Carbide is Carbide right?

Re: Carbide is Carbide right?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

No "carbide" is not all equal. AS important sharpening is not equal. It is not a small difference how smoothly and effortlessly a sharp bit cuts vs a cheap bit not so finely sharpened.

Lee Valley sells well made bits. I buy there when what I need is available.

Re: Carbide is Carbide right?

Lee Schierer in McKean, PA

All carbide is not the same. I can't tell you the differences because I don't know them. What I do know is that certain brands perform well. My go to bits are Freud bits from Routerbitworld.

Lee

All carbide and geometry are not the same

Dick Coers

You absolutely get what you pay for.

Re: All carbide and geometry are not the same

Pete in Holland MI

There are better grades of carbide out there, but the cheapest carbide bit will out-perform your old steel cutters by a mile.

Depends on how often you will be using them will determine how much you should spend. On the positive side, in my home work shop (which has seen a lot of wood go thru it over 40 years), I am still using cutters that I bought back then. Think I've only thrown out 1 over the years because it got too dull.

Avoid buying a big set. You probably won't use half of them. Buy what you need, either locally, or on line.

Take care of them. Don't throw them all in a box. Build/buy a holder/cabinet to protect the cutting edges.

Pete

Re: All carbide and geometry are not the same

JB

Not in all cases, companies that have the tooling to build router bits can sell them to others who market them with their name and paint on them and sell them for higher prices. They may have different specs and such but now you never know if tools are built in China and marketed under other names. That was the point of my question.

Re: All carbide and geometry are not the same

Dick Coers

You're saying that the same manufacturer's exact same bits get resold as a $2 as well as a $20 bit? If you had proof of that, why ask us? I'm saying the same bit will not get marketed over that price range. But seems you don't believe me.

Re: All carbide and geometry are not the same

Barry Irby

No, there are differing grades of carbide. Ask Mike Hunter on the Turning Forum. The smaller the particles the sharper the bit may be. Many of the carbide bits I bought over the years had cutting edges that looked like the edges of scissor blades. Recently bought one that has a top bearing to use as a pattern bit and the edge was so sharp it took me a while to figure out the all the red stuff was blood. It nicked me and I did not even know it. So some of the newer ones are very sharp.

I'm not sure I agree with the advice to not buy a set. I have several sets I got very cheaply and can often find a bit that will get me by and then if it proves to be useful, I buy a much better version if it's something I am going to use a lot.

I also bought a diamond sharpening plate from China for about a fifth of what a name brand one would cost. 400/1000. It will do a wonderful job of sharpening even carbide bits. I had an orange bit (CMT?) one inch in diameter and used it heavily to flatten several oak slabs. I can't believe I got through all that work with one bit and it is still in good shape. Touched it up twice on the diamond plate.

Re: Carbide is Carbide right?

AZ in Colorado Springs

There are different grades of carbide and you certainly get what you pay for. It's a good idea to get an inexpensive set of bits, especially for newcomers. Then upgrade individual bits as you wear them out.

Shank size also makes a difference. I had a dovetail bit (the large one in the Leigh set, 3/4" cutting length) by woodcraft with an 8mm shank. It cut a lot of dovetails over about eight years. Then I went to replace it and woodcraft wasn't carrying that bit anymore. Sold me a similar freud bit with a 1/4" shank. That one broke after about 40 minutes of use. (I got another bit w/ 8mm shank from MLCS.)

Re: All carbide and geometry are not the same

JB

Thank you all, your info and other research has revealed to me that Carbide has grades of particle density which equates to the ability to be sharpened to a superior edge which equates to cost and performance. I find the advice to buy an inexpensive basic set to handle my current project and replace any as needed with high quality bits.

Re: Carbide is Carbide right?

Dale Stansbery

I don't think any carbide bit is 100% carbide. I think the % added to steel varies. I was recently looking for a metric drill bit, and I came across adds stating different levels of carbide content. None of them very hi. Granted, that's not very scientific research on my part.

Carbide tips

Ellis Walentine

No, drill bits are steel; carbide tips are sintered carbide powder, not a grade of steel. When I visited the Freud sawblade and router bit factories in Udine, Italy, I saw the whole process from start to finish. It's fascinating. The powder is sintered in ovens in molds the size of the tips. Then they are brazed into stamped gullets in the bits or blades and sharpened. The size of the particles determines how densely they can be packed and how sharp an edge the resulting bit will hold. Carbide dulls by losing tiny individual carbide spheres, so coarser grades get dull faster.

Ellis

Re: Carbide tips

Dale Stansbery

Thanks, interesting.

Re: Carbide is Carbide right?

johannaj

I once saw a router bit come apart while in use - part of the bit flew across the shop! This is the best argument for buying quality bits. You certainly get what you paid for! I usually buy Freud bits from Woodworkers Supply (it's just 10 miles from me). Sometimes I order from Lee Valley. Either way, it's quality that counts.