Hello and please forgive my apparent ignorance on what I am doing. First post here to try and resolve why I keep destroying guide bushings (2). First, I went with my Festool OF 1010 and chucked up a 1/4" CMT 191.008.11 Solid Carbide Upcut Spiral Bit and proceeded to test cut. I quickly ate the aluminum Porter Cable bushing. Whoa, that plate can't be centered so I moved to my Dewalt 618 with plunge base and chucked up a 1/2" Whiteside RU5200T Three Flute Up Cut Spiral Bit, AFTER purchasing a Universal Base Plate with centering mandrel. The problem is the centering mandrel is fairly narrow and will only work with a few of my bushings.
I put in a Powertec 1/2" OD guide bushing and used the mandrel to center the plate. I actually had to center it with the smaller bushing, remove that bushing, and then put in the 5/8" bushing and then chuck up my bit. Not exactly ideal... Manually turning the bit proved it did NOT touch the inside walls of the bushing. I attached power and proceeded to cut a test pattern but the same thing happened, I quickly ate up the bushing and stopped after about 1"-2", never even making it to the pattern itself. Another bushing destroyed.
Now, I do think my first plunge was too deep, I was a bit hasty. But what the heck? I have watched a ton of videos on pattern routing and you can't even find many people reminding you that the bushing needs to be centered, they simply chuck up and go. What the heck am I doing wrong? Is there really that much flex in these bits? I am feeling pretty worthless right now...
Thanks,
Mark
I put in a Powertec 1/2" OD guide bushing and used the mandrel to center the plate. I actually had to center it with the smaller bushing, remove that bushing, and then put in the 5/8" bushing and then chuck up my bit. Not exactly ideal... Manually turning the bit proved it did NOT touch the inside walls of the bushing. I attached power and proceeded to cut a test pattern but the same thing happened, I quickly ate up the bushing and stopped after about 1"-2", never even making it to the pattern itself. Another bushing destroyed.
Now, I do think my first plunge was too deep, I was a bit hasty. But what the heck? I have watched a ton of videos on pattern routing and you can't even find many people reminding you that the bushing needs to be centered, they simply chuck up and go. What the heck am I doing wrong? Is there really that much flex in these bits? I am feeling pretty worthless right now...
Thanks,
Mark