# 1/4" bit 3/4" plunge in hardwood how many passes?



## Jake00 (Jun 14, 2012)

Hey Guys,

I'm glad I found this site. 

Ive been reading and searching this site over the past few weeks. 

I have a need to make some 1/4" wide slots in 3/4" red oak. 

Can I do this in 1 pass? I have a dewalt 611 

Thanks,

Jake


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

The general rule of thumb I go by is no more depth of cut in a single pass than the diameter of cutter. If you are using a 1/4" bit, I would make 3 passes in 3/4 stock at a minimum.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Jake

" Can I do this in 1 pass? " = Yes you can do it with your DeWalt but it's very hard on the bit and router.  feed rate is the key..and not cook (burn ) the bit up..

Use a high end bit that pulls the chips up and out of the slot and out of the path of the bit and you will be just fine.

===


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

d. all of the above

I would plan on 3 passes, but four might be better. Make your first cut real shallow, and hopefuly that will keep the top from fuzzing real bad as you make your next cuts. After that, listen to the router, and look at the wood. Too fast or two deep and you bog the router down. Too slow, and you'll see a lot of burn marks on the oak.


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## Jake00 (Jun 14, 2012)

Thanks guys, 

Is the feed rate a trial and error thing, or does the bit mfg give a guideline?


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

"Can I do this in 1 pass? I have a dewalt 611" 
**************************
I suspect the plunger (?), not the fixed base?
Also, a slot through the face, like this one?
(If the slot is blind & on the edge I'd use a bigger router and a 3-wing slotter.)

Then you have the right tool. With a spiral cutter, all carbide, I would feel my way through.
That is, cut at a thickness that will not slow down the cutter or heat up the router.
I would not incrementalize the cut. The load can vary from stick to stick as well as from species to spieces. Of course, if you stay ~ or<7-9/64"/cut you will always be slight no matter what you're cutting.


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## Jake00 (Jun 14, 2012)

Thanks guys, 

I have to make a bunch of pieces with these slots. (all the same)

I'm thinking a template is the way to go?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Doug and I appear to be of one mind, I would make four nice easy passes, sucking out the debris after each pass to ensure a clean slot.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

As you can see Jake there are several schools of thought on this. As a rule when working with hardwood I remove no more than 1/4" of material in one pass. As long as you are cutting straight slots a table mounted router and fence will do a nice job. Other options include an edge guide or mortising jig. A template and jig will also work. Are you making mulitple slots in each piece?

In the photos you will see some 1/4" slots I cut recently. The first is in 3/4" phenolic impregnated Baltic birch plywood; this was done in a single pass using a 1/4" spiral upcut bit and a Bosch 1617 router which has a bit more power than your DeWalt. This produced a nice clean cut with no tear out but it is not solid oak. With oak I would of made multiple passes. The second photo is 1/4" Masonite or tempered hardboard. I put this up to show how to use tape on your fence to figure out the start and stop locations. Put your wood against the left side of the bit and transfer a short line to the tape. Measure the distance from this line that you want to leave outside the slot and make a long mark on the tape. This is your start line. Repeat this process on the right side of the bit... this is your stop line. Holding your wood against the fence lower it onto the spinning bit with the edge of your wood positioned at the start line. Make your pass at an even feed rate as quickly as you can without dragging the motor speed down; your router should not slow down. When you reach the stop line stop and shut off the router. Do not remove your wood until the bit has stopped. For multiple passes repeat this process. You should get excellent results.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

i recently did this in 8' 2x3 pine. i used my table saw and it took 3 passes.

mine were 1" deep.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Chris, your cut is a groove since it is lengthwise,(like tongue and groove) if it was a cross cut it would be a dado. A slot usually starts and stops within the wood... not all the way from end to end.


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