Reliable Inexpensive Router bit

[Kristopher Ayers]

I have looked high and low, cheap and expensive, for a reliable router bit. I am looking for a 1" flush trim with 1/4" shank. I have found one by Frued, CMT, Yonico, and several others. My question is, what would you recommend for a bit in the $20-$25 range? also, how much use could I expect out of it?

[Lee Schierer]

You pretty much get what you pay for in router bits. You can get good or cheap, but not necessarily at the same time. Freud is an excellent brand as are Amana and Whiteside. CMT I don't have experience with and I don't know Yonico. You can get good prices from Routerbit World for Freud and some other brands. I've never had a problem with my Freud bits and they cut cleanly without burning

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have had very good luck with MLCS router bits especially their Katana series....Here's a link: http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/katana_bits3.htm#katana flush trim anchor

BTW...I purchase mine directly from MLCS and have always gotten good, speedy service from them.

No connection except being a happy customer.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Just used my MLCS triple wing round over to soften edges on about 300 Toys for Tots car bodies. I've never owned any bit, from any company, that leaves a cleaner cut. Highly recommend them.

[Robert Parent]

I have had very good luck with the Southeast bits.

http://www.usroutertools.com/Default.asp

Robert

[Kristopher Ayers]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate all the input and suggestions. Now i have more thinking to do haha, but I now have some good leads and info to go off of.

[Tom M King]

Whiteside or Amana for me, neither one of the cheaper brands, but they last great. Once in a while, if neither have a profile I'm looking for, the better quality bits sold by Eagle America might have it. Those are made by Whiteside. Whiteside also makes great quality custom bits.

[Grant Wilkinson]

In reply to your question about how much use you can expect to get out of whatever you choose, I would advise that, being a 1/4" shaft bit, you'll get the best use out of it by taking light cuts. Several lights cuts will lessen the load on the small shaft and give you a better final finish.

[scott vroom]

Just used my MLCS triple wing round over to soften edges on about 300 Toys for Tots car bodies.

Kudos for that!

[Bruce Wrenn]

Kudos for that!Scott, I produce the bodies for a workshop. I cut out a total of 800, sand bottom, sides and radiuses on all. To make workshop go smoother, I try to prepare car bodies so there is no standing around waiting on first operation to happen. I drill window holes in about 1/3 of the bodies (320), radius edges and window holes, and do finish sanding on about half (160) of these. A couple years back, I furnished two workshops with a total of about 1500 bodies. Been doing this for many years.

[Mike Heidrick]

Woodcraft $5 bits - I got great use out of them. Not sure if they are sold anymore or what the current price is.

[Keith Hankins]

I have looked high and low, cheap and expensive, for a reliable router bit. I am looking for a 1" flush trim with 1/4" shank. I have found one by Frued, CMT, Yonico, and several others. My question is, what would you recommend for a bit in the $20-$25 range? also, how much use could I expect out of it?

you can feel a little pain once or buy cheap over and over again. Whiteside bits IMO are the best. I go there first. Put one of their bits up against the competition and look at the amount of carbide and you will see the difference.

[Tom Walz]

Whitesiderouter bits typically rate number one for both quality and value in Magazinereviews typically followed by Southeast Tools.

http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/ToolTestRouterBits.pdf

You cancertainly by cheaper router bits but you typically get what you pay for. Some router bits are made to be sold inbig-box stores at low prices. Routerbits, such as Whiteside Machine and Southeast Tools, are made to be used bymaster craftsman, cabinet shops, and industrial operations.

These aretypically about the third router bit that somebody buys. The first is a cheap combo set people buywhen they get their first cheap router. Atleast that is the way I did it a few decades ago. Then I went in and bought router bitsindividually, typically a midrange router bit. These were okay because I was still learning. Finally, I got to a level where I could appreciatea good tool enough to see the difference it really made.

Whiteside Machineand Southeast Tool router bits cut better. One of the reasons is that they use a very fine grain carbide classifiedas submicron. Tungsten carbide isactually tungsten carbide grains cemented together with a metal. The smaller the grains are the smoother theedge can be.

Top end routerbits are beautifully balanced so that they go round and round instead of wiggly,wiggly. The common term for a way unbalancedtools cut is ‘potato chipping’. When yousee slow-motion videos of unbalanced tools, you can see that they move in morethan one dimension. Besides going roundand round they also wiggle and go up and down.

The best toolsare made with a braze alloy that is about half silver. There are certainly much cheaper brazealloys. The high silver braze alloys holdthe carbide onto the steel as well as providing impact protection.

A big reasonthat carbide gets dull and makes poor quality cuts is micro fracturing. As the parts are run, the edges get rougherand rougher. Typically, people onlynotice that the edges get rounder. Microfracturing greatly increases the rate at which edges get rounder.

We sellWhiteside and Southeast. Our background is tools in industrialuse. Both these companies make tools that give very long servicelife, allow for many resharpenings, and run reliably.

We selleverything with a 100%, lifetime, satisfaction guarantee.

Whiteside has alimit on how low a price we can charge for their tools and we charge the lowestprice allowed. Southeast tool does nothave a limit we can sell their tools for a little less.

If you wantmore information, feel free to call 800-346-8274, email sales@carbideprocessors.com (sales@carbideprocessors.com) orvisit our website at www.carbideprocessors.com (http://www.carbideprocessors.com/)

[Chris Padilla]

Whiteside and CMT are all I have plus cheap-o ones I have from way back when that might work decently for a few feet.