Replies

1. 
   luvbeads2 | Sep 02, 2003 03:46pm | #1

   I'd be nervous too. Spiral bits are "screws"; as they rout there is a force fed back into the collet that will pull on the cutter. A bad collet or an under-tightened one may be the setting for just an accident. Width of cut is dependent on fence setting not cutter diameter. A 1/2" diameter cutter can cut any width rabbet.

   Routers

1. 
   BG | Sep 02, 2003 08:17pm | #4

   Luvbeads2,

   So you would be nervous too...  it appears the spiral is digging in and climbing up.  I don't know what would happen If I continue to use it...but I don't think it would be a pretty picture.

2. 
   JohnWW | Sep 02, 2003 06:59pm | #2

   BG,

   Did the rabbet start out at a half inch deep or did it get deeper as the cut went further down the board?  A gradually deepening cut would suggest that the bit was pulling out of the collet or possibly that the router was rising in it's base.  If the collet is clean, but well used, it may be time to get a new one, they can wear out over time and lose their gripping strength.

   The bit should be seated in the collet to leave a small gap between the bottom of the flutes and the top edge of the collet.  It shouldn't grip on the flutes which could damage both the collet and the bit.

   John W. 

1. 
   BG | Sep 02, 2003 08:14pm | #3

   JohnW,

   The Whiteside upspiral bit is brand new..bought on Saturday.  I set up the bit to make a 1/4" dado in some draw sides...the bit rose up as I cut the wood ...I measured the cut to be a 1/2" deep...   

   The first time I set up the bit I pushed it all the way down in the collet.  The second time I set up the bit I made it flush with the base of the collet.  Either depth seemed to have the same outcome...the bit rose up as I cut..