Router bit suggestions needed?

[Perry Marshall]

Greetings from Louisville, KY. This is my first post to the Saw Mill Creek Forums, but from what I have seen, I have no doubts this is a place for some sound advice.

I'm relatively new to woodworking and I just received a new Craftsman Professional Router with fixed and plunge bases as an early Christmas present. Now, before you anybody starts in on the Craftsman brand, this router is the same as the new Bosch 2.25 HP router, only with the Craftsman branding on it.

I need to purchase some router bits for doing some cabinetry work, but I really don't know what to look for. I was thinking of purchasing a packaged set of decent bits to get started and then as I find the ones that I use most often, replace those with top quality bits. Is this a good approach?

What are the differences in the different types of carbide?
Should I get 0.25" shank or 0.5" shank, and why?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Perry

[Tyler Howell]

Welcome Perry!

Glad to have you in the Creek. Great Bunch of folks.
I have found the 1/2" shank very solid, stable and gives repeatable preformance. The ones with a bearing guide are a great way to get started and very forgiving.
You get what you pay for. CMS and Freud have served me well. The packages are great but I think there is a lot of stuff in there you'll never use. A few quality bits, and build as you go.
Absolutely carbide.

[Carl Eyman]

I, for one, will not give you a hard time about Craftsman. I have one I was given for Christmas over 25 years ago. Replaced one bearing (about $5) and it is still running fine. It doesn't take 1/2 " bits so it gets less use than my others. As Tyler says they are more stable; I've seen 1/4" bend under hard use. I've been a fan of MLCS. I'll bet 3/4 of my inventory are MLCS. FWW did a test on bits a few years ago, and , while it wasn't absolutely definitive they rated them high and gave them the "best buy" award. Since you have to build your inventory I'd consider starting with MLCS. I you find you use a certain bit a lot and you need to replace it, you could do so with a name brand. However, I don't think I've ever had a MLCS wear out. Again welcome and don't be afraid to express opinions contrary to what others have. We are a bunch of reasonable people and find exchange of opinions helpful and informative.

[Keith Christopher]

Perry,


Welcome ! If you have an option for 1/2 shank over 1/4" chank always go for 1/2" shank. They are more stable when running and can take a fair amount of stress. There are also more options in the 1/2" shank ones. There just isn't enough steel attached to the 1/4" shank to spin a lock miter or raised panel bit.


KEith

[Curt Harms]

Hi Perry

Welcome. You've gotten good advice so far. Go with 1/2" shank if possible. I have 2 4 piece sets from woodline. (www.woodline.com). I'm a hobbyist so they don't get heavy use, but I'm happy with them. I have a set of 4 roundovers and a set of 4 cove bits. I also have a set of dovetail bits that I haven't touched yet. I think the smaller sets (roundover, plywood dado, dovetail jig bits etc. may make sense. I'm sure many of the bits in a 60 piece set would never be used. Another trick for 1/2" straight bits-You can get Titanium Nitride end mills as well as steel end mills from Grizzly for cheap. They seem to work well as upcut spiral router bits for a good bit less money.

Just more to consider. And if I don't tell You, someone else will. If You buy something and post about it on this board, pictures are not optional, they are mandatory. I heard somewhere that law enforcement training programs are using the SMC Pic Police as a case study ;)

Curt

[Mark Blumer]

Hello Perry,

An extremely useful bit is a "flush trim" bit. Get the 1/2" shank and as long as you can find. The bit cuts to exactly the same diameter as its guide bearing. You will use it surprisingly often. For example: you attach a face frame to a cabinet carcass and then you run the bit along the outer edge and it mates up the edge of the frame perfectly to the surface of the cabinet side. If you watch David Marks on Woodworks, he uses one in nearly every show to trim wood to exactly match an MDF pattern he made.

Have fun...
Mark Blumer (East Lansing, MI)

[Carl Eyman]

If so, consider buying the special undersized bits for today's skinny plywood. Like 15/32 for what is called 1/2" plywood.

[Kevin Arceneaux]

I ordered bits from Infinity. I got them in 10 days and have tried out just about everyone, I would say they are equal to or a little better than the Freud ones I have.

[Perry Marshall]

Carl, thanks for the advice. However you stumped me on the undersized bits for thin plywood. How do these bits differ from others?

Thanks,
Perry

[Kevin Arceneaux]

The are a slighly smaller cutting diameter.

http://www.infinitytools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=00-151&variation=&aitem=5&mitem=5

[Bill Arnold]

Perry,

The others have provided great advice and I just wanted to second Carl's vote for MLCS. Probably 90% of my bits come from them -- everything from 1/8" flat bottom to panel-raising bits in excess of 3". Get on their e-mail list for unadvertised specials also -- they don't bombard you with e-mails, just a notice every week or two.

Most of your bits should be 1/2" shank, but consider 1/4" for some of the smaller bits. For instance, I bought a 1/4" shank round-over set that ranges from 1/8" to 1/2"; the 1/4" shank allows me to use the bits in my table-mounted router or in a trim router for hand-held operations.

A suggestion for the flush-trim bit that someone mentioned is to get the 1/2" spiral bits with guide bushing. I have an upcut spiral for use in my table and a downcut spiral for hand-held use. These make a smoother cut than a flat bit does.

When you check out MLCS (www.mlcswoodworking.com (http://www.mlcswoodworking.com)), look at their 66-piece bit set if you really want to stock up on bits. It seems like a great way to get started.

Regards,

[thomas prevost]

I am not a big fan of "kits" as there will be 60-70% in the larger kits that will never be used. With that said, I found a good buy to be the solid carbide kit of 4 spiral bits from MLCS. Also the small 4-6 piece Kits with one round over, one cove, and a dovetail can be a good starter. Then add as you need to. Shipping from most companies is usually received within 3 days. For bits commonly used buy the best, CMS, Whitesides, or Freud. DO NOT buy the cheap kits from Homier, HF and the like as they can be dangerous with poor welds and the carbide leaving the bit while using.

my 2 cents

[Kent Cori]

I bought the 1/2" MLCS 15-piece starter set for the Bosch version of your routter (great router BTW :) ) and am very happy I did. The bits are decent quality although not as good as the premium brands. On the other hand, they were less than $3 each. I've used most of the bits and they perform well. I've replaced some that I use all the time with Whiteside and Freud bits. Most of the others I use on an at least an occasional basis. Personally, I think having one or two bits that I don't use and over a dozen that are there when I need them to be a great trade off.

I recommend starting with this or a similar small set and then adding other bits as the need arises. I'm looking forward to trying the Infinity bits the next time I need to buy one.

[G.C. Wagner]

Perry,

I would suggest that you run out to the Woodcraft store on Hurstbourne Pkwy.
I think that you'll find that those guys in there will be very helpful and you can
see what they have to offer. I know that they have Whiteside and their own brand.

It's about 100 miles for me to get there but sometimes I like to go there to see some of the people in the store and wander around impulse shopping. ;)

Gerry