Hi - Am very much looking forward to receiving the Maslow. I have the Dewalt router ordered, but no router bits. Do you guys have any suggestions as to what types are must haves for most projects? Maybe you can recommend a few different types and why you like them.
My goto is a two flute up cut bit like this:
The pros are that they cut well, are reasonably priced, they clear out the chips nicely, and they are generally a nice all around option.
The biggest drawback to these is that they can cause “tearout” which is when the router bit is pulling material out of the wood it can cause splintering along the top edge so generally the bottom side of the sheet has a cleaner looking cut than the top side of the sheet. For some materials and woods it’s not an issue at all, and for other woods which tend to splinter it can be a big issue.
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There’s also the permutations of feeds and speeds - which I found sets certain lower limits impacting the choice of router bits
In particular this one …
Slower feed + faster speed (or speed you can’t slow down any further) + smaller bit
=
you need the minimum number of flutes you can get, because otherwise you’re just going to set everything on fire.
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I have a few go-to bits that I use most often.
1/4" upcut for doing through cuts on 5/8" and 3/4" materials.
1/8" compression bit for just about everything else.
60 degree v-bit for engraving details.
I have experimented with a few bits to try to find a nice balance where one bit can do everything I need. I have a few custom made bits that taper down to as small as 1/16" at the tip but still give me the depth to cut through 3/4" material, but the cut times that Easel estimates are significantly longer.
I would like to hear what other people are using and like, so let’s hear 'em!
The maslow is a fairly slow machine (the 4 less so than earler versions) so in
general, the fewer flutes you have on a bit, the better off you are (unless it’s
a really tiny bit)
compression bits generally don’t work well, they are good when you are doing
side milling of the full depth of the wood, but otherwise they are effectively
an upcut bit
I have tended to go with straight bits rather than upcut bits
David Lang
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Interesting. Thanks David. I will see how things go with it, as I just got a new 1/8" compression bit. I have also used some single and two flute straight bits, but they are barely long enough to cut through 3/4" material, and the compression bit is a lot longer. I do not do deep passes though (usually not more than 0.8mm per pass, so I really don’t use the compression bits properly. I have found that the straight bits cut nicely (especially for the first couple of hours), but they seem to build more heat. Maybe I will do some experimenting and measure the temperature between the different bits.
Would love to hear some more opinions from others.
Cheers!
After watching some videos and reading some things here in preparation for the arrival of my Maslow 4 this is what I currently have in my AliExpress basket. I’d really appreciate people’s thoughts before I buy anything:
2 flute uncut bit 6.35x12x6.35x50mm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwMgJ8h
6.35mm bit set
https://a.aliexpress.com/_Eut5Rtb
I’m also interested to know if anyone can point me to any adapters for the d26200 that will allow it to use bits with other sized bits shanks?
Other things I’m keen to look into are spoilboard resurfacing bits and whether anything exists like a drill chuck for routers that would allow you to use drill bits you already have. (Or do people just buy one small diameter bit and use that for all their holes of any size).
And if am I right to be looking at double fluted bits rather than single fluted if I want to cut at M4’s max speed of 2000-2500mm/min?
Thanks,
Scott
spoil board surfacing for maslow really isn’t a thing because the sled rides on the surface of your material, where traditional cnc’s have a gantry and you need the spoil board surface to be parallel to the plane of your cutter xy movement.
I also use 2 flute upcut 1/8" from amazon like these.
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I’d recommend getting a single flute bit, especially the really small ones for whenever you need to do really narrow cuts. I’ve got several 4mm bits and a 5/32 that I picked up somewhere.
But there’s going to be a trade off between single vs. double (or more) at some point related to feeds and speeds, cutting depth, tool flute profile (straight vs. up, down, compression, and other stuff like coatings), the material you are cutting - and the list goes on. So my recommendation is to get a range of cheapish bits, and be prepared to break / wear out a few just trying things out.
Also clean your bits regularly (i.e. frequently) with engine degreaser for better cutting and longer life.
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Someone selling collets for the d26200 router. Quite expensive considering I just paid ÂŁ96 for my router. But might be a useful link for others.
If anyone has any cheaper alternatives please post links.
Do you know what those offer over the one that comes in the router? I know that they say they have super low runout, but for our tolerances I don’t think that runout is a big factor.
Maybe I’m missing parts because I only bought my router second hand but I only have a 1/4" collet. So I was looking to see if I could get some others to accept different diameter shafts to be able to use a larger variety of bits.
Metric bits seem more common on AliExpress than imperial so a having 6mm collet seemed sensible.
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For example the bits you link have an 1/8" shaft so I’m assuming you have a few different collets to accept different sized shanks?
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Ahh I pretty much just use 1/8th and 1/4th inch bits and use one of these adapters when I want to use 1/8th inch bits
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That’ll do nicely. That’s the sort of price range I was expecting these things to be in - and perhaps a good link for TheNotShop!
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Thanks for posting this. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I know there is a difference between the value of a dollar from your country to mine, but this is insane. Your link takes me to Amazon.com which lists these bits at $16.98US. I searched for the same bits, same part number on Amazon.ca, and the same bits with the same pictures and description are $74.63. That’s crazy!
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Are they from different sellers? I’ve noticed multiple items on Amazon that have a reasonable priced primary seller, and one or more alternatives that are higher, sometimes much higher, priced. I guessed (no idea if it’s actually true) they were there to catch subscribe and save orders when the primary seller was out of stock
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