Router speeds

[joiner1970]

I've got a little job this week cutting a 4 mm x 195mm x 10mm deep slot in some melamine faced chipboard.

Now I know with large cutters you should lower the speed but what about really small cutters. Should I be slowing it down or go full speed ?

Obviously I'll be doing the slot in several passes probably 2mm at a time. Either on my router table or using a rail.

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[Stone Message]

Generally speaking it is speed decreasing with the increase in diameter in order to keep the speed of the cutting tip about the same. However with smaller cutters their ability to clear waste is less efficient that larger cutters and so one cannot expect to go supersonic with a small diameter bit.

For what you are describing and with a two flute TCT cutter I would not worry about speed but take it in 2 or 3 passes going slowly through the melamine facing.

I assume that the slot is stopped at one or both ends. If not I would do this on the table saw or Kapex if narrow enough.

Peter

 

[joiner1970]

Yeah it's a stopped one Peter.

Not decided yet on whether to use my router table , just using 2 fixed stops for length and lowering down on to the cutter.

Or I could make a jig up and rout them using a router and rail using kick back stops to limit the length.

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[Holmz]

Some tools are better than others for this:

But I use a router.

I suppose if it is done a lot it makes sense.