dougdrake Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 OK, all you router-heads out there. I'm a total newbie. Please define the following terms as they relate to router bits (a rabbet bit, specifically): Cutting diameter Flute length IOW, I need to cut a ledge around a hole in a motorboard on which to rest the lip of a woofer and horns. How do I determine what size router bit I need to make this cut? DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpittman Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 Does the hole already exist? Or will you be cutting it, too? Assuming you already have a hole, and just need to cut a recess around the hole, then you should look at a ball-bearing rabbet bit. The ball bearing rests on the interior edge of the hole, and allows you to follow the contour of the hole exactly. (well, more or less.) Anyway, flute length is the length of the cutters. I guess theoretically it would be how deep a groove you could cut with one pass, but you probably won't be cutting more than an 1/8" or so per pass anyway. Or at least you shouldn't be. Diameter is the cutter diameter, but you will have to adjust this for the width of the ball bearing. You would figure the (diameter of the woofer - the diameter of the hole) / 2. You might take a look here: http://www.cmtusa.com and check out their rabbet bits. (Sorry, but I couldn't get the link to paste.) A cutting bit of 1 1/4" diameter, with a 1/2" bearing will cut 3/8" wide. Assuming you're using a fairly small bit with a 1/4" shank, you might try chucking it up in a laminate trimmer instead of a router. I find this much easier to control. HTH, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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