Router bits to start

[Bill Huber]

Couple more questions,

-what is the difference between downcut and upcut bits in general?

-If I wanted to cut a channel/line 1/2" wide, 15" long, and that goes all the way thruout 3/4" plywood, which router bit do I use?

thank you!

An Up Cut will pull the chips out of the cut and a Down Cut will push the chips down.

I think the down cut would be the best for what you are doing, this would give a better, cleaner edge. I would also say you do not what to make that cut in just one pass.

[keith ouellette]

I think you could get a slot cutter that wide. Some of them are adjustable kinda like a mini dado blade.

As far as up cut and down cut it refers to the force the bit puts on its cutting stroke. wether the shear angle ( I think thats what its called) forces the wood fibers up towards the shank or down towards the tip. Hope I explained it the way i meant it. And thought I would add that none of the price cutter bit set bits I used the most are dull yet. I can't speak for the mcls because i haven't used those.

[Curt Harms]

I find this little guy useful:
patternbit.jpg
I use one that is 1/2" diameter and 1/2" cutting height for dadoes and hinge mortises among other uses. The advantage of bearing guided bits over bushing guided bits to me is you don't have to factor in any offset when cutting patterns. If I need a certain hinge mortise I nibble out the exact size opening with a flat top grind saw blade. Run the bit around the opening, square up the corners and done. The lower cutting height means it will work with 3/4"thick guides/patterns nicely. If you use plywood for cabinets you'll find that not all 3/4" plywood is really 3/4" but often a bit less. I clamp a straight piece of 3/4" MDF on either side of the dado, route with a pattern bit and it's a perfect fit every time regardless of mating stock thickness.

I live very close to MLCS so have several of their bits. They seem to have decent lives but the Freud & Infinity are a step up. I've bought Woodline bits at shows and I think they're a little better than MLCS. I don't have any Whiteside bits but Holbren has Whiteside bits for a very attractive price for frequently used cutters.

HTH

Curt

[Chris Kennedy]

I recommend finding an inexpensive starter set to start with. When I first got my router, my FIL bought me a set of Vermont American bits -- yes, not the greatest, but adequate. There are plenty of bits in there that I don't use very much, but I have them when I need them. And as someone pointed out, it made me realize which bits I use a lot and make it worth investing in better quality.

Cheers,

Chris

[Mark Godlesky]

Woodcraft has ten basic profiles on sale for $5 each. They are the WoodRiver brand and I have found them to be quite serviceable. At that price it's hard to go wrong, and you won't be buying a bunch of bits you never use like you would in a set.

Also, if you use a trim router you will need a few 1/4" shank bits. A couple of times I've gone to use my trim router only to find I had the profile I wanted to use in 1/2" shank.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Woodcraft has ten basic profiles on sale for $5 each. They are the WoodRiver brand and I have found them to be quite serviceable. At that price it's hard to go wrong, and you won't be buying a bunch of bits you never use like you would in a set.

Also, if you use a trim router you will need a few 1/4" shank bits. A couple of times I've gone to use my trim router only to find I had the profile I wanted to use in 1/2" shank.

Actually, they have 20 bits they have offered at the $5 price.

Doc

[Mark Godlesky]

Doc,
The flyer only listed ten. What other profiles did they have? Are they both online and at the stores?

Thanks,

Mark

[glenn bradley]

Doc,
The flyer only listed ten. What other profiles did they have? Are they both online and at the stores?

Thanks,

Mark

Online it looks like there are only four styles left for this promotion as of this writing but, it comes back.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Doc,
The flyer only listed ten. What other profiles did they have? Are they both online and at the stores?

Thanks,

Mark

I think they change it from by year. One year, they will have one set, and then the next year, they will have another set.

The first year that I bought them, it was 1/2" and 3/8" straight, 14 deg. dovetail, 1/4" and 1/2" roundovers, rabbeting, ogee, 1/2" cove, 1/2" chamfer, and a 1/2" flush trim bit that has a 1" cutter length.

The second year, they included a 3/4" pattern bit, 1/2" flush trim bit with a 1/2" cutter length, 1/8" and 5/8" straight, 1/4" slot cutter, core box, V-groove, 1/2" beading, 3/8" cove and a 1/8" round over.

It is one of those things that you need to keep an eye out for them. They offer them in the stores and online. As to going to the stores, my Woodcraft in Nashville usually has plenty of them. I have found them to be decent bits, not great, but not bad either. I use them all the time, and they are a good place to start a new router user.

One thing that I did was get a couple of extras bits that I figured I would use a lot. 1/2" straight, the rabbeting bit, and I ended up with an extra cove bit. These happen to have different bearings so I have two rabbeting bits with 3/8" and 1/2" bearings, as well as the cove bits. They have come in handy on a couple of occasions.

Looking at the Woodcraft website, they seem to have scrambled them again. I think they do that as supplies of certain profiles become more popular. On they other hand, I bought these several years ago, and I may have confused them from year to year. But those are all of them that I have.

Doc

[Glen Butler]

Upcut spiral can tend to fray the upward corners of the cut, but a good bit will minimize this and allow you to easily cut the deep groove you require. Downcut bits keep a cleaner cut but don't eject material as well so are best suited for shallow grooves, of maybe little more than 1/4". You can do multiple passes.

[Ed Beers]

Couple more questions,

-what is the difference between downcut and upcut bits in general?

-If I wanted to cut a channel/line 1/2" wide, 15" long, and that goes all the way thruout 3/4" plywood, which router bit do I use?

thank you!

In an upcut, the spirals are like a screw or drill. They pull the chips out but are more likely to splinter the upper edge.

In a down cut, the spiral pushes downward and chip are pushed into the slot. Very little splintering of the upper edge but chip extraction is an issue.

If you are cutting a through slot, chip extraction won't be an issue so you could use either depending on which edge is most important. A straight bit should also work well here.

[J. Z. Guest]

Check out the MLCS starter kits. I got the 15 pc. one and have used a lot of them.



Here's a link to it.

Other things to note: Don't get too excited about round-over bits. You will eventually need a lot of different sizes of this.

Ditto with straight bits, but a big one (3/4" or so) is very useful for cutting joinery. Aside from the big one, spiral upcut bits are more useful.

The profile bits, buy as needed, except any freebies in the kit you buy. A rabbeting bit is more useful if it comes with multiple bearings.

A chamfering bit is a must. One bit will do all 45° chamfers.

MLCS makes good router bits. I'll use them until they're used-up. When I wear one out, I'll invest in a top-of-the-line Whiteside or Freud bit.

One more note about that kit I recommended above: The box that is included with it is of high quality. It has box joints and a high quality latch. It has foam in the lid, which keeps the bits from rattling in their holes.