sharpening router bits?

[Daniel Hillmer]

A good woodworker friend of mine claims that router buts really can’t be sharpened, once they are dull they are pretty much useless throw them out. Do any of you agree - disagree?

[John Ricci]

I would be from the disagree camp. I keep my router bits clean and every so often a few strokes with a diamond hone (equal # of strokes on each cutting face) keeps them sharp. If you have managed to nick the edges however that would be another story.

J.R.

[Daniel Hillmer]

I would be from the disagree camp. I keep my router bits clean and every so often a few strokes with a diamond hone (equal # of strokes on each cutting face) keeps them sharp. If you have managed to nick the edges however that would be another story.

J.R.

Are there companies that offer bit sharpening as a service?

[Jim Becker]

Some profiles are easier to sharpen than others...the harder ones have risk of altering the profile. I've never had anyone sharpen any of mine, but I have taken a diamond hone to a few to clean them up and renew the edge. I only touch the ground "face" of the cutter so there is little or nor chance of altering the profile. Cleaning of the bits should be a priority and that will help them cut cleaner and longer...same as with a saw blade.

[glenn bradley]

I'm in both camps. Matching profile pairs like rail and stile will fail to fit properly if altered too much. A drawer lock bit or a glue joint bit would suffer a similar fate. Many, many, many profiles do not have to mate to each other or other things. All of those can be sharpened.

[Charlie Plesums]

Jim is usually right on anything he posts, but I am not sure what he means by the "face" of the bit.

I have extended the life of some bits by touching up the flat side of a carbide bit with a diamond hone.

I have been told that the local sharpening services will do router bits at $2.50 per "tooth" - so typically $5. I have not had it done. I use the $5 woodcraft bits for the straight bits that I wear most, and treat them like disposable razors... replace them.

[James E. Mahan]

I ran a CNC router in a furniture rough mill for a couple of years back in the 80s. We sent a box of cutters out to be sharpened about once a week. A typical cutter would get sharpened three or four times until the carbide was too thin to hold up and new carbide was welded on and sharpened. At one point, the owners decided we spent enough on sharpening, including saws and shapers, that they bought some new equipment and hired a guy to do nothing else but attach carbide, grind the profiles and sharpen. There's a learning curve to get all the angles and sizes just right so the bit cuts well without burning or tearout. I haven't tried, but I don't think honing a carbide or HSS router bit would work well enough to make it a worthwhile practice.

[Curt Harms]

Are there companies that offer bit sharpening as a service?

There's a saw & cutter shop near me that offers carbide cutter sharpening. I've only had straight surfaces e.g. rabbeting & straight bits sharpened. Dimensions are critical on cutters that create mating profiles so I don't see how a rail & stile set could be reground though I may be wrong in this.

[Ray Moser]

I've kept some HSS straight cutters going for years with touch ups from a diamond hone. True the don't get real heavy use since I turn to my carbide bits as a first choice. The carbide also has been diamond honed.

[Barry Richardson]

I take them to my local saw sharpening shop, it's only a few bucks apiece. It is definitely worth it for your good bits, like solid carbide spirals and Whitesides that have nice thick carabide. It does change the profile slightly, espically after 2 or three sharpenings, so if things have to be very exact, I guess you would have to throw them out, or give them to me:D

[Jim Becker]

Jim is usually right on anything he posts, but I am not sure what he means by the "face" of the bit.

I have extended the life of some bits by touching up the flat side of a carbide bit with a diamond hone.

I meant the flat side that you refer to, Charlie.