Cutting a puzzel joint

[Sean]

I am cutting boat panel parts which assemble with a puzzle joint. The material is meranti plywood with thickness ranging from 4 to 9 millimeters. My question is if the diameter of the tightest curve is 3/8" is it okay to cut this with a 3/8" bit, or would it be better to cut with a smaller bit? I also have questions about the ramp speed. Will the entire puzzle joint be cut at the ramp speed set when you open the file on the shop bot console? The length of a one foot section of the puzzle joint is three feet. I think that this might cause me to burn the bit. I have PRS standard with a porter cable router and can not adjust tool rpm with ramp speeds. My final question is, Part Works gives an option to output the cut path direct to the machine, does anyone do this? Thank you all for any help. sean

[gene]

Your assumptions are correct. i would use a little bit smaller bit to avoid the heat bioldup. make sure to post photos when you get done

[Sean]

I have a few more questions. What would be appropriate to set for ramp speeds to cut the puzzle joint? I have enough scrap material left to run some different tests. I would prefer to cut the 4 mil wood with a 3/16" down spiral because I can also use that bit to cut the holes used to zip tie the pieces together for gluing. If break vector apart I can set different speeds for puzzle joint and the rest of the panel. To maintain .005 chip load with 2 flute cutter at 10000 rpm I need a feed rate 1.66 ips, or 0.8 ips if I use a single flute cutter. Is this to fast for a ramp speed? The drawing shows dimensions, also the circles represent cutter diameters of 3/8", 1/4" and 3/16". Which would be better for puzzle joint, conventional or climb? Thank you for any assistance.