3/4" Plywood router bit speed

[dwhite]

Does anyone have a recommendation on what speed to use for an undersized 3/4" plywood router bit for cutting dados?  I have a bit, but after not many uses it is dull and heat checked and doesn't cut nearly as well.  The bit itself is made by Whiteside but didn't come with any information on how fast to spin it.  I am making 3/8" cuts with it.

Thanks!

[Eric.]

You're okay at max speed with bits smaller than 1" in diameter.  22k+.  There are charts online you can find if ever in doubt.  I keep my speed cranked until I put a big bit in.

Before you toss your bit because you think it's dull, give it a bath in pitch remover and clean it well.  Whiteside makes good bits so unless you abused it somehow, it's probably just dirty instead of dull.  A dirty bit will behave exactly like a dull bit.

 

Edit after that picture was posted: Uh, yeah, that bit is filthy with pitch.  No wonder it's not working properly.  Clean it.

[gee-dub]

You will get varying opinions on this but, I try to make a 3/8" x 3/8" area my maximum stock removal in one pass; you are double that. The bit seems to show heat problems which in dados can come from poor spoil removal,  Do you have a vac on that baby sucking the spoil out of the channel?

The speed on the bit should be fine but, the feed rate may be too fast.  If I saw a bit starting to overheat I would take multiple passes . . . if multiple passes will just be too much trouble, slow your feed rate and assure spoil removal.  If your dado is choked with spoil blobs as the router passes by, you'll cook your bit.

[..Kev]

 

[Ronn W]

On any cutting machine when I start getting more resistance than I expect or it becomes harder to feed than it should, I stop and figure out what's wrong or what I can do differently.  This saves blades, work pieces and sometimes fingers.