I want to cut a 1.5" deep 1/4" mortise using a router. I didn't have a
bit long enough so I rooted through my catalog collection and ordered a
Freud bit that was 2.875" long with 1" of carbide.

It arrived yesterday and although it has a 1/4" shank, there appears to
be a section just above the carbide that is thicker than 1/4". Even if
that's an optical illusion, the package says I should only cut 1" deep
(the length of the carbide) with it.

I didn't see any other bits that were even that long.

How do you cut 1.5" mortises with a router? Or should I just give up
and use some other method?

Up to now I have cut mortises on the drill press or by hand. But this
project (an entertainment center) is going to require about 100 so I
thought I'd try the router with a jig.

And no, I can't afford a dedicated mortising machine :-).

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

lgb writes:
How do you cut 1.5" mortises with a router? Or should I just give up
and use some other method?

Use the router to do the first inch. Use a mortising chisel for the
remainder (and to square off the round corners); the router slot will
(1) look pretty, and (2) guide the chisel.

1.5" on a 1/4" bit seems too flimsy to me. I've done 2" deep mortises
with a 1/2" bit and even that's scary.

How do you cut 1.5" mortises with a router? Or should I just give up
and use some other method?

I'd worry about lateral forces on a router bit with a 1/4" shank
extended that far from the collet. If you do get it to work, make sure
you do 1/4" passes or something. I've seen really long half inch shank
router bits that would probably handle this better. But they're half
inch.

If you have to use the router, you could rip the workpiece in half,
route both pieces, then glue them back up. That's annoying though. A
dedicated mortiser would have no problem with this depth, same for the
drill press.

brian

"lgb" wrote in message
...
I want to cut a 1.5" deep 1/4" mortise using a router. I didn't have a
bit long enough so I rooted through my catalog collection and ordered a
Freud bit that was 2.875" long with 1" of carbide.

It arrived yesterday and although it has a 1/4" shank, there appears to
be a section just above the carbide that is thicker than 1/4". Even if
that's an optical illusion, the package says I should only cut 1" deep
(the length of the carbide) with it.

I didn't see any other bits that were even that long.

How do you cut 1.5" mortises with a router? Or should I just give up
and use some other method?

Up to now I have cut mortises on the drill press or by hand. But this
project (an entertainment center) is going to require about 100 so I
thought I'd try the router with a jig.

---------------
If it looks like one of these:
http://www.trendmachinery.co.uk/prof...2%2F6LX1%2F4TC
then you should be OK. According to Trend it is for doing just what you
want, deep mortises. They do however say to take extra care with small
passes, for that cutter that would 1/8" at a time.

Why not hog out some of the mortis with a drill first. I expect you could
even do it with a hand held if you are careful. With your loads, fit is
probably not a big deal. Thus the question, why so deep? Come to think of
it, a doweling jig or something you make from hardwood could keep you lined
up.
Wilson
"gandalf" wrote in message
...

"lgb" wrote in message
...
I want to cut a 1.5" deep 1/4" mortise using a router. I didn't have a
bit long enough so I rooted through my catalog collection and ordered a
Freud bit that was 2.875" long with 1" of carbide.

It arrived yesterday and although it has a 1/4" shank, there appears to
be a section just above the carbide that is thicker than 1/4". Even if
that's an optical illusion, the package says I should only cut 1" deep
(the length of the carbide) with it.

I didn't see any other bits that were even that long.

How do you cut 1.5" mortises with a router? Or should I just give up
and use some other method?

Up to now I have cut mortises on the drill press or by hand. But this
project (an entertainment center) is going to require about 100 so I
thought I'd try the router with a jig.

---------------
If it looks like one of these:
http://www.trendmachinery.co.uk/prof...2%2F6LX1%2F4TC
then you should be OK. According to Trend it is for doing just what you
want, deep mortises. They do however say to take extra care with small
passes, for that cutter that would 1/8" at a time.

Through mortices on the back of the fence (bottom of
http://www.patwarner.com/router_table.html page) were cut with a 1/4"
cutter to 1-1/16". Have gone deeper but indeed this is on the fringes
of what a router can & should be doing.
Must you? Use a a good plunger, DW 621 for example, plunge ~ or
1/16"/pass and get long cutters (air trimmer solid carbide) from
Southeasttools.com .

lgb wrote:
I want to cut a 1.5" deep 1/4" mortise using a router. I didn't
have a bit long enough so I rooted through my catalog collection and
ordered a Freud bit that was 2.875" long with 1" of carbide.

It arrived yesterday and although it has a 1/4" shank, there appears
to be a section just above the carbide that is thicker than 1/4".
Even if that's an optical illusion, the package says I should only
cut 1" deep (the length of the carbide) with it.

How do you cut 1.5" mortises with a router?

Cut in multiple (shallow) passes. As long as you have enough shank in
the collet and what's left will allow you to cut deep enough you are
fine. Do take shallow cuts though.

BTW, this would have been a good spot for a single cutter bit. IMO,
YMMV.

Also, a long bit with shorter cutting edges would have allowed you to
make a hardboard or plywood template and guide on that template with the
shank of the bit. To do that now, you would have to cut deeper than 1"
which is way to much.

You can still use router templates with it to guide on a bigger
template. If the thickness of your made up template makes the bit too
short, remove the template toward the end and use the router shank to
guide on the mortise edges.

--
dadiOH
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