Stringing Figured Wood

[Hammer5573]

I've had a lot of difficulty attempting to cut stringing  grooves in highly figured wood (crotch mahogany etc) using a grooving tool. I've never tried using a Dremel in these situations, can I expect better results if I do?

[wtnhighlander]

How wide is the groove? I've used both a dremel tool (with base) and a 1/4" router to cut inlay channels. At 1/8" groove, I find the router to be more stable for following a pattern free hand. Dunno if you can get router bits much smaller, but another recent post mentions using a dremel with 1/64" bit to do inlay work on guitars.

[bradpotts]

Freud sells 1/4 shank bits that are 1/16". I use them for inlay. I have never used a router for running stringing. Always a scratch type tool. What tool are you using?

[Brendon_t]

I have 1/4" shank bits down to 1/16th. Due to the rotating nature of a router bit, dropping a channel for stringing  in figured wood wouldn't make a difference at all.  I know some ppl use a palm router for stuff like that but I like the mass of a full sized.

[Unknown craftsman]

I can't think of a easier wood to work than mahogany even figured.I think you should double check your took is sharp and technique is correct.

Do this before offering up you precious wood to the whirring cutter on a Dremel.

 

Aj

[Ronn W]

What Brandon said.  I also prefer a large router for its mass and stability.

[TerryMcK]

I use a Dremel with 1/64" spiral bits when inlaying guitars - I also use bigger ones up to 3/16" in the Dremel. Stringing with a Dremel is a good way to go. Get the base for the Dremel and cutters from StewMac. You sometimes need to get a collet adapter as the shank on some of them are smaller than the regular Dremel collet size. Again StewMac sell them too.

Down spirals will produce a cleaner cut at the surface but only take shallow cuts as they can overheat quickly (especially at these small diameters).

[360_Glen]

I've plowed many miles of stringing using a trim router and spiral router bit. You can get 1/4" shanks bits at a 1/16" diameter (size I generally use), but the reach or tip is short. If you're working with a pattern, you'll need a longer cutting tip. For that I go to inlaybandings.com for 1/8" shank bits with 1/16" cutting diameters. You'll also need a collet adapter to use it in a router. And, it helps to turn down the speed.

[Hammer5573]

Thanks for all of the great advice....I recently picked up some highly figured walnut veneer and I'm considering using it on this project ( still in planning stage). I have a Veritas stringing tool and it works great on most wood types; however, it occasionally creates large defects when cutting figured wood. That's why I was inquiring about the Dremel.