I agree with you 110%. I have a really fine table saw, and I could have done just what you describe. Regarding the dog holes, in Nirvana it would have been sublime if the Maslow could have pulled it off… I am not so sure it can’t, with a little more knowledge. However, the Maslow did a fine job with the cut-outs, and the pockets for the tracks were exactly the right depth. Although I can make all sorts of things on the table saw easier, I am hoping the Maslow can cut rectangles with rabbets and dados in one operation, while I am working on all the hardwood elements of a cabinet on the table saw. I may be dreaming, but this is one of my goals, and the only way to know if I need to wake up is to give it a try. Thus, the first step for me is the Paulk bench.
I seem to remember a video on the Paulk Workbench where Ron mentioned he bought a (pricey) 3/4" router bit and used a router to drill the holes to speed things up. Then again my memory may have failed me.
@Dustcloud, Maybe I missed something along the thread, or picked up something I just need a shot for.
@dlang noted it in the quote above about drilling with router bits. I don’t understand why you didn’t just chuck a regular drill bit into your router to make the the 3/4 inch holes. A spade bit would have worked nice. Does the router spin too fast for this application or is there something I am seriously missing. I know they make shorty 3/4 inch drill bits.
you would have trouble finding a drill bit that’s short enough to put in the
router. but if you can do it, that will drill holes much better than the
majority of router bits.
but if you find a router/cnc bit that lists that it’s a ‘plunge’ version, that
means that it will work going straight down.
I found a drill bit speed chart for a range of bit sizes and materials, rotational speeds go up as the bit sizes go down.
I usually just wing it, even on my 3/4 HP drill press, unless it’s an unusual size or material. Never dug out the optical tach with the cordless drill, no belt setting diagram on that baby
The router bit that I bought was a center cut design, but the bit going into the wood pused the sled up, causing a distortion when it finally went back down. I think it would have been a real disaster on the extreme edges.
Others may have already mentioned this, but, in addition to “speeds and feeds”, bit choice is critical. As you experienced, a straight cut bit isn’t the proper tool for the job. A spiral upcut bit is a much better choice; either of the exact finished dimension, or a smaller dimension with multiple operations to create the perfect hole.
Have you found that bit, and did you test it? Please let us know the details. My experience using the standard 1/4” upcut bit to cut 3/4” holes was less than ideal, especially at the extreme edges of the workpiece… the holes were not round. The 3/4” bit I used, a straight cut full coverage, double flute type, needed more downward force than the machine can deliver, especially at the edges. I tried various rpm settings, but had trouble adjusting the z axis speed.
Hmm. For me, there’s a world of difference between doing something once as a personal projects, and designing something repeatable that can be refined in advance of creation, refined and incrementally improved upon over time, and shared globally, so others can improve, “mash up”, and re-share with others. Including people in poorer countries who could gain a lot (from cost savings to basic economic survival) from our “hobby projects”.
Except for quick tweaks like planing things to fit, I’ll take the CAD approach almost every time.
I cannot comment on that bit, but this is what I tried to use to cut the Paulk workbench “dog” holes…
The description seems to describe the features needed to do the job. As I have mentioned before, I tried several rpm settings, and the sled was pushed away from the workpiece as the z axis dropped. The cutting would progress, and then the sled would flatten. The resulting hole would be mis-shaped. Tried to slow the plunge rate of the z axis, but had no success.
I am not an expert, but here is an idea; could you have the drilling operation broken down into parts? Start the hole with a smaller bit to remove some of the material then change to a larger bit.
Or set the holes to a smaller diameter to drill them with a smaller bit and then use that hole as a guide to drill the desired hole size.
When I get back to the machine in a couple of weeks I plan to do some testing on hole drilling. Your idea adds to the list of possibilities. For my bench, I ended up using the Maslow to mark all the hole positions with a 1/4” x 1/10” deep hole. That process took nearly 2 hours. Cutting the holes with a hand drill and a new 3/4” bit was not fun, and tear-out was difficult to avoid.
I recall seeing something on youtube, where they were drilling 3/4" holes with a 3/8" spiral bit. The trick was instead of doing a drill operation, they did a pocket with multiple stepdowns, and with 3/8" there is no cleanup in the middle or large piece that will get launched.
I have a 3/8"s bit, but have not found an adapter that will fit my Ridgid router, yet.
True, although there’s something reassuring about using a design that is already laid out, rather than following instructions and wondering if you got it right.
