Versatile? Good value? Problems?
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Versatile? Good value? Problems?
Had one hanging out of my thigh about six years ago, when it ejected from the collet.
Seriously, though, no serious injury, and certainly should never have happened. I don't use mine much, but it's very useful in certain situations.
Bad news.
Very power hungry.
Under-designed & stressed for router use.
Get this function in a shaper where there is the power & stress resistant components (spindles) to handle this much waste/load.
Well it's going to depend somewhat on how much steel you want to stack on the mandrel. I have a bunch of 1.5" diameter slotters in various thicknesses (from 1/16" to 1/4") and I use them without hesitation. I don't see any problem with them as long as you keep things in perspective...
I'm with David, it depends on what you are doing. I also have several slot cutters and they work very well. The Freud T&G set I have is the best adjustable one. I also have several fixed width slot cutters. I never had a problem with any of them.
Two additional points to consider:
If you have tongue and groove or door cope and stick sets, take a look at the cutter diameter/bearing/depth of cut. If you get the same size stackable cutters, you likely can extend the range of your present cutter sets. For example, cut for glass panel, or a different thickness wood panel.
If you like a certain depth of cut, make sure that is a capability of the set you choose. I wanted to be able to cut 1/2" tenons on cabinet doors, so that narrowed the choices for me.
FWIW, I have some Amana adjustable stacked sets, and like them. They cut to 1/2" depth, and an available bearing will yield a 3/8" cut, making the set very flexable in use. The slot cutters are the same diameter as my Amana door making set.
Another interesting product is the Amana E-Z Dial Slot Cutter. Just turn the dial to adjust width of cut, no shims. I haven't bought one, but it's tempting...
Thanks y'all.
Paul - no T&G set yet. The slot cutter was going to serve as that for a while until a large project requiring T&G comes along.
I was considering the Amana E-Z Dial but what turned me off was the minimum width is 1/4". There is a separate bit for 1/8" to 1/4" width slots.
I will probably get the stackable set from MLCS. For $60 I can make slots from 1/16" to 11/16" with everything in between. 1/2" depth is fine, and I can always get additional bearings if I need a larger depth of cut. If I use the thing enough to really be annoyed by bargain-bit flaws, I'll invest in a higher quality bit/set. For now, the versatility certainly seems appealing, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something...which is why I posted.
Victor: Did you follow through on the purchase of the MLCS stackable set. I am considering purchasing it.
Whoa, blast from the past!Quote:
Originally Posted by bennie blackwell
Bennie, I ended up purchasing Amana's Timberline slot cutter set (TRS-310). I can't remember exactly why I chose that set over MLCS' - probably some combination of the brand name and differences in the included components between the two sets. It has done a fine job over the years - of course, in the eight years since my original post, I also ended up adding a T&G set or two, including an adjustable Freud.