# Bit Speed for Dovetail Jig



## darenrogers (Jan 7, 2010)

I have a Rockler dovetail jig that I'll be using to make the drawers for my kitchen. Had some fun with it last week, cutting up some old 1/2" plywood. Whilst using the jig, I noticed the plywood was chipping and splintering in some cases - which I'm almost positive was a result of how old and dry it was.

But that made me think of something. Is there a specific router speed which is best used when cutting dovetails on plywood? What about solid wood...like poplar?

Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

darenrogers said:


> I have a Rockler dovetail jig that I'll be using to make the drawers for my kitchen. Had some fun with it last week, cutting up some old 1/2" plywood. Whilst using the jig, I noticed the plywood was chipping and splintering in some cases - which I'm almost positive was a result of how old and dry it was.
> 
> But that made me think of something. Is there a specific router speed which is best used when cutting dovetails on plywood? What about solid wood...like poplar?
> 
> Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks.


Hi Darren - I've got that same jig. Works pretty well, bear setting up with the dust collector attached tho.
It just uses the small 1/2" - 14* dovetail bit so I just run full speed, 24K on the little Craftsman I use on it. 
Plywood is the pits, especially the construction grade. So many voids that tearout is almost inevitable. Had some luck skim cutting a couple of passes and then actually climb cutting the fingers. Poplar should work well. I have some birch ply scrap I want to try if I can ever find a bit of extra time. 
Good Luck


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

I use a 1/2"-14* at near full speed on hard and soft maple. While you don't want to try to ram the bit through the wood and risk breaking it off, the best cut comes when moving it through a little faster than is intuitive obvious.. at least for me.

Keeping in mind that the shaft is smaller at the base of the bit than the top, it's more important than some cuts to keep your bit really sharp so the bit cuts rather than trying to bend the bit.


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## darenrogers (Jan 7, 2010)

jschaben said:


> Hi Darren - I've got that same jig. Works pretty well, bear setting up with the dust collector attached tho.


 I usually setup the jig in my neighbor's garage and he has plans to purchase a duct collector but hasn't yet. Do you simply connect the duct collector after everything is setup and ready to go? Aside from that, do you have any tips or tricks with the jig? Rockler's instructions leave a lot to be desired!



jschaben said:


> Plywood is the pits, especially the construction grade. So many voids that tearout is almost inevitable. Had some luck skim cutting a couple of passes and then actually climb cutting the fingers. Poplar should work well. I have some birch ply scrap I want to try if I can ever find a bit of extra time.


 Yeah, it was cheap construction grade 1/2" ply. I'm going to do a few more tests with 1/2" or 5/8" poplar or furniture grade birch ply. Poplar will be a more expensive, but I think will give me a better looking final product.

Thanks so much for the feedback!


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## darenrogers (Jan 7, 2010)

BigJimAK said:


> I use a 1/2"-14* at near full speed on hard and soft maple. While you don't want to try to ram the bit through the wood and risk breaking it off, the best cut comes when moving it through a little faster than is intuitive obvious.. at least for me.
> 
> Keeping in mind that the shaft is smaller at the base of the bit than the top, it's more important than some cuts to keep your bit really sharp so the bit cuts rather than trying to bend the bit.


Thanks for the suggestions. I will try again with some more stable/solid wood and see where it gets me. I also am going to use my new Milwaukee router over my neighbor's older Makita. The Makita seemed to be struggling at a few points whereas the 3-1/4" HP of the Milwaukee should make the job much easier!


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

darenrogers said:


> Thanks for the suggestions. I will try again with some more stable/solid wood and see where it gets me. I also am going to use my new Milwaukee router over my neighbor's older Makita. The Makita seemed to be struggling at a few points whereas the 3-1/4" HP of the Milwaukee should make the job much easier!


Daren,

Compare the cut of the two routers. One may have more "runout" than the other (bit wobble). It's just one more way to learn more about your router.. same bit, same board, your router and another's. You'll notice they feel different in your hands... and likely feel different cutting. This is the reason we recommend going to a store and experiencing the router in your hands before buying it. Even if you can't take a cut with it, you'll get a feel on how natural it is for you, how easy it is or isn't to turn on/off or change speed while its running, plunge lock, etc.


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## darenrogers (Jan 7, 2010)

Alright everyone, it's been a while but I'm back! So I just spent a little time routing some full through dovetail joints on 1/2" baltic birch. However the wood is splintering, or rather the veneers begin separating, as I pull the router back out of the jig toward my body.

So what am I doing wrong? I'm running the bit full speed (22k rpm). I've seen the recommendation about making a "scoring" pass which I did try once but will try again tomorrow. Anybody have similar experiences or recommendations on how to ensure a cleaner cut?

Thanks!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Daren

It's not you it's the stock you are trying to use  plywood is just that way,
You can try this get some 1/8" thick MDF and stick it to the stock on both sides this will help support the stock (plywood) on the way in and on the way out of the pass..plywood wood is laid down in a cross pattern that's where the error comes from.. 

Plus you didn't say what type of dovetail bit you are using, the one that works the best in plywood wood is the one with a 7 or 8 deg. on the dovetail angle, it cuts with the grain more or less..

http://cgi.ebay.com/16-pc-1-4-Shank...=ViewItem&pt=Routers_Bits&hash=item1e5bb83e96

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darenrogers said:


> Alright everyone, it's been a while but I'm back! So I just spent a little time routing some full through dovetail joints on 1/2" baltic birch. However the wood is splintering, or rather the veneers begin separating, as I pull the router back out of the jig toward my body.
> 
> So what am I doing wrong? I'm running the bit full speed (22k rpm). I've seen the recommendation about making a "scoring" pass which I did try once but will try again tomorrow. Anybody have similar experiences or recommendations on how to ensure a cleaner cut?
> 
> Thanks!


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## darenrogers (Jan 7, 2010)

The backside of the plywood is already supported but I added a second piece of wood to support the outside (front) face of the wood. I'm happy to say that after doing that, I'm able to get very clean dovetail cuts into and out of the baltic plywood. Phew. 

One good thing I realized is that the two supporting pieces of wood (front and back) can be used again and again so long as they're properly lined up with the jig and the piece of wood you're routing.

And yes, I am using an 8 deg dovetail bit. 

Now it's time to build all the drawers for my kitchen. I'll post photos when it's all said and done! Thanks for everyone's suggestions 



bobj3 said:


> Hi Daren
> 
> It's not you it's the stock you are trying to use  plywood is just that way,
> You can try this get some 1/8" thick MDF and stick it to the stock on both sides this will help support the stock (plywood) on the way in and on the way out of the pass..plywood wood is laid down in a cross pattern that's where the error comes from..
> ...


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