Is there a real difference in the quality of, say, CMT or Whiteside versus less expensive bits like Woodline?
The reason I am asking is that I am having great difficulty with a Woodline stile and rail set (previous post). I just can not get a good fit. I am wondering if the solution is to buy a better set.
Replies
The quality of the cut can vary but you tend to see that more in harder to mill species. Take the two bits and hold them up and see how well they mate up.
I did as you suggested and, to my surprise, believe I can see why I am having trouble. I also can see that is not solvable by shimming.
NC,
I've purchased most of my bits from MLCS, an 'economy' bit supplier. I don't know that I'd recommend their bits for production shops, but I get quality equal to Bits such as Amana that I've used in commercial shops. I have two sets of rail/stile and raised panel bits; both sets of rail/stile bits match perfectly. I takes a few minutes to set up bits of any cost so you get a good match.
One thing to look at is the shims that all of these sets have. If your bits are new, they should be matched perfectly, of course. I once had a set of Amana r/s bits at a shop that were so mis-matched it was impossible to use them. Checking further, they had just come back from the sharpening shop and had not been re-stacked correctly after sharpening.
Regards,
Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
A paradox. There are real & important differences in craftsmanship & materials.
The paradox: One guy can wipe a cutter out in seconds. The next guy can get minutes out of the same cutter, maybe a third operator can get an hour's use out of it. Typical wear is seen in the first few hundred feet. Feeding at 20'/min will express a wear line inside of 10 minutes continuous use!
Point: Cutter quality may be meaningful for the operator who knows and respects the work, router & cutter. The guy who takes a 1/2" x 1/2" swipe in a single pass may not appreciate the value of a high quality tool bit. A good or bad tool will lose its edge quickly under these harsh routing conditions.
The wear may not mean squat with an ogee bit, but try and fit a dovetail together that was produced from a cutter with a wear step in it.
More on this at the router bits link.
The bits are new and I am working with red oak. I have tried shimming, but have not been able to get a good fit.
Edited 11/28/2004 4:27 pm ET by NCLAQUER
I like Whiteside and have never had problems with their bits.
I've noticed that half-inch shafts are less prone to chatter, the only quarter-inch bit I use now is a small radius bit. FWIW, I use the router for dadoes more than anything else.
Regards,
When it comes to more complicated profiles, includes sets that have to match perfectly, I'd say stay with the upper echelon of makers. Their production and quality control would be better and less likely to produce a mis-matched set. For more straightforward designs, a little cheaper probably is OK for non-production work. The trick is finding a brand that's made well and has the quality and quantity of carbide on it that'll work for your uses.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
On the positive side... I spoke to Woodline yesterday and they are shipping out a new set. I will hope the replacements work better. The folks at Woodline were very pleasent.
"I will hope the replacements work better." You'll let us know, right?!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Will do.
Yes, the replacements are better. The bit intended to make the female part of the cut is visually noticeably different from that of the first set and now they fit perfect.
Woodline made it right, and I appreciate that, but I am forced to question their overall quality control. I will likely shy away from them next time.
Or maybe you should support them since their customer support seems excellent.
I have used a number of their bits, and had very good luck. They don't stay sharp as long as the top-of-the-line bits, but they cost far less. Overall they have proven to be an excellent value for the less used bits in my collection. ________________________Charlie Plesums Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood
I wanted to add something to my earlier posts, there is one place I notice the difference and it can be a lot, it is routing against the grain on a curve, the better the bit the less tearout.
I make a stock for the Uzi submachinegun and I use a roundover bit to curve the sides and so one side I have to go against the grain and cheap Chinese bits tear out like mad but if I go slow, the CMT doesn't tear out unless the board has figured grain.
Like most things, sometimes you not only get what you pay for but you need to pay for it because the quality actually makes a difference.
I try to buy the best quality possible. I realy like http://www.magnate.net/,thay sell Amana with there own line.
I have never had a problem with any of the products Ive bought from them.
If you would like check them out.C.A.G.
I only use quarter round bits in my business. I've found that cheap bits don't last very long between sharpenings. I cut mostly rosewoods or other silica laced woods. I now use 1/2" shank Amana bits cause that's what my sharpening service carries. They are good bits.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
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