# What Kind of Router Bit Do I Need?



## mack. (Jan 31, 2010)

Happy 4Th of July to all,

Could someone tell me the best bit for routing a channel so that half of the 3/16" aluminum rod pictured in the photo will sit tightly into, while the other half of the rod is exposed? I attached a photo of a guitar bridge that I made to better illustrate what I'm trying to achieve. It's a saddle for a slide guitar that I'm building, so I need half of the rod to sit in the channel and half to sit outside of the channel.

What kind of router bit do I need, and what size? I'm not sure about all the dimension such as radius, diameter etc... Do I need a round nose bit , cove bit? I would like to do the routing with a drill press with guides in place so that I can slide it to route to the desired length. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

-Mack


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Hi Mack,
Since your rod is 3/16" you could use a 3/16" round nose bit set at half the diameter of your rod. That would allow the other half to sit above your material. I would use a router with a router bit as your drill press would not have enough rpm's for a router bit. You could build a guide for a handheld router or use the fence with start & stop blocks on a router table.


MLCS core box and round nose router bits


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## mack. (Jan 31, 2010)

Hi James,
Thanks for your help. So, you're recommending item# #6442 which is 5/16" in height. I can set the bit to cut the desired depth of the channel. Cool. 

Can you elaborate how you would build a guide for a handheld router. I don't have a table. Thank again.

Mack


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