Any woodworkers? Need Help With Router Bits

[jonp]

My wife bought me a Hitachi 2 1/4HP Plunge/Fixed base variable router for my birthday after hearing me talk about buying a mini laminate router to try finishing my own 80% lower.

Not quite right but a darn nice router. I dont know much about them so does anyone have a recommendation on router bit brands? One to get and ones to stay away from? Im going to use it for molding, window edges etc when I remodel my living room this fall and other things. I dont need top of the line professional bits but some decent ones that work well would be nice

[Preacher Jim]

Get a woodworker supply catalog get the best carbide you can afford

[labradigger1]

Most carbide bits will suffice as long as you don't hit nails, rocks and don't let the bits touch others in storage.
Check out woodcraft for bits

[Dimner]

These guys have the best bang for the buck on carbide router bits. Buy only 1/2" shanks

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com

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[Beau Cassidy]

Whiteside router bits are generally considered some of the better quality. So are Infinity.

[Boolit_Head]

Pretty much anything Rockler has is pretty good. They have lots of stores around.

[JWT]

I have good luck with Rockler and CMT. In a router of that size don't bother with 1/4" bits if you can find 1/2". That's a lot of power, be careful. For a second router the Dewalt DWP611 is a great lightweight router.

[JimB..]

Agree on shank size, bigger is better. I like whiteside and have heard good things about CMT. I have a few Freud in shapes that I didn't expect to use much.

[swamp]

Carbide bits and bearing pilots.
swamp

[jcwit]

Worked in a professional cabinet shop on and off for ten years. We used Porter Cable routers set up as table router's. Carbide bits with bearing pilots. Can't remember the brand but they were bright red, Froid or something like that.

In my shop I had good results with Harbor Freight bits believe it or not. They held up well and stayed sharp.

We used nothing but 1/4 inch bits except for the CNC Routers and the overhead router's.

BTW, we had five CNC routers and two overhead router's for proto typing.

[MaryB]

Sounds like the cabinet shop I worked at for a couple years. They had 4 big CNC routers for doing cutting and edge details. One was dedicated to cutting the rounds for lazy susan trays in corner cabinets and cut circles from 1/2 to 1" thick material that ranged from ply to particle board. The 1" thick ones were beasts to build, 60 pounds each when finished and I made them and stacked them 15 high on a pallet to take to paint where they were clear coated. A full pallet was just over 6' high...

[jcwit]

Twenty, thirty years ago when conversion vans were the thing if the van came from Elkhart County, IN, the wood items likely came from the shop where I worked!

[merlin101]

Twenty, thirty years ago when conversion vans were the thing if the van came from Elkhart County, IN, the wood items likely came from the shop where I worked!
I fixed plenty of rust spots around the windows on those vans, you'd think they would've at least brushed some primer on that bare metal after cutting the window hole.

[retread]

These guys have the best bang for the buck on carbide router bits. Buy only 1/2" shanks

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com

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I go to MLCS also but I found that the Kantana bits they sell are far superior to the MLCS bits. Smoother cuts and longer lasting. Well worth the little extra you pay.

[Wayne Smith]

Start looking for router table plans. With a router that big you will want one. Also look at various jigs to control your cut. That thing will pull itself out of your hands if you are not careful. I've had a Hitachi 3hp for at least 20 years - it spends most of it's time in the table that is attached to and shares the fence with my table saw.

[shooter2]

Whiteside router bits are generally considered some of the better quality. So are Infinity.

Yes, totally agree!

[MrWolf]

Worked in a professional cabinet shop on and off for ten years. We used Porter Cable routers set up as table router's. Carbide bits with bearing pilots. Can't remember the brand but they were bright red, Froid or something like that.

In my shop I had good results with Harbor Freight bits believe it or not. They held up well and stayed sharp.

We used nothing but 1/4 inch bits except for the CNC Routers and the overhead router's.

BTW, we had five CNC routers and two overhead router's for proto typing.

Freud is the brand. Red lettering also and mine are in a wooden case. Never got to use them as I hurt my back the first time after getting them then life got in the way.

[Czech_too]

http://www.holbren.com/whiteside-router-bits

I made an extension onto the table saw for the bench mounted router. Sure is nice to have that added surface area to work off of.
Be sure to make up a large enough storage box/drawer whatever for the bits, you'll always find yourself buying 'just one more'.

[Handloader109]

Make sure that any you buy are carbide, brand is irrelevant unless you have a cabinet shop. I frequent a local store that mainly sells closeouts and discontinued items. They had a pile of carbide router bits for next to nothing, ($3 for a set of two to 5 bits) bought a few and they worked fine, went back and bought a second set of the ones that I'll use.