I don't know what to tell you. In my limited experience, I've always
been marginally happier when I bought the better tool. Most conspicuous
example was the Forrest blade for the contractor's saw. I couldn't
believe the improvement. There are a million bargains to be had and
they are really great. Day in and day out, you get what you pay for.

I think you'll be able to get what you want out of the PC at full speed,
making a jewelry box, if you watch your feed rate. I can't imagine
you'll be using any really large diameter bits to hollow out your burl.
Variable speed is worth the chips if you're using bits over about 3/4"
dia. That and below, you can usually get pretty good results at the
full rated RPM of most routers.



bob g.

Jeff Anderson wrote:

First off I'm pretty new to woodworking but getting into it quickly. My
question is two-parted so I'll just split it up.

Periodically I see posts/hear about people getting large slabs of burl maple
or cherry or something for very low costs. Just where are they getting
things like this. Are there wood swap meets (I live in Tulsa, OK) or flea
markets for wood? I'm really interested in getting something around
4"x6"x6" or similiar. Local cabinetmakers only tend to have scrap in the
3/4" or less range. Woodcrafters wants about $30 for a chunk that size.

Also - I'm getting ready to do a project making a small jewelry box out of
solid maple (burled, quilted, spalted or something interesting) by routing
out the compartments inside. Saw the project in Art of the Router. I've
practiced on MDF (laminated), just to get the idea and process down and it
came out well, but am worried I'll burn the maple plunging out all the
innards of the compartments. I used a cheap (carbide but cheap) bit to do
the sides and bull nose the bottom inside edge of it with no problem but are
these going to burn the maple up? They definitely dont cut as easily as the
CMT bit I have (fancy little classical ogee). Should I just buck up and buy
a CMT (they have a 1 1/4" long bull nose that would work great)? My router
is a PC 690 (or 691 or 3 or something, plunge and fixed base), would a
variable speed controller help me out here or is just letting it go full
bore ok?

sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate the help

Jeff