Thread: What speed to use?

The router (big Ryobi) in my table (Triton) has a variable speed control. Are there any general guidelines for what speed to use for what jobs.

I am guessing that the bigger the cutter , the slower the speed , but what about harder vs softer timber, deep vs shallow cuts, end grain vs long grain etc. etc.

BTW yesterday I found out why people have such a down on the Triton table.

I have been happily using mine for years with no problems at all. Small stuff, soft woods.

Yesterday I tried to mill the edge of a 35mm thick piece of Qld. walnut using a 16mm straight cutter. I was taking less than 1mm off but the edge ended up with bumps and hollows all the way along. I have worked out that this was entirely due to flex in the table allowing the cutter to squirm around. No big deal. The table is still great for smaller jobs.