Hi, I'm new to the forum, and a beginner woodworker. I'm installing 2" thick rubberwood countertops and purchased a Ryobi 1.5HP 1/4 collet Router. The trouble I'm running in to is being able to perform a proper cutout for my undermount sink installation. I purchased a 1" cutter top bearing flush trim bit that works great, but it can't go the full 2" without the collet rubbing. I could make the cut with a 1.5" long bit, but they don't seem to exist with the top bearing to follow my pattern. I also wonder if these would even be sturdy enough to make the cut I need. I know I could get a bigger better router with 1/2" shank and 2" cutter, but I was hoping not to have to drop $200 to make the cut. Do you know if a longer flush trim bit exists and would work or another solution? Thanks! Hopefully my explanation makes sense...
Long flush trim bit, 1/4 shank, for sink cutout
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this bit (Freud 50-501) may be just barely long enough, I would need to get an initial pass using the pattern for the cutout, and then remove and continue the cutout using the first pass as the pattern for the bottom half of the wood...
Edit: This is not going to work as I need a dedicated top bearing bit with cutter extending to bottom of bit. The more I research the more I'm starting to realize that I need to step up to a router with 1/2 collet.
Edit: This is not going to work as I need a dedicated top bearing bit with cutter extending to bottom of bit. The more I research the more I'm starting to realize that I need to step up to a router with 1/2 collet.
Well I appreciate the advice. I was hoping I could make something work with what I have. I'm just getting my feet wet in the routing world, and I am sure I would have one day purchased a better router. I'll go ahead and bite the bullet now. Think I'll go with the Bosch 1617 with the CMT 2" long flush trim bit. That should get me going and be something I can play with a lot more in the future. Guess I'll just have the Ryobi for backup.
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Welcome Snorton. If you can flip the counter top over then you could use a 1 to 1 1/4" long pattern bit for the top side and then use a bottom bearing flush trim bit from the other side. I don't like routing 2" thick material with a 1/2 shank bit, never mind a 1/4" one. Many people who buy their first router for some reason think it's best to start small but wind up with the type problem you are having. Your first router should be a minimum 2 1/2 hp plunge then you can add a small router later for jobs that don't require one that big.
Have you done any research on using an undermount sink with a wooden counter top? Generally undermounts go under something that is impervious to water such as resin or granite. Putting one under a wooden top doesn't sound like a good idea to me but I'm not familiar with rubber wood's properties.
Have you done any research on using an undermount sink with a wooden counter top? Generally undermounts go under something that is impervious to water such as resin or granite. Putting one under a wooden top doesn't sound like a good idea to me but I'm not familiar with rubber wood's properties.
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I guess we all assume you are doing this on the work bench and not in place on the cabinet, huh?
Oh nice, I hadn't even thought about doing it that way. I have lots of scrap 2" inch board to practice on before taking on the real cut. I may try that method and see how it performs. If it fails I'll go with the Bosch. There are quite a bit of undermount wooden countertops out there that seem to be holding up. I'm going to be putting quite a bit of waterlox sealer on the wood. It should stop any water from getting in the grain. My initial purchase of the ryobi router was for putting an edge on the wood. Once I started researching how to cut out the sink it opened up this can of worms. I like your idea though. Rubber wood is a hardwood but its only a little harder than Cedar from my understanding so it isn't too bad to cut.
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+1 What Dan said.Great choice with the Bosch 1617EVSPK
The PK part means it comes complete with both a fixed base and a plunge base...you will eventually (more like right away) want the plunge base so might as well jump in the deep end, eh?
EVSPK = Electronic variable Speed Package
The fixed base works great mounted under a router table. The plunge base is great for hand held operations.
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I appreciate all of the tips guys. What Cherryville Chuck said really makes sense to me. I purchased both a top bearing flush trim bit and also a bottom bearing flush trim bit. This will all me to reach my required 2" cut while at the same time only knocking out about 1" per cut as to not over stress the router. I did a practice cut and it worked pretty good. Although this is not ideal it will allow me to get the job completed without throwing more money at it. I'm hoping. I made a template out of some scrap 1/4" plywood. It is flush to the sink. I will do an initial rough cut with a jigsaw and follow up the edge with the router along the template. Flip the board and use the previous router cut with the bottom bearing bit to finish the other half. I'll live with the results regardless, but i'm hoping for the best.
Hear, here, that's the way to go.
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