Woodcraft Raised Panel Bit Set

[Tim Malyszko]

Now that I'm going to build a router table, I'm thinking of adding raised panels to the blanket chest I'm in the process of building.

I came across this raised panel set from Woodcraft the other day:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5844

It's on closeout for $59.99 (regular price - $119.99). I've never used Woodcraft Brand bits before and I'm concerned about the quality since Whiteside, CMT and Frued sets sell for $200+ at many places. Compared to those, this Woodcraft set seems like a bargain.

The set would be used to make cherry raised panels trimmed out in soft maple.

I don't have any plans for using this set on any upcoming projects other than the blanket chest, so that's why I'm looking at a cheaper set. If I were doing a whole kitchen, I would look at the more expensive sets.

With that being said, am I going to get nothing but dissappointment out of this set, or should it be an okay set for light use?

Thanks in advance.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Just a small correction. The regular price is $119.99, not $199.99. I've heard pretty good things about Woodcraft bits although I've never used them. Hopefully someone who has used these will chime in.

[Frank Lopez]

I personally don't buy bargin router bits... or any other tools for that matter. I did one time and didn't like how they perfromed. So now they sit on a shelf and I only pull them out when I need I'm doing work than doesn't really matter. My rational for buying good tools the first time is "Why buy something to make something for yourself that you wouldn't use to make something for someone else." Treat yourself like you would a paying customer. If I can't afford them now, then I would rather wait and save to purchase what I want instead of only what I can afford. Helps me rationalize buying tools.

Now with that being said. If you were only purchasing the bits to make shop items, then perhaps they are worth it. One thing to keep in mind. If they don't perform like you had hoped, a good sharpening service can sharpen then bits. When this is done, a good sharpening service will make sure they are balanced. Many times they cut better than new.

[Laurie Brown]

I bought that set myself last year. I haven't had occasion to use it yet, but most of my every day use bits are Woodcraft that I got during their $5 bit sales over the last couple of years. They work well for me and I've not had any problems with any of them. I've used them on MDF, poplar, hard maple, and red oak. They are much better than the few Craftsman bits I bought, and I don't use those much any more.

[Mike Hedges]

I have the whiteside raised bit set , works great . I would sitck with the whiteside bits . They are great .

[Homer Faucett]

There is a review of several brands of router bits--all performed on an identical model straight bit--to see if you really get what you paid for. The results were interesting, and many of the top name brands that we associate with quality (and big $$$) did not fare as well as some less expensive options. Check it out at http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00045.asp .

With that said, I have many of the Woodcraft bits bought for $5 each, and would not be afraid to buy their panel raising set. I actually bought a few cabinet making sets discount and have had good luck with them. To each his own.

[Dave Diana]

I haven’t used the panel raising bit personally but I do have a set of the Woodcraft rail and stile bits I got on sale. I use them primarily on shop projects but the cut quality is really good and they have held up fairly well also. The one thing I do not like about them is the tongue and grove are only 3/8” deep but aside from that they are decent bits. The majority of my high use bits are Whiteside or CMT but I have a drawer full of $5 Woodcraft bits and while they are not a CMT of Whiteside they are excellent bits. For $59.99 it would be hard to go wrong.

[Tim Malyszko]

Rob,

Thanks for noticing my pricing error. I fixed it in the original.

Dave,

I kind of thought the same thing as you... At $59.99, how can I go wrong. If they don't work out, I'm only out $60, which while I'd rather not waste $60, the risk is small if they don't work out.

In this case, if I have to buy a $200+ set to get a good result, then that's what I have to do; however, on the the other hand, if I can get away with spending $60, get the results I want on this project, then I'd rather take the money saved and put it towards something else that will get used more than just a few times.

EDITED...

If anyone has used these bits and the results were just aweful, then I'll go with the Whiteside bits (which is what I was originally going to buy before coming across these). If I don't hear any negatives from people that actually used them, I'll order them by the end of the day and report back with my results.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Sheldon McGee]

I have that set (got it for $79.99 at a retail location) and have used it a few times (I've made 12 doors now!!!). They seem to work fine for me but at the same time I've never used the CMT or Whitesite versions so I can't really compare. Someday when a manufacturer comes out with a set where the width of the slot is 7/32 instead of 1/4 (so I can use 1/4 inch plywood for "flat pannels") I'd grab them up.

One suggestion is to make a "zero clearance" fence out of MDF so you can reduce the tear out (I tried some scrap plywood and that didn't work so well and was happy to find a use for MDF . . I don't get why people on TV like it so much). The first time I used the bits I figured they were cheap just because of the tear out but after reading about how to make better use of a router in some magazine (I think Handy which I like for the magazine and hate for the promotional offers) I was really happy with the results. Maybe with the expensive bits you don't have to worry about tear out as much but I won't know until I get those expensive bits someday (or someone chimes in).

[Ted Miller]

Tim, For me it depends on what job I am doing, if I need the bit for one job and maybe never use them again then I go with Woodcraft or Rockler bits. Now I have many of the more exensive bits stay sharp and work great for years and years, as long as I keep them clean and then they cut clean...

[Dave Diana]

Tim
I own a Whiteside rail and stile set and some of the CMT Sommerfeld rail and stile sets that I use for production work. That being said I have probably used the Woodcraft set to make 30 or 40 doors and they are still going strong and producing a high quality cut. If you do decide to go with one of the more expensive sets take a look at the new Sommerfeld sets which have a full 1/2” tongue and grove and are very reasonably priced. I have one of the three piece sets and it is my go to set for most of my work. But once again, it’s hard to go wrong with the Woodcraft set for $60 especially if it will see limited use.

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/item....03001&d=84&b=1