Can I plunge cut with this bit?

[Derek Tuchscherer]

Can I use this type of bit in a plunge situation...or do I need a spiral bit to do this? The reason I ask is I am building a bed and forgot to drill the holes for the bed bolts before gluing up the headboard! DOH! So I was wondering if I could use a straight bit in the plunge router like below to do the holes instead of wrestling and balancing the whole headboard on the drill press. Or should I bite the bullet and go buy a spiral bit???

86676

Thanks in Advance.

Derek

[Greg Hines, MD]

You probably can, though a plunging or mortising bit would be preferable. A standard straight bit does not have any cutters on the tip of the bit, so it has a tendency to leave a centered core that has to be removed. You can get away with it with a bushing and template, and a bit that is smaller than the hole you need, but it is a lot of work.

I would bite the bullet and get a spiral bit. It is definitely worth the cost, and you will use it all the time.

Doc

[Anthony Whitesell]

If the cutters on the tip don't meet at the center of the then it won't plunge (or won't plunge well. I have found some spiral bits that won't plunge for that reason.

Since you are trying to "drill" a hole there's no way around it.

If you where trying to make a mortise or slot then you could move the bit back and forth while lowering the height to get it to plunge. (Been there, done that, works fine)

[Jamie Buxton]

Anthony's got it right. However, plunge cutting bits don't need to be spiral. There are plunging ones which look like your picture, but they have another piece of carbide at the end. The spriral ones clear chips better.

[Mark Rakestraw]

A spiral bit is always nice to have and that's probably the best way to handle this. I assume that you want to use the router to assure that the hole is straight in? But if you just want to get it done this afternoon without making a trip someplace you might try using a hand drill to make a smaller hole than you need, then following up with the plunge router, i.e. 1/4" pilot with the drill followed by 1/2" router bit. The small drill bit would clear the core so the straight bit could be plunged more easily
Mark.

[Derek Tuchscherer]

Thanks for the help, I think I am going to fashion some kind of guide block using the TS and dado blade. Then just use my cordless drill from there.

Thanks again.
Derek