Raised Panel bit set advice needed

[Jim Fancher]

I'm about to start series of projects, all of which include raised panel doors. Everything will have MDF panels except for the final project, my kitchen. What are your thoughts on getting an inexpensive set for the MDF and a nicer one for the oak kitchen?

[fred woltersdorf]

i got the infinity router bits,very nice and affordablehttp://www.infinitytools.com/Home.asp

[Richard Hash]

I got a set from Jesada quite a number of years ago, and have never been very happy with them - the fit just never seemed all that great to me. When I finally took the time to really take a close look I discovered that the bit geometries were such that you were guaranteed to get a non-snug fit (had a little wiggle). While in reality it's probably fine and nobody would ever notice, it bugged me.

The Freud 2+2 design seems very sound to me, though I don't have any first hand experience with them...

[Harish C. Mathur]

I'm about to start series of projects, all of which include raised panel doors. Everything will have MDF panels except for the final project, my kitchen. What are your thoughts on getting an inexpensive set for the MDF and a nicer one for the oak kitchen?

Jim, I've kicked this around this as well. MDF is hard on cutting edges... BTW, I saw a 3 bit set in a harbor freight catalog for 20 - 30 bucks. At that price, it is almost worth trying out. I'll most likely get a Freud 2+2 set for my better projects. I've seen the results and like them.

[Jim Fancher]

BTW, I saw a 3 bit set in a harbor freight catalog for 20 - 30 bucks. At that price, it is almost worth trying out.

I picked up HF's 3 bit set for $19.99 + tax right after work today. They matched the sale price on the website. One person I talked to on Woodnet said he's made about 20 doors with the set and it's still cutting well. We'll see how they work out for me.

Thanks for the tip!

[Dan Gill]

There are pros and cons to this. You might not want the frustration of a bad raised panel set. And a good one can always be sharpened if it gets dull cutting MDF. However, if you buy a set just for the MDF, you could buy another profile. I have just one set, and it's kind of a middle-of-the-road choice, from Woodline. I have been very pleased with it, and I made all the doors and end panels for my kitchen cabinets, from oak, and my bath vanity, from hard maple. That's appx. 40 panels. No problems.

[thomas prevost]

Check the HF bits with a magnifying glass before you use them. They and Homier or noted for having bad brazing of the carbide and off balance carbide. One of the resons they get them so cheap. Flying carbide at 20,000rpms can cause very serious injury!