Just looking at router bits i have in preparation, in the video to clean up the headstock after cutting the angle with the bandsaw, Mark routes the headstock flat. The text says use any router bit for this but when I was buying router bits there were specific ones for surface routing. Question is whether there is any benefit to the specific surface routing bits as opposed to any other flat bottom bit I have. On the face of it I’m included to agree with Mark that any would do but curious if I’m missing something here?
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but when I was buying router bits there were specific ones for surface routing.
I have a specific surfacing bit.
It's a big 1/2" bugger, well suited (eg) to flattening the top of a body, taking fractions of a mm off in each pass across a wide area. But, it would really be too big and cumbersome for taking a headstock down to thickness.
The headstock is a small area and a small cutter is all you need - and better for manoeuvrability of the router on the jig.
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Hi Tej,
I really don't think it matters too much but I wouldn't fancy doing much surface routing with a cutter below 10mm in diameter, even for a headstock. If you are looking at the kind of surface routing that my flattening jig is designed to tackle (see post coming shortly) then a minimum of 15-25mm diameter (depending on the power of your router) will make the job less of a chore.
Any general-purpose router cutter will do - I'd use at least 1/2" or it will take ages to cover the entire surface area 5/8" or slightly bigger would be even better as @DarrenKing points out. A cutter specific for surfacing will probably leave a better finish but will have limited use.
As usual it depend on your budget - you could buy individual special cutters for reach job - or save money using more generic bits but it might take a little longer...
Measure twice, cut once...
Thanks guys, I think unless I decide to make the body a lot thinner I’ll leave the custom bit for now. From memory I think the blank I’ve ordered is about 45mm so unlikely to take it down this time.@darrenking are you planning to sell your flattening jig through Mark’s store too?
@markbailey I’m trying to take a sensible approach with tools for specific tasks as indeed I can’t really justify the cost. It’s not like I’m up against the clock here either 🙂 I guess I’ll makes sure I only take off a small amount on the first pass to see what finish I get on the surface with the bits I have. @tv101 Did you find the difference was significant as the finish in Mark’s video was really smooth already?
I’m also hoping that the satisfaction of routing doesn’t wear off too quickly 🙂
…on an elaborate journey to turn trees into music.