Plug Cutters

[ironhat]

OK, I'm doing something wrong - imagine. I have this set of plug cutters and I get great results with the straight cutters. The tapered cutters are a different story with tearing and splitting making a totally unuseable product. I couldn't produce an actual plug because it got too scary. What the heck? Any help wold be appreciated.

[chopnhack]

Let me be the first dumb one to jump in and ask .... are you using a drill press? :P I had to ask!

Seriously, does this happen with different species and at different speeds? And is it splitting vertically or horizontally?

[lago]

Are you using a DP and what kind of wood? I have a cheapie bit I got at Lowes and tried it the other day on pine. First plugs were unusable. I found out that if I lowered the bit verrrrry slowly, it made acceptable plugs. My chart indicates 1000 rpm for soft wood but my DP goes from 840 to 1440. 1440 did OK.

lago

[ironhat]

Yea, boys, I'm using a DP and I'm not sure of the speed but it was just a bit over 1K RPMs. The woods were cherry and soft maple and a slow feed was the only thing possible. HTH.

[Richard in Smithville]

Are clamping the wood to the table or at least using a fence to steady it?

[cgallery]

Maybe the tapered cutters aren't perfectly centered (due to machining?).

How deep into the wood are you plunging? And those the wood want to wiggle on the table as soon as the cutter contacts it?

[JimD]

Usually increasing the speed helps for me. Clamping the wood while cutting is a good idea too if you're having trouble.

I find tapered plugs to be a questionable benefit. Mine start out too small so they have to be trimmed for length to be tight if the holes are not deep but if you are willing to "mess with them", you can get a tighter fit.

Jim

[Scoly2803]

Never used one so just thinking about it. When I got morticing chisels they were not very sharp. A bit of honing on the flat side helped a lot. Seemed like it got rid of a small burr possibly. Might give it a try if still having problems. Wouldn't touch the bevelled side.
Steve

[ironhat]

Since the straight plug cutters are working just fine and considering Jim D's comments I'll probably forget about it unless I have a hankering to shred some wood. I'll at least try clamping and varying speeds to see if it's something simple. Thanks guys.

[Richard in Smithville]

Been thinking about this today. How deep are you cutting with the plug cutter? I usually go perhaps half way through a 3/4" board for my plugs.

[ironhat]

I'm cutting them about 3/8" deep, Richard. Why? These are shreading almost as soon as they get 1/16" deep.

[Richard in Smithville]

Then I have to think that there is a problem with the cutter itself. I have an inexpensive set that cuts with no problem unless I try to go too deep. Like you already said...stick with the straight cutters and forgo the stress.