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PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 7:44 pm 
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Location: Cardington, Ohio
Merry Christmas to all of you. I pray it was a good one and a safe one.

How much of a difference is there between the Woodcraft brand router bits and the CMT or Whiteside router bits? I need to get a few router bits and I need them to last. I have determined which bits I use the most and want to upgrade.

Thank you all for your input.

Jon


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:17 pm 
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Hey Jon,

I can't comment on your specific brands, but if you are able to compare them directly there are some things to look for:

• The size and number of carbide cutters. Some have two, others have three. The thicker the carbide the better.
•The finer the carbide, the better. By finer, I mean that if you look at the carbide with a magnifying glass, you will see carbide crystals. The smaller and more uniform the pieces, the better.
•Cheaper bits often have too short a shaft. A longer shaft is not necessarily better, but a too short is not good either.

There are some folks who suggest that companies such as Whiteside and Amana that don't paint their bits, have better brazed joints and are not afraid to show them. However, I have found that a number of painted bits also have superior qualities. I am particularly fond of Freud bits because they often have three cutter instead of two, but are not any more expensive. That said, I probably have more Rockler brand bits, just because they hare conveniently located and they always have a complete selection.

Tom

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 11:53 am 
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I like the Freud bits. But I've been impressed with the few Infinity bits I have, too. Of course, CMT and Whiteside are good bits also.

But most of my bits are Freud.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:27 pm 
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I have a small variety set (1/2" shank ) of Woodcraft bits that work well for me, but I don't do a lot of routing. One has a small chip in one cutter (brad bite), but I still use it.

Just ordered a set of 5 MLCS http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/ D/T bits ( $35 ) after reading some older posts here that mentioned them (search "MLCS"). If I was going to do a lot of routing I'd probably spring for a better quality bit. Generally that just means they last longer and can be sharpened more times, imho. MLCS bits have a 3 year warranty and free shipping, if that's of interest to you; and a huge selection of profiles, sets, etc. .

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 3:06 pm 
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Location: Lake Burton in the NE Georgia Mountains
Sorry to hijack this thread, but does anyone no of a good shop that can repair an expensive router bit?

I've got one that found an imbedded nail and chipped a bit of one tooth....

Thanks in advance,

Skyrider


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 8:44 am 
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Skyrider, can you send it back to the company for repair? I would call their customer service dept. and ask. Also does it still have a warrenty?

Wayne

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:56 am 
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I didn't think you could repair router bits. Of course, I have been known to be wrong on several accounts.

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Thank you,
Jon


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