Hey everyone! I'm currently making some bow ties and I ordered a 1/4" spiral upcut carbide router bit from Amazon, so I'm not sure about the quality. I was trying to make a 1" deep cut in walnut, and during the process, the bit snapped. I was being careful, taking it slow and removing just 1/8" of material at a time, but it felt really difficult to control compared to the usual two cutter straight bit. I'm wondering if I was pushing too hard or if 1/2" depth cuts with several passes is too much. Any advice? Thanks!
2 Answers
You were actually doing things right with the 1” deep cut in 1/8” passes on the walnut. But keep in mind that spiral bits come in two types: upcut and downcut. The upcut pushes the wood chips upward, which can sometimes make it hard to control. If you accidentally got a downcut bit, it could pack shavings into the cut, increasing the chance of breakage. Just double-check the bit type.
It sounds like the issue might be with the router bit itself rather than how you were using it. Walnut isn’t particularly hard, and taking only 1/8” bites isn’t too deep for that wood. Maybe the bit you got is just on the cheaper side or possibly faulty?
That’s what I was thinking too. I’m planning to return the bit and try getting a better one.
Thanks for the tip! I actually checked, and it is an upcut bit.