits, but you won't succeed with one.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Hi All Thanks for the quick replies! At first blush the Groover Cutter looks like the thing - me not thinking of this just shows my inexperience in what's available for Routers.

Too little strength or rigidity for what, please?

FWIW (a) It is in solid wood, not ply, and (b) I don't have a table saw (or Biscuit Cutter)

Cheers Jon N

Reply to
jkn

You need to fit an arbor and a slotting cutter which is like a miniature saw blade.

You'll need to check sizes although you can alter the diameter of the bearings on the arbore to determine the depth of the slot.

You lay the work flat , run the router along the top and the bearings in the arbor either side of the blade run against the side of the wood.

michael adams

...

Reply to
michael adams

for what you're doing of course

So what saws do you have?

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

You will have difficulty finding a 3mm straight fluted bit - and if you do, it will be very weak so you would need many light passes to get to depth.

You can get some slotting bits - the type designed for biscuit jointing in a normal router may do what you want.

I think if I were doing this, I would actually use a small circular saw with a guide fence fitted (or better still do it on a table saw if you have access to one). You may need a narrow kerf blade to get 3mm though (use multiple passes if you need to go wider than a single blade kerf.

Reply to
John Rumm

And be very careful planning your movements - its wickedly easy to forget you can't lift or plunge, and end up taking a lump out of the face of your wood. DAMHIK!

Use an extra bit of wood on the other side of the router base to add stability when doing this type of cut - otherwise its difficult to balance it on edge and then slide it into the cut.

Reply to
John Rumm

A groover is not a bit, tabby.

Before you make a bigger fool, look up the links I posted.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Yes, I get that, thanks!

I worked that out for myself last night after visualising things in a bit more detail - thanks! ;-)

As it happens there will be a 'scrap' area (to be cut away subsequently) of a few cm at the start end end of the slot, so the cleanness of the entry and exit points are not over-critical.

This has all been very helpful, thanks a lot.

Jon N

Reply to
jkn

IIUC, clamp the wood in a workmate and run a circular saw set to 15mm. I did this to build a frame to hold the tongue of T&G cladding.

Reply to
RJH

The best way to do this is with as we have arrived at a groover tool/arbor and using a router table. as well which allows a fence to be used to control the depth, and the table to support the workpiece.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

end of a sheet of wood.

A 3mm diameter cutter can not do that, no matter how many shallow passes yo u make. I know because I have one. The only things it's able to manage are drilling downward and sideways cutting where the material being cut is at t he surface & thus close to the chuck. Anything else is a nonstarter.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

... if those are the tools the OP has. Otherwise it isn't. Random questioners are more likely to have a circular saw than a groover for a router.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Dear tabby. PLEASE read what has been read. We are not talking about a

3mm dia cutter, but a 40mm or gretaer diameter cutter used on edge like a precisioon saw with a 3mm kerf.
Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

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