lock miter bit

Why are lock miter bits so expensive? Anyone want to sell me theirs? :)

Reply to
Subw00er
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all quality bits are expensive But the more edges and shapes the more complicated the "craftsmanship" so the more expensive it becomes. I would sell you mine but it would be cheaper for me if you would just go out and buy one.

Reply to
Young_carpenter

Speaking of lock miter bits, I just bought a Freud.

Anyone know how to properly get one of these bad boys set up?

Rick

Reply to
Rick

Are you sure you want one?????? I have a big one a little one (LV) and a freud shaper one. All waiting to be used one day.

John

Subw00er wrote:

Reply to
Eddie Munster

There seem to be two sizes of lock miter bits, CMT having the Baby Lock Miter and the Lock Miter. The former is for 3/8 to 3/4 inch stock, the latter for 5/8 to 1 1/8" stock.

I just did a pair of baltic birch ply drawers for a sharpening station cabinet I'm doing. Tried the drawer lock bit first but mine was too big for 1/2 inch ply. I avoided the miter lock because I thought it would be a pain to set up. Turns out it's a lot easier than I'd thought.

Here's the url of stuff I put together - including two jigs on the next page you should probably make to do the horizontal and the vertical cuts. (all one line so watch the line wrap)

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There's a link to wood shop demos that has a slick set up process that's easy to understand and actually use.

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

Get it out and try it - you'll like it. And once you get the set up for the stock thickness make your own set up block out of MDF, one for the horizontal cut and one for the vertical cut. The bits make for easy drawer joints and boxes - mitered corners without splines, dowels, or biscuits. I've also seen them used to build table legs with figure on all four faces - quarter sawn oak especially since the pattern is only available on one face of a board.

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

I was going to offer to sell you mine cheap since I have not been able to get it to work worth a damn; but after reading the descriptions of how to set it up, I am going to give it another go. sorry

Reply to
Toller

I guess I had better. I bought them for a reason but then was always rushing to much to try them.

John

Reply to
Eddie Munster

You cut one piece face up and flat and the matching piece face away from the router fence.

Both the bit depth and the fence overhang are critical to both cuts.

They are not fun to set up. Trial and error. It is absolutely critical that your pieces be flat the edges true and that you keep track of the inside and outside faces. If that sounds like the voice of oops, you'd be right.

When you dry fit the cut check the inside and outside edges to make sure both are 45 degree angle cuts. Any evidence of a 90 degree angle means the pieces won't mate.

It simplifies things a bunch if all the pieces are the same thickness.

If you did it perfectly, the pieces almost snap together. Any errors will be immediately apparent due to your crimson red cheeks :)

Philip

Reply to
Philip Procter

Assuming the boards to be joined are the same thickness, here is the method I use:

1) You need two scrap pieces of board the same thickness as your work pieces, and a good thick straight edge with crisp edges. 2) Figure out the "center point of reference" on your lock miter bit. Not all bits have the same design, so this is tricky to describe. Charlieb's webpage
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shows an excellent diagram of a CMT bit, but whose design is representative of one that I'd classify as a "pain in the butt" to adjust. This is because the "center" of the bit is at a point halfway down a *sloped* surface. It's much easier if this surface is parallel to the table, because that surface defines the "center point" in bits of this design.

(hope that last part wasn't too confusing)

3) Adjust the height of the bit in the table so its center point is exactly half the thickness of your stock. This is the critical setting, so don't change it once you've found it! I use a marking gauge to locate and scribe the halfway point in a piece of scrap, then adjust the bit by eye to line up with the mark.

4) Next comes the fence adjustment. First, adjust the fence forward so the bit will NOT make a deep enough cut in the wood. Place the two scrap blocks on either side of the bit (vertically, against the fence). Lay your straight edge flat on the table against the scraps. Then adjust the fence backward (keeping the blocks trapped between the fence and the straight edge) until the router bit cutter just "kisses" the bottom edge of the straight edge (you'll need to turn the bit by hand to find this sweet spot). Lock the fence; you're done!

At this point it helps if you have one of those fancy Incra or Jointech fences that can remember the current fence location (if not, you can clamp some stop blocks to the table on the back side of your fence to create a rudimentary memory system). What you want to do is make several passes to get a clean cut; you do this by starting with the fence moved forward, then working back towards the "home" location.

My explanation looks complicated, but it's really a simple process once you understand it. Using this method I can install and adjust the bit in just a few minutes, without using pre-cut "setup blocks", and without going through a bunch of trial-and-error test cuts. I can usually get the settings right on the first try.

Reply to
Steve Turner

Reply to
Sprog

Steve. Thanks for taking the time. You make it sound so easy!

What can go wrong?

John

Steve Turner wrote:

Reply to
Eddie Munster

Try this link:

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If it doesn't help, at least you'll find something else on the site worth reading.

Reply to
Larry C in Auburn, WA

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