I bought a HF half blind dovetail fixture. It came with 5 router bits. Two
each 1/2" dovetail and 1/4" straight (one each HSS and Carbide) and a 1/2"
straight.
What are the straight bits for? I thought at first they were to make box
joints, but that's not possible because the template guide would cause the
wood to be thicker than the spaces. So what are they for?
Some people recommend you first use a straight bit to remove the majority of
the wood for the pins and tails, then finish with the dovetail..
Chris
"Toller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I bought a HF half blind dovetail fixture. It came with 5 router bits.
Two
> each 1/2" dovetail and 1/4" straight (one each HSS and Carbide) and a 1/2"
> straight.
>
> What are the straight bits for? I thought at first they were to make box
> joints, but that's not possible because the template guide would cause the
> wood to be thicker than the spaces. So what are they for?
>
>
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> I bought a HF half blind dovetail fixture. It came with 5 router bits. Two
> each 1/2" dovetail and 1/4" straight (one each HSS and Carbide) and a 1/2"
> straight.
>
> What are the straight bits for? I thought at first they were to make box
> joints, but that's not possible because the template guide would cause the
> wood to be thicker than the spaces. So what are they for?
>
Maybe to hog out the wood first before you run the dovetail bits so you
get a cleaner/easier cut?
In article <[email protected]>, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I bought a HF half blind dovetail fixture. It came with 5 router bits. Two
>each 1/2" dovetail and 1/4" straight (one each HSS and Carbide) and a 1/2"
>straight.
>
>What are the straight bits for? I thought at first they were to make box
>joints, but that's not possible because the template guide would cause the
>wood to be thicker than the spaces. So what are they for?
>
Straight bits are for making the pins on through dovetails. They're not needed
for making half-blind dovetails. As others have suggested, they could be used
to hog out most of the waste before using the dovetail cutter to finish up,
but that seems like a lot of extra work, particularly in setting the depth.
There's no need to do that unless your router is so seriously underpowered
that it bogs down when using the dovetail bit; even so, the proper solution
to that problem is to get a better router.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller
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