Have finally taken the plunge and dusted down that old cheapo Ferm router I bought X years ago with the intention of learning routing - just done a pretty edge profile on some shelves and am wondering why on earth I've been so scared of the thing!
Anyway, early days yet but am just looking at the curved blades on the bit I've been using and wonder how you go about sharpening them? Or do you just bin them when they are blunt? If so, seems expensive...
David
On Thu, 10 May 2007 18:53:30 GMT, Lobster mused:
I send them to DIPT to be sharpened. Not a DIY job with vice and file.
Most can be tickled up with slip stones or diamond files of the right profile. Be careful to (1) keep the cutter in balance and (2) keep the correct profile. Cheapo steel cutters are good for practice and learning. Can be binned and replaced cheaply enough after some sharpening. If you have good quality tipped, TCT etc, cutters they can be worth having reground professionally. Find a local saw doctor or ask a local engineering firm who they use. It's worth reading up on the usage and uses for a router. With some experience they are a very versatile tool. HTH Nick.
Depends on how much you paid for them.
For sharpening, you can get a kit of various bits and pieces such as diamond pads and so on from Trend. Works quite well.
Get a diamond hone or card. A quick 'stroke' on the flat side of the cutter works a treat.
You don't. It's hard to do, very hard to do much of it without changing the shape. The trick is a small diamond stone on the face of the cutter, not the edge.
Don't bother with HSS, go straight to carbide (unless they're tiny).
Mostly they're not blunt anyway, they're just coated with resinous goop buildup. Cleaning them with a solvent (aerosol carb or brake cleaner is convenient) is often nearly as good as sharpening them.
At "tenner a box" prices, just replace them when truly blunted.
It's worth having a cheap mixed box on hand early on so that you have "one of everything", but you soon realise that almost all joinery is done with just one or two simple cylindrical bits. So get a couple of those in good quality.
Not all carbide is the same. The "good stuff" usually is significantly longer lasting.
The time you want nice HSS is when you want a really good finish on softwood. You can get HSS sharper than carbide, it just doesn't last as long so only use it on softwood. My Trend HSS bits cut pine much more cleanly than carbide bits.
Peter
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.