What Router Bits Should You Buy? 

1. Buy cheap low-quality set with plenty of bits 2. As soon as one of the cheap bits starts dulling or looks worn, replace it with an individual high end one. That way, you always have all the bits you need, and the ones you use often will quickly be replaced by more durable ones.

It is genuinely surprising that I have not seen this basic information covered by anyone else. Thank you. Also enjoyed this guy's delivery/voice as well as the information. More please.

Great info presented no messing around I was so into what you were saying I didn't even hear the music. Thanks

I like the way he explained it. Very clear and concise.

Great presentation! Straight to the point on the balance between having a large collection of bits, and having money left in your wallet.

Good info. I started with a $50 set, and it was almost useless. The round over bits were the only ones I used out of it. I'm a luthier, and for me I have a slightly odd set compared to some people. I only use chamfer, round over, rabbiting, and flush cut bits.

Good information for a router novice. Wish I had this 20 years ago. Cant really argue. Most of the other bits really are for specific applications where as those five scaled one way or another will do 95% of your projects just fine.

Glad to see the Ogee in there because that was my very first bit because I saw Norm use it so much on New Yankee Workshop.

Thank You I am basically new to routing and this information is Great!

Thank you. This is a super help to get me started.

Great video and discussion of the various bits. Thank you

Very helpful. Short, accurate, good wordsmything.

Great info and thank you! I find if you bit the pullet and pay for a good bit, it'll payoff in the long run. I do a lot of box joints on my router table and most of the cheaper bits don't last long at all. also, I made the mistake of not having the 1/2 inch collet option on my router table. Now, i have to buy another router.

Cheap sets are a good way to try different bits and when starting out. Sure they won't last forever but some you will use seldom and the ones you use regularly you replace with better quality when they wear out.

In my experience cheaper bits can last a long time if you don't abuse them and look after them properly. With complex or large profiles I never try taking everything off with a single pass and usually it's two or three passes to get down to the required depth. Multiple passes always gives a smoother result. At the end of the day I always clean my bits. No matter what they cost they get hot in use and tannin builds up on them whether they be good carbide or 'bad.' This has to be removed if you want a consistent clean cut as tannin build up causes 'burning' (smoking) when you try to cut a profile, slot etc.

This is a fantastic video! Thank you for the extremely helpful information. Looks like you prefer Freud over anything else.

Straight to the point! No waffle. EXCELLENT! Thank you for the video much appreciated.

I'd just like to add a pattern or a flush trim bit. Obviously, it's going to depend upon the woodworker and type of project, but i use a flush trim bit all the time because of how often i'm using two or more types of wood that i'm joining. It's nice to be able to be a bit sloppy on your dimensions, and quickly cut it all flush with the router.

Great info. I just bought a Bosch PDF 1200AE Router but there is no Table or much with it. Will take all your info. on board and follow it up via the Shop. I go along with the set You recommended but am only at best an old handyman that is scared of Routers.

If you get a larger router it will often come with two or more collets of different sizes. Mine came with 1/4", 8mm and 1/2". It's easy to get them confused and you won't need all of them so put one of them, in my case I chose the 8mm, in a labelled bag and store it away. You're left with two easily recognised collets so you won't accidentally use the wrong shank size.

Thanks man . Good tips

Very informative and eye opening video. I feel edge trimming bit is also should be added in the minimum starter list of router bits.

That was great - thank you.

I’m a newbie and I’m not setting out to make the amazing furniture some channels make, I physically can’t. All I'm after is making nice A2 photograph frames to put my archival images in, something better than you can buy in the average framers. However, the next person who comments might have been woodworking for 5 years and want to start moving up to creating a wonderful conversation piece of furniture. I’m learning fast that the quality needed to give value varies from woodworker to woodworker with all tools, including power and hand. I know there’s obvious don’t buys like the chamfer with no bearing, but bits like Tacklife would be decent value to someone like me. I’m also very timid how much I take off at once, especially with my palm router.

Thanks buddy.very usefull

Really great advice quality over quantity

When starting out an inexpensive set is the only way to go...When the ones you use start to wear out replace them with decent carbide bits. You'll find that as you progress that some get very little use to none. After that when you need a certain bit that you need but don't have you can buy them.. Every one has a different need.

For the price of buying individual bits vs a set, it would be better for a beginner to buy a set. A good rabbeting bit alone can be upwards of $50 by itself. It's significantly cheaper and it gives them other options to experiment with and play around with set ups and profiles. Then as those bits wear out/break, start buying better individual bits.

I like Whiteside router bits, but Freud router bits are nice to.

Interesting video.

ty very imformative

Great information, Thank you. Any chance you can drop the background music down? It's competing with the speaker. otherwise great video and helpful.

Thanks

What was the last one called? Chancing bit? Wish you could have listed the name of those bits in the description box.

good video, these cheap sets are everywhere now and you know youll never use all of them, would have been very good if you had included examples of what each of the 5 main bits actually produces on a sample of stock. thanks anyway.

Would have been very useful to include images of the cut pattern for noobs like me

thanks

do you have a good reference for good vs bad? I don't want to use price as my only reference and buy a crappy set with an inflated price?

I am interested in learning more about routing on router table. q1 Which is better for tongue and groove set -- with 120 degrees or without? q2 I am interested in making my own molding and having complicated profiles. Where do I get this info? Book .... video?

Would have been nice to see what the wood looks like with each router bit.

Is there a cove without the guide? I want to cove out two pieces of 1x, in order to sandwich some 1" piping into.

Merci pour l'information. C'est une question que j'avais de la difficulté à répondre. Je ne voulais pas me procurer des bits cheap. Je préfère en avoir moins et de meilleure qualité.

Excellent. Liked & subbed. What two brands do you recommend?

Just picked up the Bosch MRC23EVSK router set and love it. Are Bosch router bits any good? Been looking at some of there sets one was a 10 piece for 150 i think.

What's the name of the biguer blit you showed there at the last?

Don't quite understand why the need for background music when giving an instructional video, it's annoying. Would much prefer just hearing the presentation without the background distraction.

A straight pattern bit, bearing above or below, is essential.

Is a two" cut length on a straight bit overkill? I'm going to be using it for straightening edges, and dados.

my coworker picked up a 125 piece bit set for 40 bucks online. first time using it the bits tried to kill him, i think we still have some pieces stuck in the ceiling...

So at the end of the day you get what you pay for and for me quality definitely wins out over quantity.

Thanks Kenny Rogers:)

I just bought a router and used it to make a couple of keyholes in a piece I have to hang on the wall. I'm getting a lot of burn marks at the end of the hole and on the router bit itself. Does that mean that the router speed is set too high, that I'm moving the router too fast or just that the bit is crap? (They were pretty cheap but not too much...)

Great video. Amazing hair!!

excellent, thank you

Why won’t my Bosch router fit my 15 bit set? The collet diameter is larger than the bit stem and the collet is non variable. Help

I'm just getting into routing and I find it beneficial to pay the extra for a quality router bit which does the work I require at the time rather than buy a set containing some bits which I may never use and which may be of dubious quality.

00:15 a $15 set for $50 is a good deal ?

Why no trim bit? It's certainly my most used bit.

What kind of bit would you recommend for hollowing out wood? For instance, I want to hollow out a piece of wood for a tool to sit into to mount it to my tool wall.

I only like to buy nice. Please recommend high quality companies that will last longer and worth the investment, one at a time.

Make sure you buy a1/2" set and and a 2Hp router.

$15 set for $50? Sounds like someone is getting screwed.

Did he say that you could buy this $15 set for around 50 bucks?

Since I didn't see the bit when it was new, I can't see that the bit is chipped.

come on guy, no flush trim bit? but you got two chamfer bits, i dont get it

why did you print the screen? haha nice video though!

Why the music? I really wanted to sit through it all but the music makes it so tough. I couldn’t finish it.

How much set sir

The info is excellent, but the music is very distracting, unnecessary and just plain bad. Please consider leaving it out on future videos.

For best results, use the dullest bits on the most rotten worm-infested woods. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Cheers!

Are you Kenny Rogers 😉

looks like some of the guys below don`t know what you are telling you are not selling the BITS

Superb quality throughout, easy to assemble. I found the saw to be highly accurate and a delight to use (I am a homeowner using this saw for various projects). I attached the saw to a folding mobile stand to save space and that works great ru-vid.comUgkxPeGkHOMe05FySypTOvYumxMn-xi39oRe as well. However, you have to be sure the saw is securely locking in position before collapsing the stand. I've had many of the brands over the years and have come to point where I only buy Bosch, the extra money is a small price to pay for the quality and ease of use. Treat yourself to the best

Nice informative video, irritating music though....

Buy once, cry once 👍

The completely unnecessary music track is extremely distracting.

Lose the music your commentary is enough

What’s wth the music in the background 🙄

Great wig

That music ruined the video

OK, gracias por sus videos, thanks for your videos Subscriber: J.M.Castilla@2018

That music was incredibly annoying in the background.

I have a1/4 inch Router it's a Makita can I use a 1/4 bit from a different Router

What's up with the 70's porn music n the background.

Woodprix has very good designs and plans.

Step 1: Buy "cheap" high speed steel bits Step 2: Take 20 minutes to learn how to sharpen those bits Step 3: Avoid spending 100's of dollars on Carbide bits Step 4: It's fucking wood, my my nail is hard enough to cut through it, were not cutting tool steel, you don't need carbide.

If you want, you can learn how to do it with Stodoys woodworking plans.

Music is annoying and distracting...

wy in tis world would u play music over your info ????? ruins te fine video !

Thanks George Lucas.

Why pollute the soundtrack with the awful "music" I had to stop watching the video half-way through because of it.

thanks