Comments on: 3/4″ Up-cut Spiral Router Bit

By: woodgeek

woodgeek — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:09:09 +0000

Enco, HSS, 2-flute, $6.39

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=320-0160&PMPXNO=944235&PARTPG=INLMK32

By: woodgeek

woodgeek — Mon, 30 May 2011 05:05:47 +0000

You can find great deals on center cutting end mills at Enco. I see them for $12 to $15 all the time.

By: John Cashman

John Cashman — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:28:19 +0000

Thanks. I had no idea what the proper term was. I would assume that the bits made for woodworking would be center cutting, but maybe not all are.

By: macmarty15221

macmarty15221 — Sat, 28 May 2011 23:42:54 +0000

Yes, the term is “center cutting”, some end mills are designed that way and some are not. This is usually given as part of the item description. (Certainly so on McMaster.com)

By: blindleader

blindleader — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:59:53 +0000

I’ve always used Amana Tool router bits. I might have been sad when I paid for them, but are never sad when I use them. Amana has an astounding selection of bits, including 16 different spirals. And if you really want extra weight in your tool box, and holes in your wallet, some are solid carbide.

I started my dog holes with a plunge router clamped (a necessity IMO) to the bench and finished with a hand held drill.

By: blindleader

blindleader — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:57:30 +0000

I started my dog holes with a plunge router clamped (a necessity) to the bench and finished with a hand held drill.

By: rwyoung

rwyoung — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:38:09 +0000

Scratch that, it does have a milled down 1/2″ shank! It will work just fine.

By: rwyoung

rwyoung — Sat, 28 May 2011 15:36:52 +0000

How big is the collet in your router? The bit you specified from McMaster-Carr has a straight shank so good luck fitting that into your 1/2″ collet.

2-flute mills work fine in routers so long as you have either a stepped shank (not terribly common) or a straight 1/2″ or 1/4″ shank. Doubled ended bits aren’t a good idea in a router. The collets aren’t deep enough to properly grip the bit. 3 and 4 flute bits don’t provide sufficient clearance for evacuating wood chips from the cut.

By: John Cashman

John Cashman — Sat, 28 May 2011 13:57:41 +0000

I’ve used end mills and many work fine. The problem is that some of them have, for lack of a better term, a “dead” spot in the middle. If you try to plunge with them they won’t go, because the very center of the bit isn’t cutting — they were meant to enter the work from the side, as with a milling machine. The package won’t say whether they will “plunge,” since they were made for machine tools. But they can be a good bargain if you get the right one.

By: Frank F

Frank F — Sat, 28 May 2011 13:09:33 +0000

We have tried this technique with varying degrees of success, and mishaps. The problem is plunge routing a straight hole through the workbench, wihtout catching the edges of the router bit. If you somehow jig a fixture to hold the router in place, it works pretty good. If you try to rout by hand, we have had minor kickbacks, gouged tops and overall problems. Our workbenches are 3 inches thick. Even a very tiny move of the router causes the bit to grab. In addition, you must have a router that can plunge 3 inches (plus). It is fast, but sometimes fast is not the only solution. My bench is drilled using a spade bit and a right angle fixture ( made by General) that looks like a portable drill press ( costs about $30)that keeps the bit perpendicular. I screwed the jig down to a piece of plywood, clampled the ply in place, and drilled away. As fast, lower risk. A bit rougher hole sides, but it works.