I agree on the starter "dent". I have used for years an old metal finger nail file, on which I ground off the point on the end, and put in a radius instead, then sharpened it. Mark the center, and "rock" the tool along the line. (It won't follow wood grain like a knife point will....an old gunsmith trick). If the wood is really soft, I may not even need the power slotter, but if I do, the starter cut makes it easy to get accurate cuts.

Clair