I'm helping a friend to build his poker table (oval) and I'm about to use for the first time a router.
What bit do you recommend to use?
We have a 8mm which looks too big to me.
View attachment 640908
Agreed about quality bits...they’re worth spending the extra money on. Stay away from HSS (high speed steel) and splurge for carbide.I use:
Straight Bit - straight and curved cuts
Roundover Bit - Rounding edges, especially on rails
Flush Trim Bit - evening edges when two pieces of ply are stacked.
These are from Rockler and not cheap. There are less expensive ones available. Make sure the shank is the correct size.
Where in your design is that going to matter?Thanks everyone for the replys.
In effect, my question was too generic.
I'm planning to use the router for the round cut. Not sure about the straight parts.
"Training" on a leftover plate I realized that a 8mm bit eats (of course!) a total of 16mm considering both edges.
This gap will never been completely filled with foam and fabric so the final result will simply not look good.
Is a 1/4” bit thin enough? The thickness of a jigsaw and circular saw it's even less than that..
That’s an issue if you plan to cut the racetrack and the playing surface from the same piece of ply.My friend's table is planned to have a race track. So the gap I'm worried about is between the racetrack and the playing surface.
TOTALLY agree with you. But my friend thinks different.’m not a fan of racetrack tables. They look good but play bad.
Should be fine. Just take small bites. I have a 2 1/4 HP Bosch and take a 1/4 at a time and with a plunge base it's super easy.Speaking of using a router for these cuts, has anyone ever used a trim router to do this, with a circle jig, as opposed to a normal full-sized router? I have a Ridgid battery operated router like this one. I know it cuts deep enough to get through plywood. Thoughts?