Thread: Routing a deep slot

If the slot goes completely across the entire edge, then do it on a table saw.

Yes, that was what I did with my original trial, just on a bandsaw. But if I don't cut the slot all the way through it means my steel fixing would be invisible from the front and side, which would be great! I'll still have some ugly connector bolts showing, so more of the steel I can hide the better!

2mm would be a very thin saw blade. I dont know of a router bit large enough for your job. It may be under weapons rather than tools. Is it possible to redesign the job to suit available tooling ie reduce depth of slot or increase width of slot to suit saw blade?

Now you show me a photo! If your not doing a whole heap, couldnt it be cut with a hand saw? Even cut right through and glue in a filler piece to cover the metal.

Ha, yeh even though I hoped there might be a router bit that big I did find the idea slightly terrifying! I could go up to 3 mm wide slot but I still have the problem of not wanting the slot all the way through, so I don't think I could achieve this with a saw-blade, perhaps with a small-diameter one, but no idea how I would jig it up to cut

V

You could try carb-i-tool

They have a 19mm deep 2mm wide slotting blade

http://www.carbitool.com.au/pdf%27s/PageR034.pdf

Philip

Cheers for that, good point with the filler-piece, I'd love to be able to cut the slot out without having to fill, bit more elegant solution, but might not be worth the trouble. If there was a tool out there to do it easily it would have been great through!

Oh just saw that 19mm, might just be big enough! Thanks for that!

If you don't want to cut all the way through, I would suggest that you in fact want to cut a mortice, not a slot.
McJing have a Solid Carbide Single Flute Bit 1/8" x 34 x 62 x 1/4"... Diameter x Flute Length x Overall x Shank.
The 34mm flute length would easily accommodate a mortice 20mm deep.
Obviously, the router would need to be used in plunge mode.

Another option might be to make a feature of the steel by having it chrome plated in either bright ,satin or black finish which might suit a modern design .

Cheers

Thanks for the responses, I think I might embrace the connection, not try to hide it. Maybe go a powder-coat on the steel. The angle of the slots and the rest of the frame means I can't cut them all on a bandsaw or table saw so the 19mm router should be good for cutting most of the slots, finish up the internal bits the router doesn't reach with a fine saw and a file,

Cheers,

V