CUTTER SPEEDS
If you have a variable speed router, set the motor speed according to the diameter of your cutter and the material you are cutting. Most cutter catalogues give guidance on this with a table similar to that below:
Diameter Maximum Speed
Up to 25mm 24,000rpm
Over 25mm-50mm 18,000rpm
Over 50mm-65mm 16,000rpm
Over 65mm-75mm 12,000rpm
Over 75mm 10,000rpm
If your router is single-speed, beware of using large diameter cutters in it; especially those cutters intended only for table use. These should never be used in a hand-held router. The material being cut also helps determine cutter speed. For example, if you are shaping Perspex or other plastics, router speed should be slowed right down, and a lubricant spray applied to the line of cut rather like the way engineers use cutting oil.
