More router bit ?

[Stan Johnsey]

I just bought a set of 8 1/2" shank bits off eBay, yellow Chinese ones. I only paid $12.50 for 'em so I haven't lost much. I haven't had a chance to try them out but since I'm a noob I probably can't tell much because I have no frame of reference.

In what way are the expensive bits from Freud, Amana, Porter-Cable better?

Are 1/2" shank bits better than 1/4"? I have collets for both.

Are the yellow Chinese bits better or worse than the blue ones?

[glenn bradley]

In what way are the expensive bits from Freud, Amana, Porter-Cable better?

Most router bits, you get what you pay for. Blanks, machining, carbide and sharpening all have degrees of quality. Whiteside is my favorite and not really expensive but I do run Freud and Amana as well. All but a few of my cheap bits have gone their way and left room for longer lasting items. I do take advantage of the $5 Woodcraft bit sales as when they are done, I can just toss them.

Are 1/2" shank bits better than 1/4"? I have collets for both.

1/2" whenever possible due to strength and stability but I have a selection of 1/4" bits too. They are mostly for the Colt but I use the 1/4" collet for other routers when appropriate.

Are the yellow Chinese bits better or worse than the blue ones?

Not sure which blue ones you mean. Rockler and Woodline are both generally blue. Both are disposable bits IMHO but will give you an amount of use about equal to their price. I just maimed a rabbet on a piece of BB ply with a Rockler bit that hit the trashcan immediatly after. I knew it had seen better days and I had touched it up several times. The plywood cost more than the bit so sometimes it just doesn't make sense to try to squeeze one more run out of a bit ;-)

[Bill Huber]

I agree with Glenn all the way and will add....

When you pay $10 for a bit and it last a 1/3 the time at a $20 bit last have you saved anything?

I started out with some cheap bits and it didn't take me long to find out that was the wrong road to be going down.

[Drew Eckhardt]

I just bought a set of 8 1/2" shank bits off eBay, yellow Chinese ones. I only paid $12.50 for 'em so I haven't lost much. I haven't had a chance to try them out but since I'm a noob I probably can't tell much because I have no frame of reference.

In what way are the expensive bits from Freud, Amana


- Finer initial hone
- Thicker carbide. This seems to correlate to less chipout and allows for more sharpenings.
- Smaller carbide particles. This leads to longer life.
- Freud and Amana bits always have anti-kickback bodies.

In some cases you'll be able to get better shear, chip, and clearance angles. Freud and Amana have spiral flush-trim bits that are less likely to chipout on grain reversals and end grain cuts than straight bits. Freud has tongue cutters with opposing shear angles which are nice to veneers on both sides of sheet goods. On many of their current edge forming bits Freud combines up-shear cutters for most of the material removal with down shear cutters for the final piece near the surface.

You may get better balance and be able to run at higher speeds.

You may get harder grades of carbide.

You may get a better cut, especially as the bit wears. Some of the less expensive bits are surprisingly good. Some of the expensive bits are surprisingly bad.

MDF disintegrates when you look at it so you don't get much of a cut quality difference unless you used a faster wearing bit on plywood and it got a wear line from the hard glue.

When you damage a board you salvage what's left, send the rest to the firewood pile, and try again.

When you get chip out on an almost complete piece that's occupied your nearly non-existant spare time for the last six months the router might be on its way through the cheap hollow core workshop door and regardless of your temper you may be spending a lot of time with a sanding sponge to hide the damage. Spending an extra $10, $20, $50, or even $100 to avoid that trauma is well worth it.



Porter-Cable better?
The Porter-Cable bits are a pleasant deep red color and cost as much as good bits. Otherwise there might not be much of a difference. The Woodcraft $5 store-brand specials leave a better finish and cost less.



Are 1/2" shank bits better than 1/4"? I have collets for both.
Yes. They're stiffer so they'll vibrate less and be harder to break.



Are the yellow Chinese bits better or worse than the blue ones?It's just a color which is shared by different brands (for instance Oldham and Sommerfield are both yellow). The specifics are important.

[chris dub]

I started of with a $25 24 piece set and didn't know any better. I also thought hey I won't really be able to tell any difference I have no frame of reference.

But I quickly learned that when you have spent hours measuring the perfect piece and gotten it all sized up and are ready to put a profile or rabbet on in it and the cheap bits chewed up the edge or burned the edge, I was back to cutting again, or spending way too much time trying to sand the burn marks from a wavy profile edge.

And this was before I had a jointer, so it was much more difficult to cut an edge off and then joint up a new piece. I would often have to start that peice over.

I don't know the engineering behind why its better, but I do know that I get cleaner, faster, smoother more reliable cuts from the Whiteside or Infinity bits I’ve gotten.

I would also say that getting good bits is a better investment than a better saw blade. I'll take sanding a straight edge with blade marks over an ogee profile any day.

[pat warner]

A typical cutter that has not been chipped can stand 3-5 regrinds at 4-10$/grind.
If you scrap the 20$ bit and regrind the TA (throw-away) your overall milage will exceed the life of the more expensive cutter. Sharpen the CMT/Amana etc and they will out last the cheaper bits.

Does anybody sharpen any more?
Most folks scrap their dead cutters!

[Myk Rian]

Be aware that sharpening a bit will decrease the diameter, although you will probably not be able to measure it.
I started with a 66 piece E-bay set, with the intention of replacing them as needed/broken/dulled. I buy Freud 1/2" shank bits if available to replace the cheap ones, otherwise I buy Freud 1/4" shank.
All my TS blades and new router bits are Freud. I have never had a problem with the brand.

[Stephen Edwards]

How does one sharpen a high quality carbide router bit? Is it a do it yourself project or do you send them off to a pro to have it done?

I started out with cheap bits. As I can afford them, I'm buying better bits and enjoying the difference.

I prefer the 1/2 inch shank.

[Rick Moyer]

A typical cutter that has not been chipped can stand 3-5 regrinds at 4-10$/grind.
If you scrap the 20$ bit and regrind the TA (throw-away) your overall milage will exceed the life of the more expensive cutter. Sharpen the CMT/Amana etc and they will out last the cheaper bits.

Does anybody sharpen any more?
Most folks scrap their dead cutters!

This has always been the dilemma for me as I don't use any of these that much. At what price point is the trade-off? I usually go for the better bit, but for my limited use I could be better off choosing a lesser bit and replacing it. I doubt I will ever have to get a router bit sharpened. I choose to think that IF I ever need to have a bit sharpened I will at least have a bit that can be sharpened and last.

[Stan Johnsey]

Like I said, I bought a cheap set of router bits off ebay 8 1/2" bits for $12.50 to my door. Even came in a nice (well, adequate) wooden box. You can tell they are cheap, the carbide if very thin but they seem to work well enough and they are bits that are commonly used, 3 straight, flush trim, round over, rabbit.

Anyway, I took the advice and looked into some better bits. Like the idea of American made. Can't afford Amana and had never heard of Whiteside. Found a set of Whiteside round/beading bits on Amazon. This is the 501 set, 1/2" shaft 1/4", 3/8" 1/2" and 3/4" round over with bearing that allow them to be used as beading in a nice box. Most of the merchants had the for $88 free shipping. On fellow has them for $60 + $5.00 shipping. I should have them in a week or so. Thanks for keepin' me broke!

[Prashun Patel]

Don't sweat it. You got a great deal. It's a great learning set.

I also bought an el cheapo set when I started. Sure, I've replaced the oft used bits (like 5 of them!) with splurgy Freuds, Amanas, and Whitesides. But the rest are fine for occasional use - and more importantly, for benchmarking what you want if/when you need a replacement bit.

So, while yr bits may not be of the highest quality, for $12, you bought yourself some excellent experience and learning.

1/2 shanks are in general more stable than 1/4. However, that stability isn't always necessary (for shorter or narrower bits).

Note too, that you can compensate a little for poorer bit quality by taking shallower passes, and a little sandpaper after the fact!

[scott spencer]

Bits like Whiteside, Infinity, Freud, Amana, and Eagle America use better steel, better manufacturing, better carbide, better sharpening, better design, and better bearings. The end result is better balance, better precision, cleaner cut, longer edge life, less vibration, fewer failures, and better customer service.

That's not to say that some less expensive alternatives don't exist, but cheap unknown bits from China are risky. When I need a special low usage profile, I look to Holbren, MCLS, Woodline, Woodcraft, or Price Cutter.

[Brian Gumpper]

Found a set of Whiteside round/beading bits on Amazon. This is the 501 set, 1/2" shaft 1/4", 3/8" 1/2" and 3/4" round over with bearing that allow them to be used as beading in a nice box. Most of the merchants had the for $88 free shipping. On fellow has them for $60 + $5.00 shipping. I should have them in a week or so. Thanks for keepin' me broke!

Make sure they are really Whiteside when you get them because the seller is losing money at that price if he is a franchised dealer buying at dealer cost and not picking them up from a dealer dumping product or that went out of business.

The case should be red plastic logo box with a black slide latch, there should be a tube with the beading bearings in it, a black die cut piece of foam for the bits to sit in and the Whiteside name and part number on each bit. A clear coating should also be on the head of each bit.

[Stan Johnsey]

Make sure they are really Whiteside when you get them because the seller is losing money at that price if he is a franchised dealer buying at dealer cost and not picking them up from a dealer dumping product or that went out of business.

The case should be red plastic logo box with a black slide latch, there should be a tube with the beading bearings in it, a black die cut piece of foam for the bits to sit in and the Whiteside name and part number on each bit. A clear coating should also be on the head of each bit.

Thanks for the heads up. That was what the photo posted looked like. I bought them using a credit card off Amazon so I'm pretty safe. I got a notice that they had shipped so I ought to have them next week.

The more I read about Whiteside bits the better I like 'em.

[Brian Gumpper]

The way Amazon works is somebody posts them for sale with the picture. Then other sellers can post the same item for sale and the picture always remains the same as the original listing.

Not trying to scare you, just surprised about the price.

You'll like the bits, they are one of the best for sure.

[chris dub]

Thanks for the heads up. That was what the photo posted looked like. I bought them using a credit card off Amazon so I'm pretty safe. I got a notice that they had shipped so I ought to have them next week.

The more I read about Whiteside bits the better I like 'em.

I ordered a set of those Whiteside roundovers a month or so ago and they were legit right down to the box, coating, foam, instructions, bearing, wrench and label. They cut real nice too.

[Jim Rimmer]

I bought a cheap bit and had the shaft snap while cutting. Fortunately it didn't hit me but could have been serious. Go with the good brands.

[Brian Gumpper]

I ordered a set of those Whiteside roundovers a month or so ago and they were legit right down to the box, coating, foam, instructions, bearing, wrench and label. They cut real nice too.

That's a great deal, glad they worked out.

[Stan Johnsey]

I got the Whiteside roundover/beading bit kit today. Exactly as represented, the 501 set 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 with extra bearing and allen wrench in plastic box. Bits have the plastic coating on 'em and everything. About $65 with shipping. The outfit is called Camargo Enterprises on Amazon.

A quick comparison of a 3/8" roundover bit from the cheap Chinese set 8 1/2" bits for $12.50 and the Whiteside set 4 bits for $65. Carbide on the Chinese bit about 0.055" thick. On the Whiteside about 0.110, twice a thick. The Whiteside bit cut noticebly better on 3/4" MDF. Bearing on both bits look and feel identical.

[glenn bradley]

I got the Whiteside roundover/beading bit kit today. Exactly as represented, the 501 set 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 with extra bearing and allen wrench in plastic box.

That is a great price on a great set. At that price I am tempted to pick up a set of spares.

[chris dub]

That is a great price on a great set. At that price I am tempted to pick up a set of spares.


That same seller had the 7 piece stsrt set for $60 as well. Not sure if they still do. I had jsut bought a bunch of new bits when I saw it and couldn't justify it.

[Brian Gumpper]

That same seller had the 7 piece stsrt set for $60 as well. Not sure if they still do. I had jsut bought a bunch of new bits when I saw it and couldn't justify it.

They don't have that one anymore. Looking at their store it's only the 501 set. I am curious though where they get them from because if they pay regular dealer cost they lost money on that deal.

[Stephen Edwards]

I got the Whiteside roundover/beading bit kit today. Exactly as represented, the 501 set 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 with extra bearing and allen wrench in plastic box. Bits have the plastic coating on 'em and everything. About $65 with shipping. The outfit is called Camargo Enterprises on Amazon.

Glad this worked out for you. Can you provide a link to that seller on Amazon, please? I've looked but can't seem to find it. Thanks.

[Stan Johnsey]

Glad this worked out for you. Can you provide a link to that seller on Amazon, please? I've looked but can't seem to find it. Thanks.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000AM18RM/ref=dp_olp_1

Look down at the bottom, $60 + $4.95 shpping, Carmargo Enterprises