I have a freud 3/4" double flute router bit that I seem to have worn out. Cost is < $20 to replace -- any reason to think about resharpening ? If I get it resharpened is there loss of width -- will it still be a 3/4" bit ?
Resharpening, around here, is about $5.00. Yes, the diameter will be smaller.
Don't know if I would bother to send it out. But I would try touching it up myself with an EZ Lap hone. If it's a two flute straight carbide it's pretty easy to hone the flats.
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CW -- any idea on the loss in diameter ? Can one specify the new width ? Perhaps turning a 3/4" into a 23/32" ?
Let me see, to avoid paying less then twenty dollars you have to find someone that sharpens carbide bits, pray they know what the hell they are doing, get the bit too them, pay for the sharpening, then get it back again. All for a bit that probably held up for some reasonable length of time.
Doesn't seem like a question it would take a rocket scientist to answer to me..
As a machinist I am used to honing lathe tools so I also do the same to router bits, its comparatively easy to feel when the blade of the lap is flat on the bevel and with just a few strokes it is easy to see the effect. Get into the habit of counting strokes so you do all surfaces evenly.
Bernard R
I get it resharpened is there loss of width -- will it still be a 3/4" bit
If you specify the finish cutting diameter it may eat away too much of the carbide and or they may charge too much to grind to a particular spec. That said the bit will still be good for rabbets or mortising for hinges after being sharpened.
Easily found in most areas that have any manufacturing at all.
Any place that does work for machine shops. Router bits are dead easy.
That's a judgement call. I usually send mine out with the milling cutters.
Unless you specify otherwise, router bits are sharpened like any other form relieved cutter, on the faces only. The loss in diameter is due to the relief on the edge. The further back you grind the face, the smaller the diameter will be. The reduction is dependent on the amount they have to take off to get it sharp. To achieve a particular size, the edges would have to be ground. That would raise the cost to the impractical.
Or dados with Leon's excellent jig.
Buy a new one and keep the old one. When you have three or four bits and maybe a sawblade, send the whole thing to Ridge Carbide or other sharpening service. Sending one bit out is not cost effective IMO as the shipping cost will double the total cost. As a group, it is a savings. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
Thank you for noticing CW..
I wore one down on particle board awhile back. I bought a new one for precision work, and had the old one resharpend. I still use the old one. The five dollar resharpening on the face worked just fine. I rounded the corners of the bit but even that is better. So give it a shot you will probably be surprised.
Sam the Cat wrote:
I'm a machinist. I appreciate good tooling.
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