Hi,
Maybe I'm confusing myself, but I'm planning on making a panel and using the router table instead of the tablesaw. This is new for me, I have only used my tablesaw / dadoes. I want the slot to be 1/4" to fit 1/4" Space Balls.
What I find confusing is that I assumed a panel with a 1/4" long tongue would be common resulting in a groove of 1/4" (tongue) + 3/16" (1/16" space ball squish) = 7/16" groove depth. However, Whiteside doesn't make a bearing for their arbors that result in a 7/16" groove depth.
What then are the standard frame and panel cutting dimensions when using 1/4" space balls?
As far as Whiteside goes, I made a table in an attempt to de-confuse things. Hope this helps. For my needs it looks I would have to use bearings B20 and B25 for a cutting depth of 9/16" and 3/8", respectively. Whiteside makes it extra confusing by selling their arbors with a B5 bearing.. a bearing size that isn't even mentioned on their slot cutter page. They also don't give the buyer info on the slot cutter diameter, requiring the buyer to back calculate.
Whiteside Router slot cutters.png