1/4" 2-Flute Down Cut Spiral (Spektra)
The short down cut. Same geometry and diameter as D01 but with a 3/4” cutting height instead of 1”, and Amana’s Spektra nACo coating — a nanocomposite layer aimed at abrasive sheet goods, where it earns its keep against MDF and melamine rather than in solid wood.
Specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Cutting diameter | 0.250” |
| Shank diameter | 0.250” |
| Flutes | 2 |
| Cutting length | 0.750” |
| Overall length | 2.500” |
| Geometry | Down cut spiral |
| Corner radius | None — square end |
| Material | Solid carbide |
| Coating | Spektra nACo nanocomposite |
Feeds & Speeds
For the X-Carve Pro and its 1.5 kW spindle. These match the presets stored on this tool in the Fusion hub library.
| Material | RPM | Feed | Chipload | Plunge | Stepdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard maple / oak | 14,000 | 220 ipm | 0.0079” | 30 ipm | 0.125” |
| Soft maple / walnut / cherry | 14,000 | 240 ipm | 0.0086” | 30 ipm | 0.125” |
| Plywood / veneered sheet | 16,000 | 280 ipm | 0.0088” | 30 ipm | 0.125” |
| MDF / laminate | 16,000 | 300 ipm | 0.0094” | 35 ipm | 0.1875” |
| Softwood / pine | 16,000 | 300 ipm | 0.0094” | 35 ipm | 0.1875” |
| Acrylic / HDPE | 12,000 | 200 ipm | 0.0083” | 25 ipm | 0.0625” |
Notes
Maximum cut depth is 0.750”. This bit physically cannot cut through 3/4” stock — a through-cut needs the flutes to reach past the bottom face, and with a bottom offset into the spoilboard that is roughly 0.77” of travel. Reach for D01 or U01 for anything that goes all the way through. This one is for dados, grooves, shallow pockets, and top-face finishing passes.
Always ramp — never plunge. Down cut geometry augers chips downward, so a straight plunge packs the hole beneath the cutter with its own waste. Amana market this as a “plunge” bit, which refers to the end geometry being centre-cutting, not to plunging being a good idea in practice.
Chip evacuation limits depth per pass, not cutting force. Stepdowns above are roughly half what the same-diameter upcut takes, because chips have nowhere to go and packed chips mean heat, and heat in maple means scorch marks that cannot be sanded out at depth.
Links
- Product page: Amana Tool 46202-K
- Machine: X-Carve Pro
- CAM library: Fusion hub library, Human Crafted