Reading a bit's listing
| On the listing | Why it matters | What the makers say |
|---|---|---|
| Shank diameter | Must equal the collet fitted | Bosch: 1/2 in whenever possible; compact routers such as the Colt take 1/4 in only; Makita's RT0701C takes 1/4 or 3/8 in |
| Profile and cutting diameter | The cut, and the opening and speed it needs | Each bit's maker lists both |
| Bearing | Whether and where the cut is guided | Sizes listed per bit; some sets swap bearings |
| Cutting material | Carbide-tipped or solid carbide | Freud lists a carbide height for tipped bits and calls its spirals solid carbide |
| Maximum rpm | The limit for that bit | Freud lists one per bit; Amana says to check the rating on the shank |
| Materials | What the bit is made to cut | Freud lists hardwood, softwood, plywood and composites for the sets here |
| Router use | Hand-held, table, or table only | Freud: bits over 1-1/2 in only in a table |
Each statement is the named maker's. No bit is better in general; the job and the router decide.
Sets or single bits
| Set | Shank | Bits | Freud's description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91-104 | 1/2 in | Six: round nose (core box), cove, rabbeting, rounding over, Roman ogee, chamfer | Starter set; TiCo carbide tips, Perma-SHIELD coating; hand-held or table |
| 91-108 | 1/2 in, or 1/4 in as 88-100 | Eight: straight, mortising, dovetail, rabbeting, rounding over, Roman ogee, flush trim, V-grooving | Starter set; hand-held or table |
Contents as Freud lists them. Not a ranking.
Both are sold as starter sets, and they share only three profiles. The 91-104 is mostly edge-forming bits; the 91-108 adds the straight, mortising, dovetail and flush-trim bits that cut joints and follow templates. Check a set against your work, bit by bit, using the bit profile chart. A single bit is the answer when only one profile is needed, or a type no set includes — Freud sells spirals such as its up-spiral singly.
Shank first
Buy bits for the collet you have. Bosch advises 1/2 in shanks 'whenever possible' on routers that take them. Compact routers are limited: Bosch's Colt takes 1/4 in only, and Bosch warns a smaller shank than the collet can come loose and become a projectile. Makita says to use 'bits of the correct shank diameter suitable for the speed of the tool'. 1/4 in, 8 mm and 1/2 in are not interchangeable; how a bit is seated and why the makers' figures differ is in router bits.
Large bits and dovetail bits
Large profiles — raised panels, large coves — need a router that runs slowly enough and, by Freud's rule, a table: its bits over 1-1/2 in are for table-mounted routers only. Maximum speeds fall with diameter, as Amana's table and Freud's ratings show in the speed chart. Dovetail bits come with an angle and diameter; a dovetail jig's maker specifies the bit its templates need, and Freud says its dovetail bits suit popular jigs. Buy the bit the jig's manual names. The joint is covered in dovetails.
Before buying router bits
- Shank equal to the collet you will use
- Profiles you will actually cut, checked bit by bit
- Bearing sizes and guide method for each
- Maximum rpm printed, and a router that can run at or below it
- Materials listed by the maker for your work
- Large bits only if a table is planned
The router family is mapped in the router guide; choosing the router itself is in choosing a router.
Sources
Specification-based: set contents and bit descriptions are Freud's for its own products; maker terms such as TiCo and Perma-SHIELD are reported, not tested or explained beyond the maker's words. No bit was tested, none is ranked, and no prices are given.
- 1.
91-104 Six Piece Starter Set. Freud.
Used for: A six-piece starter set with 1/2 in shanks — round nose (core box), cove, rabbeting, rounding over, Roman ogee and chamfer — with TiCo carbide tips and Perma-SHIELD coating, for hand-held or table-mounted routers in hardwood, softwood, plywood and composites.
- 2.
91-108 Router Bit Set. Freud.
Used for: A starter set offered with 1/4 in shanks (88-100) or 1/2 in shanks: straight, mortising, dovetail, rabbeting, rounding over, Roman ogee, flush trim and V-grooving.
- 3.
75-104 Up Spiral bit. Freud.
Used for: A solid carbide up-spiral bit, as an example of a bit type sold singly.
- 4.
22-102 Dovetail bit. Freud.
Used for: Dovetail bits made to suit popular dovetail jigs.
- 5.
Premier Adjustable Rail and Stile System (instructions poster). Freud.
Used for: Bits over 1-1/2 in diameter only with the router mounted in a table; never exceeding a bit's maximum rpm.
- 6.
Max RPM Guide for Amana Tool Router Bits. Amana Tool.
Used for: Maximum speed falling as diameter rises, and the rating etched on the shank.
- 7.
1617, 1617EVS, 1617EVSPK, 1618EVS Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2018.
Used for: 'Use 1/2" shank whenever possible, and only use good quality bits'; collets for 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 in and 8 mm.
- 8.
GKF125CE Colt Palm Router Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2018.
Used for: A compact router taking 1/4 in shank bits only; a smaller shank than the collet able to become a projectile.
- 9.
Trimmer RT0700C / RT0701C, Instruction Manual. Makita.
Used for: A compact router with 1/4 and 3/8 in collets; 'Use bits of the correct shank diameter suitable for the speed of the tool'.
About this buying guide
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