John Piwaron
06-29-2013, 5:57 PM
Just a few remarks/observations about using a horizontal panel raiser router bit.
First, the results look great. Best ever for me using any kind of panel raising router bit. I have two - a horizontal panel raiser and a vertical panel raiser.
The horizontal bit is a Freud quadra cut. My vertical is made by Whiteside. The Freud, in addition to the quadra cut feature, is also an anti-kickback design. The smoothness of the surface off the bit is great. Smoother, I think, than what the Whiteside will yield. I've known for quite some time that I would be making parts with that bit. That fact is one reason behind why I built a new router table and equipped it with all manner of doodads. A Jessem lift, a tall fence, a miter gauge slot and a Micro Fence.
But the one thing I don't have for the table is a powerful router. I have a Bosch 1617EVS in it.
I'm not sure where I read it, but I found advise about these big bits that said the preferred way to sneak up on your finished cut was to not raise the bit incrementally, but to instead set the bit at the desired height, then start with the fence forward of where it would be for the final cut. So that's what I did. I snuck up on what I wanted by locating the bit at the finished height, then moving the fence back about 1/16" at a time until I was done.
Here's were some learning happened. The first cut was the most difficult. Like the first pass when you clear deep snow from your drive with your snowblower. This is where I knew the Bosch wasn't really the router for the task. It's the only time I thought I'd be able to stall a router while making a cut. Every cut following that was pretty much the "same old, same old". There were many cuts after that first one just 'cause I knew the router didn't really have the muscle it should have had.
But eventually the job was done. The results look great. Smooth, no chattering, no burning, edges clean straight and sharp. No tear out. At all. Even when it was cutting against the grain.
I'm tempted to say flat out that the Freud bit is far better than the Whiteside. Maybe it is. But there are too many factors at work to make that strong of a statement. Even though it's also carbide, my Whiteside bit is old. It doesn't have the two extra "quadra cutters". The manner of it's use is significantly different than that of a horizontal bit. Even so, I liked the results of the horizontal bit more. I think I'll be using this kind of bit more in the future.
I also think I'll be buying the biggest baddest router possible for the table.
Some may suggest a shaper. And I'm willing to consider one, but that's a step that would require knowing that I'd be making a lot of projects that need that much power.
First, the results look great. Best ever for me using any kind of panel raising router bit. I have two - a horizontal panel raiser and a vertical panel raiser.
The horizontal bit is a Freud quadra cut. My vertical is made by Whiteside. The Freud, in addition to the quadra cut feature, is also an anti-kickback design. The smoothness of the surface off the bit is great. Smoother, I think, than what the Whiteside will yield. I've known for quite some time that I would be making parts with that bit. That fact is one reason behind why I built a new router table and equipped it with all manner of doodads. A Jessem lift, a tall fence, a miter gauge slot and a Micro Fence.
But the one thing I don't have for the table is a powerful router. I have a Bosch 1617EVS in it.
I'm not sure where I read it, but I found advise about these big bits that said the preferred way to sneak up on your finished cut was to not raise the bit incrementally, but to instead set the bit at the desired height, then start with the fence forward of where it would be for the final cut. So that's what I did. I snuck up on what I wanted by locating the bit at the finished height, then moving the fence back about 1/16" at a time until I was done.
Here's were some learning happened. The first cut was the most difficult. Like the first pass when you clear deep snow from your drive with your snowblower. This is where I knew the Bosch wasn't really the router for the task. It's the only time I thought I'd be able to stall a router while making a cut. Every cut following that was pretty much the "same old, same old". There were many cuts after that first one just 'cause I knew the router didn't really have the muscle it should have had.
But eventually the job was done. The results look great. Smooth, no chattering, no burning, edges clean straight and sharp. No tear out. At all. Even when it was cutting against the grain.
I'm tempted to say flat out that the Freud bit is far better than the Whiteside. Maybe it is. But there are too many factors at work to make that strong of a statement. Even though it's also carbide, my Whiteside bit is old. It doesn't have the two extra "quadra cutters". The manner of it's use is significantly different than that of a horizontal bit. Even so, I liked the results of the horizontal bit more. I think I'll be using this kind of bit more in the future.
I also think I'll be buying the biggest baddest router possible for the table.
Some may suggest a shaper. And I'm willing to consider one, but that's a step that would require knowing that I'd be making a lot of projects that need that much power.