Router bit sets?

[keith micinski]

I am looking around and I realized that I really have a really crappy selection of router bits. I looked at buying some bits separately but it seems like that would cost a fortune. Does anyone know of a place I can can get some decent bits in a set at a reasonable price. I am looking for some cove, and ogee bits and maybe a few other edge bits. I actually have a good set of round over bits but that is about it.

[keith micinski]

I found this set. I don't use these bits everyday so its not like I need high end quality bits. http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-80-Piece.../dp/B000HDTYSO

[Neal Daughtry]

Try http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...etgateway.html
I bought one of their 66 bit sets 7 or 8 yrs ago and was well pleased, great quality bits reasonably priced. I don't use the bits everyday but what I have used has held up well. I joined their email list and they send out some good deals.

[Paul Symchych]

Quick question: If you say you have a known need for a half dozen bits would it not make more sense to buy quality individual bits as you need than rather than having 70 of the 80 bits from that set sitting in a nice box completely unused?

[Dave Wagner]

www.EagleAmerica.com and www.leevalley.com have good ones too. I have some individual ones from Frued and a 40 piece set with various sizes depending on what I need to do.

[Neil Brooks]

Quick question: If you say you have a known need for a half dozen bits would it not make more sense to buy quality individual bits as you need than rather than having 70 of the 80 bits from that set sitting in a nice box completely unused?

If the philosophy fits, I tend to agree.

Big sets are great, when you're just starting out, and don't yet know what you will and won't need.

Then -- over time -- you replace your most often used bits with high quality versions, from good suppliers.

JMHO

[Lee Schierer]

You get what you pay for in router bits. I started with some cheap bits and lived with the burning, rough cuts, etc and thought it was normal until I purchase a Freud bit on sale. Wow what a difference. The shavings off the Freud bit were very thin and fluffy compared to the previous bits I had used on the same wood. No more burning and the cuts were very smooth.

[glenn bradley]

As Lee points out, there are more poor quality bits available than quality ones. Read any of the mag reviews and the same 3 or 4 names are generally at the top. If you only need a few I would buy the best I could get. Whiteside's are USA made and their sharpening fee (for their bits) is darn reasonable. Except for matched pairs and specific dimensional bits, a hobbyist could run a decent bit for years and years with occasional sharpenings. Whiteside's are usually my first choice but, Freud bits have served me very well and one has profiles that the other does not.

CMT markets well but in my use the life of their bits is in the Rockler, Woodcraft, Grizzly arena. I have picked up a fair share of these sorts of bits when I encounter them on sale or clearance. When they die I just toss them without regret. If you think some bits are high-priced, consider this (my own experience and not the least bit scientific); for about equal turns 'at bat' I am still running a Whiteside and a Freud profile that are still going strong. I have tossed more than one of the MLCS, Rockler and Woodcraft versions of that same profile. However, I picked up the off brands really cheap and expected them to have a shorter life so I am not dissapointed. For profiles that I repeatedly use on almost every project, I buy the best I can get; its way cheaper in the long run.

[Ken Garlock]

I recommend Whiteside bits made in the USA.

I also recommend Eagle America. They have a series of inexpensive bits made in China. But more importantly, they have their own house brand that is relabeled Whiteside. They come in the same plastic bag as Whiteside with just a different label on the bag.

Eagle America is a good company to deal with. I once made a error on an order, and had a nice lady from E A called me and explained what I needed instead of what I had ordered. Good people....

[keith micinski]

Well at 20 to 30 dollars a bit for good quality bits I don't think I could ever justify spending that much on them since I don't like to do a bunch of edge profiles. Plus I have been using a cheesy set of round over bits for years and they work just as well as my one good round over bit. I agree about getting a really large set maybe not being the best but that MLSC has some more reasonable smaller sets like this one. http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...es/setcvro.htm

[Gary Kman]

I bought a set like the Amazon set listed above with about 1/2 the number and I've been delighted time after time with the time saving and flexibility in design it gives me. I can baby a cheap carbide 3/16" round over or some such and get the job done. If I don't have it, nothing else will take it's place. My 2 cents worth.

[scott spencer]

I'd go for a small high quality set from Whiteside, Infinity, Eagle, Freud, CMT, etc. The 15 piece MLCS set is a good value too. Buying big sets still tends to cost quite a bit overal, and usually nets you quantity over quality. Smaller sets will have the vast majority of the bits you'll use regularly.

[John Grabowski]

I agree with all responses. In my experience, the white side are the best bang for the buck. Great quality and reasonably officer. I buy the m as I need them. I do have a few Freud quad cutters and they are really nice. More expensive though. Great for cutting end grain in cherry, no burning.

Best of luck

[Mike Henderson]

Try http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...etgateway.html
I bought one of their 66 bit sets 7 or 8 yrs ago and was well pleased, great quality bits reasonably priced. I don't use the bits everyday but what I have used has held up well. I joined their email list and they send out some good deals.

I bought their 66 bit sets several years ago, also, because I didn't know what bits I'd use. There's a number of them that have never been used, but the ones that I do use often have been replaced by better quality bits.

I'm satisfied with this approach because:

1. When I need an "unusual" bit, I usually have it in the set so I don't have to put my project on hold until the bit arrives.
2. The bits are not bad. They work and work very acceptably.
3. The cabinet they came in is a good organizer for the bits. For example, all the round over bits are in one place and they're labeled by size. I have another box for bits that didn't come in the set and the bits are not organized as well - it's harder to find what I'm looking for.
4. I've replaced the most used bits with higher quality bits but I knew before I did bought the higher quality bits that they would be heavy use bits because of my experience with the bits in the set.
5. The price for the set was within my budget.

Mike