Lock Miter Router Bit Questions

[Joshua Bass]

I am in the market for my first 45deg Lock Miter Router bit and at first I was dead set on getting the Whiteside bit, but after watching some videos and doing more research I discovered Whiteside does not offer a setup block or gauge for their bits. Other companies offer these, so I was wondering if it is worth going for a lesser bit but spending more overall to have the setup block/guage? Or is the straight edge method good enough to provide alignment.

Infinity sells a gauge that at least appears to make setup foolproof, but it could just be a good marketing video.

Whiteside ~$80 on sale
Infinity ~$80 not on sale + $34 for setup guage = $114

Thoughts or experiences with the above bits or others?

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I’m looking for one as well. I was considering buying the Infinity gage and bit.

[Michelle Rich]

I have the infinity with the gauge. worth every penny. those bits will drive you nuts, trying to get them set right.

[glenn bradley]

I am a diehard Whiteside fan but, Infinity cutters are top notch too. I just do a pass or two with an identically milled piece of scrap to setup but, folks that use the little gauge are big fans. Getting a good result with these bits is about stock control. Your material's variances (if any) or the feed path variances (if any) are telegraphed to the quality of the joint's fit.

[Jim Becker]

I bought the Infinity and the setting gage. I haven't actually used it other than experimentally. To be most effective I need to build a jig to hold the parts optimally and it hasn't been a priority for me.

[David Powell]

The Infinity setup gauge works well; as Michelle stated these bits are a pain in the backside to use. By the way, the setup gauge was invented by fellow Creeker Alan Schaffter.

[John Jardin]

I agree with Glenn, Stock must be milled accurately.
I have the Whiteside bit for 3/4 thick stock. My material was 13/16 which made it even more of a challenge.

[Mike O'Keefe]

I got one from MCLS. Mike O'Keefe

[Stan Calow]

This from Glenn: ". . . or the feed path variances (if any) are telegraphed to the quality of the joint's fit." Even if you get the setup right, this is where my failures have been. You need a pretty solid jig setup to move the end grain on a relatively narrow workpiece evenly across the bit without it rotating slightly as the bit catches it or pushes it out.

[Art Mann]

I would not assume that a setup block will negate the need for trial cuts and fittings and the requirement for absolute consistency of the stock material. I have had a great deal of experience with making boxes with these bits and the setup block is just a starting point.

[Jack Frederick]

Bits aside I am curious about how you build the jig to control or index the material to the bits. What do they look like?

[Stan Calow]

Jack, I'm hoping someone has a good jig design. Drawer sides are usually long and narrow, so the cut face is small and sensitive to movement. For the piece flat on the table (horizontal) I'm thinking something like a coping sled, but robust enough to hold a long and relatively narrow workpiece perpendicular to the bit, but with workpiece flat on the table, not raised off it by the sled (so no impact on indexing). I've jerry-rigged two long sacrificial boards with the workpiece flat between them, and de-sta-co clamps to hold it down. Its the vertical piece that is more troublesome. A zero-clearance tall fence on the router fence, and a sled with the workpiece in front and sacrificial boards on both sides, all clamped. But keeping those sleds moving smoothly with no twist or turn or lean is the problem I've had.

[Brad Shipton]

I built a jig similar to David Best's setup at the link below. I built some drawers a couple cabinets, and decided on different joinery as the setup time was not great. I am sure others like it fine, but my jig collects dust.

http://davidpbest.com/VA/StonehorseS...ckMiterJig.htm

[Mike Cutler]

Without being long winded, I have the Whiteside 45 degree lock miter, and have never liked it. Mine is a two wing design, probably 20 years old. I also have Alan's setup gauge for it which works wonderfully. Both have been gathering dust for many years, as I use a shaper to cut the lock miters when I need to.
To set one up does require a little bit of trial and error. But,,,,, the basic geometric form you are dealing with is an right triangle. Once you get the setup for a perfect 3/4", or 4/4, use a dial indicator and measure from the top of the bit to set the height, and from a known point on the outer circumference to set the depth. Once you have these numbers, it is simple math to set the cutter up for any other size and be within a few thousandths, before the first test cut. It's just triangle math. Keep a book of notes on setups for differing material thicknesses and most of the trial and error is diminished significantly.
The reason I have never liked the Whiteside, and it could be just the design, is that there is a lot of forces at play here, and that bit has a tendency to force material up and away from it. The material needs a carrier sled to be safely worked
If you get more positive reviews for the infinity, go with that one.

[Harold Patterson]

The biggest problem with this bit I that there is a knife edge that runs against the out-feed side of the fence. A sled would definitely help especially for the horizontal cut.