Anyone have any recommendations for raised panel router bits? There seems to be a lot of options out there. What have you used before? What did you like? What did you dislike?
Raised Panel Router Bit
- Thread starter Jeremy Scuteri
- Start date
- Status
If I were in the market for such right now I would likely opt for the Freud raised panel sets if they have the profile I am looking for. However, they are not the cheapest solution by far but they are of excellent quality, very adjustable, and will last for years if treated properly. I saw them demonstrated some years back and was very impressed with the system, enough so to decide that was the way I would go when the time came that I needed to make proper raised panel cabinet doors -- expensive but you only buy them once and given the amount of work that goes into building custom cabinets and the typical wood choices for such the bit probably is not the place to skimp if you can afford not to.
Freud
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=i...sed+panel+router+bit+set&sprefix=Freud+raised
- but I must say its intimidating that big bit spinning in a router. Depending on the profile - hog most of the material out with a table saw first, leaving it slightly oversized - you'll be glad you did.
I would not recommend anything else than a very well built, heavy and solid router table with lots of HP. As a matter of fact a spindle shaper would be the best. That's my opinion...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=i...sed+panel+router+bit+set&sprefix=Freud+raised
- but I must say its intimidating that big bit spinning in a router. Depending on the profile - hog most of the material out with a table saw first, leaving it slightly oversized - you'll be glad you did.
I would not recommend anything else than a very well built, heavy and solid router table with lots of HP. As a matter of fact a spindle shaper would be the best. That's my opinion...
I agree that a shaper is the superior tool here. Especially a shaper with a power feeder. I do have a solid router table, the top 2.25" thick with lots of support underneath. I will be using a PC 7518 router. It claims to have 3.25 HP, but you know how those ratings go. Thanks for the tip about removing some waste at the tablesaw first. This will be the biggest cutter than I have ever put in the router table, so that should help.
Anyone have any recommendations for raised panel router bits?
There seems to be a lot of options out there. What have you used before? What did you like? What did you dislike?
Jeremy
I have used the Whiteside bits to rough shape arch top raised panels in the past. There is no other quick way to remove the wood on the end grain of solid wood panels as efficiently as the big bits. I still have to go back and carve out the corners.
In my experience, I have found the Whiteside bits in general are really well made when you hold them side by side to others and see the construction differences. I guess I feel the same as others here: that bit is spinning very fast, its very heavy and I don't want carbide chips flying off at 22000 rpm.
You didn't say what size you are looking for? I have several big bits(over 100 dollars each new that I might sell if you need one).
Note: I only use 3 wing bits. I sold the 2 wings after comparing them in heavy use. There is a difference in the cut. In a conversation with a tech at Whiteside he told me the 3 wings are a little bit better balanced-- sold.
I use a tablesaw and a panel raising plane to do the straight sections to my specs. The large bit took out the bulk on top then carving.
good luck
Dan
There seems to be a lot of options out there. What have you used before? What did you like? What did you dislike?
Jeremy
I have used the Whiteside bits to rough shape arch top raised panels in the past. There is no other quick way to remove the wood on the end grain of solid wood panels as efficiently as the big bits. I still have to go back and carve out the corners.
In my experience, I have found the Whiteside bits in general are really well made when you hold them side by side to others and see the construction differences. I guess I feel the same as others here: that bit is spinning very fast, its very heavy and I don't want carbide chips flying off at 22000 rpm.
You didn't say what size you are looking for? I have several big bits(over 100 dollars each new that I might sell if you need one).
Note: I only use 3 wing bits. I sold the 2 wings after comparing them in heavy use. There is a difference in the cut. In a conversation with a tech at Whiteside he told me the 3 wings are a little bit better balanced-- sold.
I use a tablesaw and a panel raising plane to do the straight sections to my specs. The large bit took out the bulk on top then carving.
good luck
Dan
I plan on using a 3.5" diameter bit. I am leaning towards the profile with the ogee. I saw one profile from MLCS that had an ogee wtih a bead at the top which seemed pretty neat. Let me know which bits you have and what you would want for them. I would certainly be interested.
Jeremy
Jeremy
Safety is paramount particularly when using the larger diameter bits. Reduce the router speed according to the manufacturers recommendation and take light cuts.
http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/article/safe-speeds-for-big-router-bits.aspx
http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/article/safe-speeds-for-big-router-bits.aspx
Jeremy, I have about 3-4 that ill never use again, get ahold of me Ill make you a deal on them if youre interested
I have one of theses for a router (vertical style) and one for my shaper. I could easily run panels too if youd prefer) theyre a piece of cake with a 5HP spindle and a powerfeed!
I have a set of Katana (the premium line of MLCS bits) that I've used in the past. Any new ones that I have purchased for special projects will likely be the Freud quad wing bits. I think the Katana one's are triple wing also. I do use them in a router table with the 3+HP PC Router (set at its slowest speed) and take a little off at a time - raising the bit and backing up the fence as I go.
I'd recommend both as excellent choices. The triple or quad wing bits give a smoother cut with less tear out.
I'd recommend both as excellent choices. The triple or quad wing bits give a smoother cut with less tear out.
That is very tempting, but I think I will run the panels at home. Having some experience making raised panels on my home router seems like it will be very useful in the future.
I bought some of the "vertical" bits where you feed the panel through on edge. Don't waste your money.
How many panels are you going to do?. A few thoughts Ill share, (in no particular order) since Ive run many raised panels over the years with a router (PC 7518) and my Powermatic PM2700 shaper. The one really bad thing about doing them on a router table is the cut is upside down from the direction it should be. The cutter wants to raise the workpiece off the table top causing inconsistent results. This is especially troublesome when making narrow panels. Ive also found this to be hazardous as well. When using a shaper, you run it so the backside of your panel rides on the tabletop and it just stays nice and flat. DEAD FLAT panels are key as well!!.You can finish up by climb cutting with a powerfeed on a shaper to get a glass smooth cut. One very important thing to remember is always cut your endgrain first, then with the grain. This eliminates tearout at the corners.
I will be cutting 7 panels total. Thanks for the tips. I was aware of cutting the end grain first, but I have never thought about the difference in how a router table and shaper will cut the panels. That is definitely good to know. I guess I'll have to make some featherboards to keep the stock against the table during the cut. I doubt they will completely prevent the piece from lifting, but I would think they would help.
You cant really use a featherboard in this situation, you really need a rigid solid "cap" to keep your workpiece from raising up, But I would never try that, youd be trapping the workpiece and that could lead to severe kickback. About all you can do is try to hold it down without tipping it onto the cutter and gouging the cut. For this reason alone, I hate using a router table for raised panels.
I can let you borrow this one:
Don't bother. I used this exact cutter on my Bosch Colt and got TERRIBLE results.
K
- Status
Premier Sponsor
Our Sponsors
LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS
-
-
Graco 395 FinishPro air assisted airless sprayer for sale
- Started by RobH
- Replies: 1
-
-
-