downcut router bit

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Hi all, hoping for some quick advice. im in Italy, and im a noob at routing.

ive got to rout a speaker cutout in the end-grain (side) of a translam cabinet.

ive already had a nice steel circle jig made.

i understand that a downcut router bit is suggested for keeping the front face as clean as possible.

ive just got a couple of straight cut bits.

however i know basically nothing about router bits. Price seems to range from 5 euros to 300 euros.

Ive done a bit of research but the prices and types seem all over the shop, and a plain "downcut" bit seems quite uncommon.


could somebody provide a link to a cheap (but not too cheap as to be crap) downcut router bit? 1/4 inch shaft. (i also have a 3/8 collet if necessary)

considering i literally only need to cut 4 holes, i dont want to go crazy with the prices, especially considering my noobness and the risk of breaking a bit or two.

Must be a European seller unless shipping is super cheap.

appreciate any help, im terrified of doing these cuts in my precious cnc cut cabinets.
 
In Italy you have CMT and Freud - not cheap but they should be cheaper there. Very good quality. I have bought lots of other bits, some were ok some were total crap. The Freud blades use inhouse tiny grain tungsten carbide which is superior to most cheap blades where chirps will occur, especially if routing through hardwoods or plywood and with a powerful router.
 
one other question, would it be better to buy the 3/8 inch one? it costs almost 2x the price, and i have a palm router so maybe the smaller bit ( and buying 2 for redundancy) is probably more sensible.

i do need to rout a "lip" which will be 12mm wide, so multple passes will be needed in any case.
 
Ive tried the router on the same plywood, but face on, not translam stacked edges. I was cutting the hole for my subwoofer, and it was my first ever rout. I had the router at mid speed (seemed scarily fast to me!, setting 4 of 9) first schoolboy error, i hadnt tightened the chuck after test-fitting the bit, so it fell out mid cut and chipped.

Finished the hole with the second bit, came out ok, a bit rough at the edges, and i had no idea how fast i should even move the router. I went down about 5 mm a pass.

The issue is doing it on end grain with changing grain direction every couple of mm. The cut edge will be visible around the recessed speakers, and im really hoping to avoid more than small bits of filler after. I figured the "right" bit would increase my chances. After seeing the fairly rough cut i got just routing flat-on, im more convinced than ever. Maybe my bits are crap (draper, cost about 15 dollars each) or maybe i should have used a faster speed.
 
Finished the hole with the second bit, came out ok, a bit rough at the edges, and i had no idea how fast i should even move the router. I went down about 5 mm a pass.

An easy way to access speed is that if you're moving too slow, you'll burn the cut. If you're moving too fast (which is hard to do) it will splinter the wood or wobble the bit (especially on 1/4" and/or dull bits)
 
Thanks for all the wonderful advice guys. The whiteside bit costs slightly less, and is a touch longer, given that it seems i have to ship the fred ones from US anyway (ive emailed freud to ask).. So ill probably go for that.. Im sure ill have more panicy questions before actually doing the cuts.. Anyone experience in routing stacked plywood on the end grain? Should i rout inside final line first, then do a finishing pass for the last mm or 2 at full depth (1cm, its got a lip, then a full depth cut hidden behind driver that can be as ugly as necessary) cheers all :)
 
The cleanup pass in the end is a good idea, but there will always be a better side, as is the nature of wood, so be prepared to do a bit of hand work afterwards.

I have used the down cutting bits on a cnc router, to help prevent the part from lifting from the vacuum table. For manual/hand routing, I would probably use the standard bits, so as not to push the tool away from the work.

Constantly check the chuck to make sure it is holding the bit securely, really is a bummer when the cutter drops out gradually, and ruins your parts.
 
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I have a 13mm Makita router with a screw down feature, using a homemade circle jig. I go down about 3mm at a time. Going down 5mm at a time seems a recipe for trouble, particularly in translam. I would also opt for a 12mm bit.

Ha. I thought i was being conservative with 5 mm :). Shows what i know. Could you maybe explain the benefit of a 12 mm bit over the 6mm i was looking at? Apart from the eye watering cost, it seems a bit meaty for my little palm router.
 
The cleanup pass in the end is a good idea, but there will always be a better side, as is the nature of wood, so be prepared to do a bit of hand work afterwards.

I have used the down cutting bits on a cnc router, to help prevent the part from lifting from the vacuum table. For manual/hand routing, I would probably use the standard bits, so as not to push the tool away from the work.

Constantly check the chuck to make sure it is holding the bit securely, really is a bummer when the cutter drops out gradually, and ruins your parts.

Thanks for the pointers, after destroying my first bit on my first cut, i will definitely be checking the chuck.

Im hoping the combination of shallow passes, a 3mm stainless steel jig screwed to work piece, and a plunge router with bith handa pushing down, will be enough to avoid any lifting, but then ive no idea of the lifting force involved. Time to get a test piece laminated up from a spare piece of ply..!
 
Ok, so im definitely doing at least one thing very wrong, podsibly several. Im trying to cut my second subwoofer cutout (just flat-on birch ply, straight cut bit). I tried a bit faster spindle speed this time to try to get a cleaner cut..

I broke all 3 straight cut bits and im only on my second pass of 4 to get through the 22mm ply. During the cut, twice i noticed the bit slowly dropping out of the chuck (which was done up with all my force, and as the bit dropped it was leaving big scratches down the bit shaft)

At this stage the idea of using expensive bits is rather a nono methinks.!

So.. I was moving the router maybe 2-4 cm a sec (hard to tell, but i used gentle force and kinda let it decide the speed) as i reached the points in the circle where grain changed direction it naturally slowed down cutting and required a bit more force to proceed. What on earth am i doing so terribly wrong?! Btw in theory im using cobalt bits.. So not the worst quality..
 
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