I'm looking for a straightforward and safe way to create mortises using a fixed base router. I can handcut mortises, but since I'm working with teak, I'm concerned about having to sharpen my chisel too often. Any tips or techniques that can help prevent that?
2 Answers
Drilling a pilot hole first really helps. After that, you can manually lower the router bit depth a bit at a time and make passes. While a plunge router is ideal, you can still achieve good results with a fixed base if you're careful.
A good method is to start by drilling a hole for the router bit. Don't try to cut to the full depth all at once; make several passes instead. This way, you can control the depth better and avoid damaging the wood.
I see your point about the drilled hole being close to the bit's size. It does feel risky to start the router at each adjustment since it might shift. I think you might be safer with a guide to slowly lower the depth.