Where to buy quality router cutting bits?

[ByronH]

Hi guys,

Can anyone advise on a good quality make for router bits, and where to buy them? Tork Craft appear to be most common, but if price is a reasonable indicator of quality then I'd rather do better.

I plan on cutting quite a bit of MDF and possibly some Walnut too.

Thanks in advance

[JimGore]

Hi Byron,

Not an easy thing to find in this country.  Some of the best router bits are from a company called "Whiteside" in the US, but it isn't really worth the cost when shipping, etc is included.  Most of my router bits are the Tork Craft ones, and they work well enough if you keep them sharp.

For serious cutting and recessing, I usually buy Tungsten Carbide end mills (or slot drills) which they use in serious milling machines to cut steel, etc.  They usually only come in 1mm increment shank sizes, so you will need a router that has a 8mm or 12mm collect.  I do not recommend putting a 12mm shank end mill into a 1/2 inch collect by any means.

If you want some, let me know & I will phone up the guys tomorrow to get a price for you.  The last time I bought an 8mm end mill, I paid around R 160 for it.

Regards,
Ian.

[ByronH]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping to avoid bits that dull easily, especially when working with relatively expensive wood.
I see Executool have a few bits listed: http://www.executool.co.za/catalog/index.php?cPath=86_88

• Israel
• Pro-Tech
• Festool
• WoodRat
• Krafft (set)

I'm familiar with the Festool brand, but don't know the others. Pricing on the Israel bits looks reasonable.

The Whiteside bits you mention look interesting too. I see they also have a 45deg lock mitre bit; have you ever tried this for enclosures? [I digress...]

I do not recommend putting a 12mm shank end mill into a 1/2 inch collect by any means.

Forgive my ignorance, do you mind explaining a little more on the quoted above?

I have a Triton MOF001 which features a 1/2" collet with 1/4" reducer (I'm quoting the spec sheet here). I'm assuming this is pretty much standard for a router?

Cheers,
Byron.

[Robert_E]

I got my big (1 1/8") round-over bit from executool after spending most of the day trying various places around Pretoria.

[Gerhard]

I have been using Pro-Tech for years. I am quite happy with them. The only bit that disappointed me was a lock miter bit that didn't last very long. I haven't used it much and it is already burning the wood. I don't know if I have done something wrong but it is practically useless to me.

[oradba69]

I am tempted by these guys. They have stunning/interesting bits:

http://www.toolstoday.com/t-international.aspx

[JimGore]

Forgive my ignorance, do you mind explaining a little more on the quoted above?

I have a Triton MOF001 which features a 1/2" collet with 1/4" reducer (I'm quoting the spec sheet here). I'm assuming this is pretty much standard for a router?

1/2" is approx 12.7mm, with 1/4" being about 6.3mm or so.  Because the end mills and slot drills are made to exact mm sizes, the collets don't really hold them well.  Especially considering that the bit will spin at more than 15000 rpm, you want it clamped nice and tight.

Some routers come with metric collects as well as imperial ones.  I used to have a cheap Bosch router that had a 8mm collet as well as the 1/4".  Festool has a couple of different collet sizes, I have a 1/4", 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, and 1/2" collet.  The metric ones allow me to use end mills.

Hope that helps?

I have a lock mitre bit, but have not used it on speakers yet.  I usually use it for making drawers.  It works well enough, but you need to make many passes to get to full depth, otherwise the bit does not last long and starts burning the wood as said above.  You will need a router table with a fence to use the lock mitre bit because it doesn't have a guide bearing on the end.

regards,
Ian.

[ByronH]

Thanks Ian, that makes sense; so the issue is that end mill bits are available in metric sizes and don't fit as snug as they should in imperial collets. I always assumed there was a bit of leeway there but thanks to your tip I'll avoid finding out the hard way.
Tonight I'll take a peak at my router and see whether it's collet can be swapped out for metric when required.

@Robert_E, Gerhard and oradba69, thanks for the tips guys, every bit helps and is appreciated

[GearSlave]

The recent Ryobi cheapie I bought came with an 8mm collet, so did the cheapy I bought before.

[Timber_MG]

If you are so inclined, I would also look at solid carbide end mills on ebay in inch sizes. Many milling cutters are HSS which don't last as long as carbide when working MDF. Also shallower passes and keeping tool temperatures low make for increased tool life.

[chris]

Separate collets are available for most routers, bought a 8mm one from Mica a while back for R50.