Router Bit Questions?

Cue Crazy

Cue Crazy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm using a screaming porter cable router with 1/4 chuck, and was thinking of trying a wing cutter. Wondering what thickness, and how many slots to get? I want to be safe, so don't want to get one that's too thin or may come apart on Me. It would have to be in the 1/4 shank range on the mandrel though.

Also how much better are these over a standard straight Bit?

I'm cutting shafts, and My old straight bits just are'nt as sharp as they use to be, they still rough out wood fine, just not good enough to cut shafts, so I'm just wondering if switching to this type bit would be an advantange or should I stick to the straight bits, and cut off of the sides of it.

My hopes is I could get something that cuts well enough that I don't have to stand there, and support the middles while cutting shafts, but not sure if that's possible with what I'm using now, so I'm looking for & open to suggestions.

Thanks Guys,:)

Greg C
 
greg , i got a 6 wing slot cutter from JW Petree
works great
minimal chatter if speeds are right
brent
 
http://www.bladesllc.com/slottingcuttersjemco.html
Your ticket.
SDR 187 ( kerf ) and 4 wings does it fine. Mark which tooth hits the wood first unless you want to grind all teeth dead even.
For roughing I go with a thin 6 wing cutter
http://www.mytoolstore.com/everlast/evr22.html
I have a speed controller on the router b/c it doesn't have to go that fast with the 6-winger. I can Turn 1 square to round in one pass. Cone it in two passes. This one made my table saw machine obsolete. :)
 
BHQ said:
greg , i got a 6 wing slot cutter from JW Petree
works great
minimal chatter if speeds are right
brent
Click to expand...



Thanks brent,

I'm alittle baffled, I don't seem to be getting chatter while cutting, atleast I can't feel any, and don't see any runnout, but the results toward the middle would appear that way. I'm running a real slow feed rate, but might could use a drop in spindle speed. Either way My bits have ruffed out alot of stock, so I figured It's time for a new one anyway, then I'll work on that stuff till I'm tuned In. It's not so so bad I can't sand out rings, but I would rather not have to do that at all If possible. I have no issues with handles, and with the shafts it's seems like a push off issue for some reason. That's what has Me thinking My bits are dull. That and they are not cutting short stock as smooth. No rings on those, but seems to be lifting the grain more then they use to, and has a more porus cut.

I think My local hardware stores may have slot cutters, but I'm curious about what thickness others are using. I think I saw a 3 wing that was 1/4 thick, but not sure if that's good enough.

Greg
 
Raise or lower the bit, it might still be sharp in some area.
Home Depot sells Freud bits. They are ok.
 
JoeyInCali said:
http://www.bladesllc.com/slottingcuttersjemco.html
Your ticket.
SDR 187 ( kerf ) and 4 wings does it fine. Mark which tooth hits the wood first unless you want to grind all teeth dead even.
For roughing I go with a thin 6 wing cutter
http://www.mytoolstore.com/everlast/evr22.html
I have a speed controller on the router b/c it doesn't have to go that fast with the 6-winger. I can Turn 1 square to round in one pass. Cone it in two passes. This one made my table saw machine obsolete. :)
Click to expand...



Wow That 4-wing looks sweet. Nice and solid looking. I made made the mistake Of using My finish bit to rough with. even with that I can't take but somewhere under 80 thous. a pass, so the other one You linked sounds good also. I apprietiate It. Curious-can you let that 4 wing run with no steady or manually supporting the middle?

I have plastic draped over everything, and I'm all setup to turn shafts right now, and was hoping to find something locally to get Me by, but I may end up having to wait, or just get a new straight bit to do some rough turns on dowels until I can get one shipped. I turned a couple tester shafts, they have one turn left, but I have a bunch that need initial turns, so they can be resting in the meantime.

Right now I'm just turning a bunch of fronts and handle stock so they will fit My spindle hole, until I can get another bit. One of the old bits is getting the job done for those, but I am having to make a few passes on each one, and still getting a hard cut finish when it should be smoother. I'm about to start on squares also, so I really need something with more gusto, unless I want to fiddle around making passes all day one a few pieces of wood;) :(

Thanks again, I just may give them a shot:)

Greg
 
I have been plunge cutting from the side, so the sides of one bit would still be sharp. I was going to switch the router positioning to accomadate that, but I noticed there was a chunk out of one of the side blades. I don't remember crashing it, so not sure how it got there. Maybe I will try anyway,and the blade that's not damage will clean the cut up. I never used the sides of It. The bit is a irwin I believe. Yeah If that does'nt help, then I may run down to the depot or ace, and see what they have to get Me by.

Thanks Again,:)
 
I use a 2" 3-wing cutter .125 thick at the tips. They can be sharpened real easily, and at the right speeds will allow you to start sanding a shaft with 400 grit.
 
Cutters

I also bought one from Petree a few weeks ago. He shipped it fast and I'm happy with it. It cuts smooth. It looks similar to the ones in that first link.
 
Thanks Sheldon,

I just ran down to the store, and ended up picking up a porter cable 1" long straight bit to get me by for right now. I've never used their bits before, but It seems very sharp. They had 3 wing cutters, the largest of which was 1/4 at the tips, but they had no mandrels to mount the thing too, and I don't have one here, so I suppose I'll just order a good one that's thicker.

I was looking at rabbiting bits while I was there, and wondering if anyone has ever tried those? They were cheaper then the straight bits, and about twice the diameter. Shorter cutting surface though, and only 2 flute like the straight bits.

On a side note- I was going to pick up some more cup hooks also, but they were out of the 100 pack 5/8 that I like:mad: , someone must have needed alot of them, because that was the only size out of stock. They had them 4 to a pack for a buck, but I was too cheap to pay 25 cents a piece for them;) :o:p

Greg
 
CamposCues said:
I also bought one from Petree a few weeks ago. He shipped it fast and I'm happy with it. It cuts smooth. It looks similar to the ones in that first link.
Click to expand...



Thanks,:)

Yeah, I think I'm going to order one that's thicker like the one in the link. Those things look like they are nice & solid. I still gotta ask though, can you walk away while It's cutting the middle of a shaft? I would like to set up a limit switch, and just let It run shafts out while I'm doing something else at the same time.
 
Like Sheldon... I used a 3 wing for years with pretty good results. A while back I was in Woodworkers source and they had a table full of odd bits for cheap and I picked up a bunch of 2", 2 wingers for 3-5 bucks each and figured what the heck. I'll never go back to anything else. I sharpen all my bits myself and found that the two wings are much easier to keep sharpened with both blades hitting the same depth. The thinnest ones(1/16" kerf) I have are the ones that work the best for me.
Could not find an arbor that was worth 2 cents so I made my own from SS and brass. Far less runout than any mass produced that I could find.
I found for me that the worst cause of chatter was dullness of the blade.
As soon as there is any hint of anything but a baby butt smooth cut off to the sharpening stone. I have also modified my angles of the cutting carbides to my liking other than the factory angles. I can easily shave 1-2 thou off of any diameter as needed with no chatter involved.
Many years of fine tuning speeds, feeds and using a router(very key instrument) that is worth what you pay for has some of the smoothest cuts I've had in the last five years.
If your using a laminate router..ie Porter Cable......good luck.
If you have an old one lying around... tear it apart and do some investigating as to how they are put together. I am not saying that they are not any good ....but they're junk! The bearings and armature are mounted in rubber! Was very hard for me to get an accurate cut with the way they are designed. Most lam routers are close to the same.
A quick hit with 400 after my final cut.......600,800, apply my sealer...
Leave like this until final finishing techniques.

Good luck.........
 
I'm considering trying a wing cutter as you are discussing here. I have a Deluxe Cuesmith with the standard lamanate trimmer as the cutting tool. Would I be able to use these wing cutters with my current equipment? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

DOH! BarenbruggeCues posted between the time I read the thread and my posting was posted. I guess my next question is can I adapt a router to work with my Deluxe Cuesmith if that's what I'll need to dial in the accuracy?
 
Last edited:
ragbug74 said:
I'm considering trying a wing cutter as you are discussing here. I have a Deluxe Cuesmith with the standard lamanate trimmer as the cutting tool. Would I be able to use these wing cutters with my current equipment? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

DOH! BarenbruggeCues posted between the time I read the thread and my posting was posted. I guess my next question is can I adapt a router to work with my Deluxe Cuesmith if that's what I'll need to dial in the accuracy?
Click to expand...

Clearance for the cutter is the main thing.........If the cutter hits anything but wood it will be one of the worst sounds you will experience in building cues. Been there......done that!
 
ragbug74 said:
I guess my next question is can I adapt a router to work with my Deluxe Cuesmith if that's what I'll need to dial in the accuracy?
Click to expand...

Anything is possible if you have the means to do so!
What brand type of router are you talking about?
 
I currently use the PorterCable laminate trimmer that came with the lathe. I'm wondering if I'd be able to mount any type of router on the cross slide. If so, what type of router do you recommend...any brand/model in particular?
 
ragbug74 said:
I currently use the PorterCable laminate trimmer that came with the lathe. I'm wondering if I'd be able to mount any type of router on the cross slide. If so, what type of router do you recommend...any brand/model in particular?
Click to expand...


A Kress spindle router is what I use and would recommend to anyone looking for a more accurate machine tool.
 
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BarenbruggeCues said:
Like Sheldon... I used a 3 wing for years with pretty good results. A while back I was in Woodworkers source and they had a table full of odd bits for cheap and I picked up a bunch of 2", 2 wingers for 3-5 bucks each and figured what the heck. I'll never go back to anything else. I sharpen all my bits myself and found that the two wings are much easier to keep sharpened with both blades hitting the same depth. The thinnest ones(1/16" kerf) I have are the ones that work the best for me.
Could not find an arbor that was worth 2 cents so I made my own from SS and brass. Far less runout than any mass produced that I could find.
I found for me that the worst cause of chatter was dullness of the blade.
As soon as there is any hint of anything but a baby butt smooth cut off to the sharpening stone. I have also modified my angles of the cutting carbides to my liking other than the factory angles. I can easily shave 1-2 thou off of any diameter as needed with no chatter involved.
Many years of fine tuning speeds, feeds and using a router(very key instrument) that is worth what you pay for has some of the smoothest cuts I've had in the last five years.
If your using a laminate router..ie Porter Cable......good luck.
If you have an old one lying around... tear it apart and do some investigating as to how they are put together. I am not saying that they are not any good ....but they're junk! The bearings and armature are mounted in rubber! Was very hard for me to get an accurate cut with the way they are designed. Most lam routers are close to the same.
A quick hit with 400 after my final cut.......600,800, apply my sealer...
Leave like this until final finishing techniques.

Good luck.........
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Dave,

They had 1/16 also but they were 3 wing too, besides them having no mandrel, I guess I was alittle frightened by them being so thin, and fear of one coming apart or something also.:o :p

I think My old bit is just dull, because I had the speeds working for Me before. I have had My router apart, and aggree on the bearing casings, the dremels are pretty much the same way. Another source of runnout can come from bottoming the shank out, so It does'nt center in the collet perfectly, I think your suppose to leave something in the range of 1/8 spacing from the bottom. I use a dremel for inlay also, so I have simular issues with It. I keep rechucking the endmill until I can see no runnout, and that seems to work for me. I plan on replacing that spindle in the future with a premium one.

With all that said, somehow the porter has worked well for me so far, and I can usually go from 400 to 600 as you mentioned with handles, so that's what I'm shooting for with shafts, but i'll have to see what happens. I would however like to have a nice spindle for that also, and will when I can spare the cash to afford one, for the reasons you mention, but most of all, the noise level is killing My ears. I had to buy a set of ear muffs, because It was giving me ear aches.:)

Btw How much for a Kress spindle? anything decent and quiet that I have seen is a grand or over usually. I guess it's just one of those things that are still a luxury for me, but I definatly want to upgrade.

Thanks Again, Greg
 
Here's what they look like...........
kress.jpg
 
Dave, thanks for the info and pictures.

Greg, are you going to give the wing cutters a try with the laminate trimmer?
 
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