router question

[groomden]

Has anyone tried gearing down a wood router for working in aluminum? i'm thinking of a 10:1 belt/pulley ratio to get from 8000 to 800rpm's.

Would this work/is this safe/anyone try it?

Or if this is a bad idea, how well does spinning at 8k work for aluminum? What are the disadvantages to it?

Thanks!

[jwillhite]

I'd be really interested to know about this as well, it seems like it would be possible to buy an off the shelf Taig or Sherline spindle, then gear it for a router?

[ger21]

You can buy router bits that are designed to cut aluminum at router speeds, around 12,000-18,000 rpm. Check www.onsrud.com

[beone]

Regular carbide bits will work too for a while. Very light cuts at fairly rapid speed. Be sure not to be in the path of the chips!!