Planing with a router - which bit do you use?

[Prashun Patel]

I have to thickness a couple 100"+ walnut slabs for a dining table. I'm planning to do this with a router on rails.

I was planning to go at this with a 1" bottom cleaning bit, but Amazon's Big Brother search engine found me out and suggested I get this:

http://www.amazon.com/Magnate-Surfac...flattening+bit

Has anyone used a bit like this on a 2hp or 3hp router?


Is it advisable to use a smaller bit so I can take slightly deeper cuts? I have no aversion to cleaning up with a handplane.

Other suggestions of bits to use welcomed.

[Mark Wooden]

The only experience I've had with having to surface with a router was with a large convex surface. We found that a large tray/bowl routing bit gave the smoothest finish because of the radius on the corners of the bit.
http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/...groove_forming

[James Zhu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkBZHLJyD0

Marc Spagnuolo used Amana 45453 1 3/4" diameter straight bit to flatten the workbench top in the video, check it at 4:03.

[Cary Falk]

1/4"shank on a 1 1/2" bit does not sound like a good idea.

[Mark Wooden]

1/4"shank on a 1 1/2" bit does not sound like a good idea.

It's not, too much chatter/vibration

[Rich Engelhardt]

Over on Router Forums those Magnate bits get pretty good reviews.
The other cheapie that fares well is the Yonico
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZM20GU/...U&linkCode=asn

Sorry - I haven't used either, but, I was looking at Router Forums for suggestions.

Naturally - as expected - Whiteside &/or Amana get top marks over there for the best.

[Bill McNiel]

I do a lot of router sled planing of large hardwood slabs, 1 to 2 per month on average. After trying numerous bits I settled on the Magnate 2706 Bottom Cleaning Bit ( 2" cutting diameter, 3/4" cutting length with a 1/2" shank) in a PC 890 (2 1/2 HP) running at 16,000 RPM. This bit really does a solid job but be aware that upon completion of the planing process there will still be a need to sand out the tiny ridges, more like registry lines, that one gets with any bit in this process. Magnate seems like a solid company; wide selection, reasonable prices, quick shipping, good people and the bits outlast any of the others I have tried.

Someone else here has undoubtably had a good experience with a different set-up and I welcome their input as well.
.

[scott vroom]

Prashun, what type of planer do you have? I've planed a number of 10'-13' boards on my 15" using infeed-outfeed roller stands. Are your boards too wide for your planer?

[Bruce Page]

I bought one of these to surface the spoilboard on my cnc router. It works great.
Freud 12-194
What ever you decide on, I would not go with anything that has a 1/4" shank.

[John TenEyck]

I've done a couple of large slabs with a Grizzly 1/2" shank bowl bottoming bit in my 3 HP router and it did a great job. Straight to the ROS afterwards.

John

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks Guys. I did not realize that shank was 1/4". I definitely would use a 1/2" shank bit.

Scott, the slabs are each 22-24" wide. I am SO tempted to rip them down the center and then run them through the planer. But I think I'll have more issues re-gluing them perfectly.

John, do you have a picture of the sled you used?

The other issue I have is that the slabs are over 100" long. So making straight rails for the router is an issue; I'll have to bricklay a couple 8' sections and then joint the rails, I guess.

[Ray Newman]

Considering the length of the material-- 8 feet + and almost 2 feet wide -- that you are attempting to thickness, I would obtain some bids from cabinet shops/lumber yard as to how much they would charge to run it through a large surface planer and/or drum sander.

[Dave Kirby]

1/4"shank on a 1 1/2" bit does not sound like a good idea.

^^^THIS x10!!!^^^

[Kent A Bathurst]

........I am SO tempted to rip them down the center and then run them through the planer......

To quote Conrad in The Heart of Darkness: "The horror!!! The horror!!!"

Take one more step closer to that line, and we will be obligated, by blood oath, to convene The Secret Society off-forum to decide your punishment. You will be notified of the penalty assessed.

Router sled or machining service.

[Alan Lightstone]

I usually go for the biggest bottom cleaning bit I can find.