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

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, it is clear he has a router. the rest he has to buy.

The cost of an arbor and groover is less than a decent saw.

[John Rumm]

What you know is that your 3mm cutter can't do it...

The limitation with any straight cutter with flutes narrower than the shank is that they will only have a limited depth of cut before you hit the tapered section. On many cutters of that type, the max depth is usually no more that 1/2", which given the OP suggested "15mm or so" may or may not be adequate.

You can get 1/8" shank router cutters, which for 3mm fluted cutters will not have the same limitation on depth of cut. You would need either an adaptor collet for a larger machine, or a small detail router like the Dremel style add on:

(However as I highlighted previously, there are other and better options in this particular case).

[Capitol]

Use a table saw and a guide fence.

[jkn]

oh, a supplementary...

After the earlier discussions I was thinking of using the router 'bit down', with a side piece of the same thickness to ensure the router is stable. However I do have a router table and so could use the router 'upside down' in that.

This would give the benefit of being able to use the fence; however the slots need to be quite long (the wood is ~600mm wide) and I guess I would need to extend the table so that the wood is stable at the extremities.

(I s'pose I could do half the slot in each direction and turn the wood over - but since the slot is not symmetrical in the wood I would have to do some height adjusting which I am reluctanct to do.)

Does the team think that this would still be preferable to clamping two bits of wood down and going in from the top? I guess with the table and fence I would not need to fit a 'depth bearing' on the arbour?

Thanks, and sorry for all the beginner's questions...

Oh, and and to answer some questions that have come up - I have no power saws at all. I did once do a thing similar to this with a tenon saw but it was a mighty faff and I have a lot more to do now... I would (marginally) prefer to buy a router bit/s than a saw, if only for the space taken up)

Cheers Jon N

[The Natural Philosopher]

use the table and dont worry too much about extending it. Get a mate to support it and feed it in whilst you control the wood near the router bit.

[michael adams]

Good point.

The router I used this on had a removeable threaded fine adjuster with a knob on the end originally designed for use under a table. As an added precaution I always used a locknut on the other side of the lug the fine adjuster screwed down onto.

On smaller Elus and Dewalt copies you can subsitute threaded stud for one of the screws on the turret and then use locknuts on this.

I wouldn't attempt to use this set-up otherwise.

Possibly I should have mentioned this in my original post.

michael adams

...

[tabbypurr]

s you 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 the surface & thus close to the chuck. Anything else is a nonstarter.

did you really miss

that I was responding to? seriously? There, I've snipped the rest so even you can see it

[tabbypurr]

we know that retard-boy. What we don't know is whether he has a saw that will do the job or not.

[John Rumm]

Yup, slotting cutters are much easier and safer to use in a table.

Depends on how bit the table is - as long as you can hold it flat on the table with it tipping, then its fine if it overhangs either end at some point in the cut.

You can also make yourself a feather board and clamp it to the fence of the table to help you "hold down" the work.

No, try and work from one side only if you can. its easier generally to have a "reference face" that you work and measure from.

If you have a table, then use that. As you say the fence will let you set the depth. If the cutter you get has a bearing on it, then you can just set the face inline with that by placing a ruler across the fence gap and against the bearing.

No problem - we were all beginners once, and at least this way you don't have to make all the mistakes we made.

Yup a router with the slotting cutter is perfectly good way to do it, especially as you have a table (you can do it freehand, but its easier to make mistakes with that type of setup). The only real downside of that type of cutter is they are more "one trick ponies" than straight fluted cutters which have a wider range of uses.

[tabbypurr]

Whoosh. The limitation with 1/8" sideways cutting bits is the lack of lateral strength. Try to cut the op's slot and they will just break.

NT

[Fredxxx]

You haven't recently said anything against Andrea Leadsom perchance?

[John Rumm]

(However as I highlighted previously, there are other and better options

Are you just arguing for the sake of it again?

No they won't break with a lateral pass - its a router cutter not a drill bit. Yes you will need to take light shallow passes - as I already said above. With each pass the load on the cutter is at the tip where its doing the cutting. If it survived the first pass, the following ones should be no harder.

This is also a pointless discussion since the OP has already indicated they would rather go with the slotting cutter approach as has been recommended by several people.

[John Rumm]

was the OP's comment "Oh, and and to answer some questions that have come up - I have no power saws at all." not enough of a clue for you?

[Andy Burns]

e.g. This axminster 47mm cutter, which with a 22mm bearing on the arbor will cut a 12.7mm groove, unfortunately they don't seem to sell e.g. an

19mm bearing arbour which would give the 15mm groove required.

Or they do a 4mm x 15mm intumescent slot cutter, if a 4mm groove would do instead of 3mm?

[tabbypurr]

Having used such a thing I know what you discuss there is optimistic.

NT

[tabbypurr]

That response came later. Pay attention.

NT

[The Natural Philosopher]

Actually we do, since he said he hasnt. retard boy.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Apparently not...

[newshound]

Mine too.

[newshound]

I think you might be lucky to have the thin strip survive. Given my poor woodworking skills I think I would look at capping a stepped rebate.