Router chamfer bit vs. table saw bevel cut?

[jeff begin]

I'm trying to figure out why someone would spend $30 on a router chamfer bit when it looks like the same thing can be accomplished by beveling a table saw blade. I'm sure I'm missing something here. :confused:

[Stephen Edwards]

I'm trying to figure out why someone would spend $30 on a router chamfer bit when it looks like the same thing can be accomplished by beveling a table saw blade. I'm sure I'm missing something here. :confused:

I prefer the chamfer bit in a router because it's less of a hassle and leaves a nice finish.

[Bret Jackson]

ever try and start stop a chamfer the tablesaw. Corners of case work, posts, or beams can be pretty tough to run through the TS as well.

[Jamie Buxton]

Ever try to use a table saw to put a chamfer on a curved edge?

[Jim Kountz]

Ever try to use a table saw to put a chamfer on a curved edge?

Ahh you beat me to it! I was going to say a round table but same difference right??!!

[glenn bradley]

I'm sure I'm missing something here. :confused:

So, it seems the answer is . . . yes. I've been there and done that as well ;). The responses here are pretty typical uses of a chamfer bit. I use one in the ways listed and also find them handy for treating edges of small parts or assemblies on the RT. A chamfer in a Colt makes quick work of stopped profiles on table legs or whatever. Jamie and Jim have the most obvious; non-straight cuts.

[J.R. Rutter]

If you like to sand, then save your money. But, a router cuts cleaner.

[Porter Bassett]

I recently made two of the same thing, about a week apart. The first time, I didn't even think about it, and did the angled cut on the table saw. I was not pleased with the results, and had to do a lot of sanding.

A week later, when I came to the same point decided to try the router instead. I stuck a chamfer bit in my poor man's router table (a piece of MDF with a hole in it that my router is bolted onto) and ran my piece over it. It was easier, safer, and left me with a better surface.

[scott spencer]

There are a lot of chamfer bits that cost less than $30.

[Jim Becker]

There are many good reasons to have this technique "in your bag". I've been doing it this way a lot since I bought my slider, especially for narrow workpieces. My cabinet saw was left-tilt and ripping bevels on the table saw was quite comfortable. But the slider, being oriented the way it is, has a right-tilt setup, making narrow bevel rips with the fence less desirable due to the trapping of the workpiece between the fence and the blade. (You cannot move the fence to the other side with these machines) Therefore, pretty much all my non-panel bevel cuts are done with the router table setup and it works very nicely. The finish, as someone already mentioned, is very good, too.