@JHahn Tks Jannik. Don’t get me wrong. I get very nice cuts using 1/4" bits in all kinds of wood. However, unless I am reading chip load charts all wrong - a definite possibility - I cannot go slow enough to get a 1/4" bit into the ideal chip load range. For example, if I set the speed to 50 inches per minute on a 2-flute 1/4’ bit running at the lowest Makita speed of 10,000 rpm, I get a chip load of .003. the ideal is between .017 and .020, depending on the species. So, again, unless I am reading the charts wrong, I am not even close.
However, using the same feeds and speeds using a 1/8" bit, I am close to the ideal range.
Here is a link to one of the chip load charts that display the numbers that I am referring to. There are lots of others, as you know.
As I said previously, I tend to ignore all the “science”, listen to the machine, and look at the quality of the cut. So far, that method seems to be working for me. I have only broken bits when I foolishly hit a hold down. Perhaps I am dulling bits faster than I would if I followed the charts, but my bits seem to be lasting long enough.