Router Bowl Bitamd Extension

[Bryan Cramer]

I would like to try some routered bowls. What brand of bit and extension would you recomend? I have a free shipping card to Rockler and they carry the CMT bit and extension along with 2 templates for $100. What about the MLCS router bit and extension? It is cheaper and comes with more templates. I feel that a good quality extension is needed because of the lenght and it is turning at 20,000+ RPMs. Any other sugesstions?


Thanks

[Russ Ambrose]

since i don't yet have a lathe, i have made several "bowls" using a router and bowl bit. i have the CMT bit and collet extension. i have never used a different brand, but the CMT stuff has worked really well for me. however, i'm not sure if i'd buy the pre-made templates. one of the things i like about making these kind of things is making my own MDF template. circles and ovals of various sizes are easy to make and i've made some other things (e.g., guitar and fish) for which i'm not sure if a pre-made template is out there. also, if you're going to make these kinds of bowls make sure your router is mounted in a very large base, one large enough to more than span (and then some) whatever template you may be using. good luck