Thread: Need help choosing the right bits

Hi TumbleSteak and welcome to the forum.

That's quite a little production line you're looking at getting going there. The first question to ask is what is the diameter of the circle that fits in your deepest crevice? If it's smaller then 1/4" you're not going to get a top bearing flush trim bit to cut the shape accurately and any template guide you use will have to be smaller than 1/4" OD necessitating a very small diameter (read fragile) router bit.

If you possibly can use a 1/4" top bearing flush trim bit that would certainly be the way to go, the one HUGE advantage is that, because you're working on a table, you can actually see as you cut.

In answer to your other queries:
1. The flush trim bit would do the job in one pass subject to 2.
2. Yes, I'd be cutting roughly around them with a jigsaw or a bigger solid carbide bit with a template guide, jigsaw preferred. 20mm is a pretty fair ask for a router bit in hardwood.
3. If you've cut roughly so that no more than, say, 1/8" needs to be removed by the flush trim bit you should be able to do it with one pass. You'd need to control tearout by climb cutting when required.
4. Yes.
5. Yes, as long as you didn't ask too much of it, that is, ask it to remove too much material at a pass.
6. If by cost effective you mean without shelling out for a CNC router or a laser cutter maybe somebody else might have a few suggestions for you. Maybe use the router handheld with a template guide bush and use a negative template?
7. See 6.
8. Nothing I can think of, but there's probably plenty of things I haven't thought of!

Good luck with your little business.

Cheers,
David

Thanks David!

I've got a 1/4" flush trim bit on the way and am doing the rounds on Gumtree looking for a decently priced second hand jigsaw.

Originally Posted by TumbleSteak

Howdy! Very new to woodworking and looking for a bit of advice.

I'm looking to make a fair amount of repetitive pieces from hard wood. An example of which is below:
meeple.jpg
Piece dimensions are 9cm x 9cm x 2cm

I initially got an entry level scroll saw to do this job. I got some thinner MDF to practice on and had no problems cutting through that. Trying this thicker wood (can't remember what type it is now) I had a tougher time remaining accurate. After doing a little research I discovered that you could use a router to follow templates which sounded perfect for this kind of work. I'll use the scroll saw to cut thinner accurate templates from MDF than use the router to knock up a bunch of them in one go.

So I've picked up a Hitachi TR12 (1/2" collet with a 1/4" adapter as well) and a Triton router table and now need some help figuring out the rest of the bits and tools I need and how to best do that on a budget. My plan was to use some double sided tape to attach a number of templates to a single piece of wood and then start cutting them out. I plan to pick up my router bits from Carbitool. I also have a guide busing set to follow templates.

from your picture, the level of detail in your pieces, especially the tight radius inner corners, will be a challenge for a router.

From what I can see in the carb-i-tool catalogue, the smallest diameter router cutter capable of trimming 20mm thick material is 6.35mm (or 1/4 inch).
You might be able to use this bit with a suitable guide bushing and template, but some of your inner curves look tighter than 5mm, so you would be sacrificing significant detail.

Given the small size of your piece -- your hands are likely bigger than 9 x 9 cm -- and its shape, I suggest you plan on building 3 maybe 4 jigs (each incorporating a hold down and a template) that will allow you to trim the pieces while keeping your hands well away from the cutter.

I appreciate that you are on a budget, but IMO a small band saw, or a quality jig saw and blades (mounted upside down in a table), plus a drill press, would be a better choice for this project.

Originally Posted by TumbleSteak

My questions are:
Is there a single bit that would be appropriate and reasonably efficient to clear the wood between multiple templates of these aligned on a single piece of wood as well as to trim the edges flush? Or is this likely a 2 bit job?

cutting the "blanks" from a larger piece of wood is not really a job for a router. The bit I'd recommend for the task -- 1/2" solid carbide spiral cutter -- would likely cost more than an inexpensive jig saw, would ideally be used with a template, and would waste a lot of wood. Cutting out the blanks is best done with a band saw or inverted (table mounted) jig saw.

Or do I need a second tool like a jigsaw to cut the pieces apart first? (my scrollsaw was a little slow for this work)

safer and more efficient material wise to use a jig saw, or band saw

How many passes will I likely need to do cut this depth?

you should be able to TRIM 20mm in one pass. Provided you have first cut close to the piece's outline with jig saw first

If this is a single pass job would a flush trim bit work instead of using the guide bushing? Do they clear enough material to use that as my single bit?

given I've suggested you hold the pieces in a jig, IMO a guide bushing is a better option

Could I get away with a 1/4" bit as my only bit as that will cut some tighter radius curves and crevices?

possibly, but see comments above. To avoid needing to sand the pieces, I'd be looking to use a carbide spiral or shear cutting bit. However these tend to be much more expensive than straight bits

What's a cost effective way to both be able to cut lots of templates but also be able to get some of the finer detail?

IMO lots of copies and cost effective means a band saw. (a table mounted jig saw is really only an interim solution.) The finer inner corner detail can be created using a suitable sized drill bit in a drill press

I'm happy to sacrifice some detail for now to stick to the budget, but in the future what tools would you use to get sharper crevices?

see above

Anything else I should look into?

safety

you are planning to make lots of small pieces, using a router. The size of each piece is so small that holding and controlling each piece as it passes the router cutter will not be a simple task.

although designed for small straight work pieces, the handles on this


should give you an idea of where your hands should be in relation to the cutter

How many do you need? I have a CNC router if you want to cheat and do it the easy way..
Send me a PM if you want to work something out.

Thanks for your super detailed post Ian.

I know very little about Jigsaws. Is there a way to setup a band saw to duplicate a pattern with a jig? Or is it just easier because I can stack multiple pieces of wood together and cut them all to the same shape? A band saw is going to be a challenge in the short term both in terms of budget and in space. I don't have a garage or shed. All of my tools at the moment pack down and live in inside in limited storage space. A jigsaw is appealing as it will fit my router table and not take up too much space. If I do go with a band saw am I going to be disappointed with a bench mounted one? How much do you need to spend to get reasonable performance from a band saw?

Thanks for the safety tip. I've got some push pads / blocks to use with the router as well as safety glasses and ear plugs. Any other safety gear I should look into?

Originally Posted by markdem

How many do you need? I have a CNC router if you want to cheat and do it the easy way..
Send me a PM if you want to work something out.

I can hopefully generate ongoing demand for these types of pieces. A CNC router does seem like it would be my end goal in terms of equipment.

Well, give me a yell if you want to do a run on my machine if you don't feel like cutting them by hand.

Have fun.

Originally Posted by TumbleSteak

A band saw is going to be a challenge in the short term both in terms of budget and in space. I don't have a garage or shed. All of my tools at the moment pack down and live in inside in limited storage space. A jigsaw is appealing as it will fit my router table and not take up too much space.

I know exactly what you mean !
For far too many years, I was in the exact same situation.

Until you have a space (like a garage or shed) where a band saw can be permanently set-up, go with a table mounted Jig saw (as a band saw substitute). The better jig saws can keep a quality blade at 90 degrees to the table surface. With cheaper saws, the blade tends to oscillate some degrees off vertical

Originally Posted by TumbleSteak

Is there a way to setup a band saw to duplicate a pattern with a jig? Or is it just easier because I can stack multiple pieces of wood together and cut them all to the same shape?

if I were using a band saw to cut out your "meeple" I'd
use a template to trace multiple "meeple" outlines down a board.
cut the board into shorter lengths each containing 4 or 5 "meeple" outlines.
use a drill press to drill the tight inner radii for each blank
cut each "meeple" from the board -- with a properly setup saw and practice almost anyone can follow a line and cut straight with a band saw

cutting one at a time is probably faster than trying to cut a stack of "meeple"

Originally Posted by TumbleSteak

Thanks for the safety tip. I've got some push pads / blocks to use with the router as well as safety glasses and ear plugs. Any other safety gear I should look into?

if you haven't used a router before, you will likely be surprised by how much force a small cutter can transfer to a work piece.

Practice using the router to trim some "meeple" in 6 or 9mm MDF

For even a simple shape like your "meeple" I think a jig is safer than a push block / push pad

Originally Posted by ian

"meeple"

My first rough cut is recognisable as it's intended form! Success!
Are you a board gamer as well Ian?

when I hover the mouse pointer over your image I see the image is called meeple.jpg

If it's for a board game, do they have to be 20mm thick?
is something around 10mm or thinner an option?
If yes, you have more options for small diameter router cutters

Originally Posted by ian

when I hover the mouse pointer over your image I see the image is called meeple.jpg

If it's for a board game, do they have to be 20mm thick?
is something around 10mm or thinner an option?
If yes, you have more options for small diameter router cutters

They are intended to be larger decorative version of board game pieces. I want to keep them at the 20mm thickness so they can stand up.