[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] WHEN DO I USE AN O FLUTE BIT?

[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] USING THE RIGHT SPEEDS AND FEEDS Reading [WEEKLY TECH TIPS] WHEN DO I USE AN O FLUTE BIT? 2 minutes Next [WEEKLY TECH TIPS] What Router Bit to Use for Flattening Slabs? (1)

Apr 13, 20220 comments

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What is an O flute bit?

The O flute bit is a carbide spiral flute with a unique mirror finish, resulting in high-quality surface finishes, clean professional cuts, and prolonged tool life.

How does it compare with other flute bits?

The O flute bit was explicitly manufactured for CNC Router machines for use in a variety of applications. Over the years, due to continuous improvement in its design and geometry, these router bits became the sign-making industry’s favorite tool, easily out shadowing its competition. Compared to other flute styles, the cuts are cleaner, plunges are deeper and chips are easily directed up or down, depending on the type of spiral you choose. If you work primarily with plastic or aluminum, you’ll be happy to learn that heat is dispersed more easily with the O flute bit and stops welding back.

What material does it cut with?

Although it’s most commonly used with plastic and aluminum, you can use the O flute bit on a variety of materials, such as acrylic, nylon, foam board, laminate, solid surfaces, and wood.
SpeTool offers several classic O-Flute bits, available in 1/4 and 1/8 inch cut diameters, and their high quality has won praise from customers and is definitely worth the price.
https://spetools.com/collections/o-flute

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[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] What Router Bit to Use for Flattening Slabs? (1)

[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] USING THE RIGHT SPEEDS AND FEEDS

This tool is a beast

Only having used this tool a couple of times, I am completely satisfied with it's performance. I have used the bit to flush trim a few patterns in walnut and white oak. This bit moved right through the wood. The cut was very smooth. I am also happy that I will be able to turn / swap out the cutters.

A must have for small shop slab flattening

I had previously been doing all my slab flattening on a home made sled. It worked ok and it got the job done, but it had many limitations, some of which I didn't even realize until I started using the SpeTool sled. The first issue was that it had too much flex in the wood rails and would sag when I tried flatting slabs larger than about 20" wide. The second issue was the mess it made in the shop. It was actually so bad that I would have to use it outside. The biggest draw back however, wasn't realized until I started using the SpeTool sled. With the SpeTool sled I was able to work the router with the grain down the long side of the Slab This was something that I couldn't really do with my homemade sled. Working with the grain produces a smoother surface and is less work in my opinion. Then when you add in the dust collection, I was able to work in my shop again. Now I am not going to say you won't need to vacuum when you are done, but the mess is drastically less than with no dust collection. Also, the aluminum rails are much stiffer than my wood ones and don't flex nearly as much over larger spans. I would absolutely put this kit at the top of my list if I was setting a small garage shop up for slab flattening.
Rob @ RM Woodcraft llc

Their inexpensive, and I like the code you can use with carveco

Decent build

This is an investment! That being said, if you only doing one slab, I would recommend DIY build or having someone professionally flatten your project. I would hazard a guess that you would be saving for a fifth of the cost of this rig. I bought the dust shield with vacuum hose attachment and was disappointed on a few levels. Firstly, it's a gimmick that falls short of its intended purpose and although it may cut down a little of the waste being scattered in the shop, it does not work as advertised. Do your slab flattening outside or you'llbe vacuuming for days. Secondly the hose port fit is not standard for any shop vac, so you'll be needing some type of adapter. As for the router sled itself, the build is sturdy, and it does work as intended. However there is the minimal clearance issue. Even at its lowest setting, I still had to raise the work piece as the plunge depth of routers are limited. Also expect to clear debris (constantly) from wheel path as it collects and will hinder the smoorh and level tracking of the wheels Overall, it works. But I'm thinking I should have opted for the bearing rail system. I gave it 3 stars because that's where it falls in the overall rating. Average! These are my opinions from my experience. Your millage may vary. If I could send it back without the hassle. I probably would. I don't have the box, and the return policy says everything has to be in original unused condition, which is impossible after use.

Excellent tool!

Very happy with purchase. Came to this site as couldn't source it off Amazon where I normally buy

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[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] WHEN DO I USE AN O FLUTE BIT?

[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] What Router Bit to Use for Flattening Slabs? (1)

[WEEKLY TECH TIPS] USING THE RIGHT SPEEDS AND FEEDS

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