CNC & Handheld routers are being used increasingly in every industry these days, so the right use of the Router Bits & knowledge is must !
CNC Router machines & Handheld routers are being used increasingly in industries like construction, wood furniture, stone carving, aluminium door industry and many more. Hence the right use of the Router Bits & knowledge of the same is must. Every wood worker or Router machine user must have a set of tools which are listed below to do almost any kind of job.
There are so many types of Router Bits, which one to use , what are they, what size is best fit , how much should I shell from my pocket ????? These questions are common to every woodworker or hobbyist or industry person working on Router Machines. Today we will make this job a little bit easier with this blog on Types of CNC Router bits and there use so that you can concentrate more on your Job instead of selection of Right Router bits.
Types of CNC Router bits , there are broadly 2 categories of Router Bits :
- Solid Carbide Router Bits (which are made of complete Tungsten Carbide material)
- Solid Carbide Tipped Router bits ( which have Steel shank body and tungsten carbide tipped cutting edges to last longer through your cut)
We will take each category below in details to make it easier for you. Along with some videos to help you along the way in your learning of router bits & its types.
These Router Bits can be used on your Handheld Routers or CNC Router Tables. You can use these types of Router bits almost anywhere and for any job due to there versatile nature of cutting different shapes and styles as you may need them.
- Ball Nose Type Carving CNC Router Bits (Series: C104) : These router bits are best suited for working on CNC Router machines and handheld router machines for making carvings or intricate designs as per your design requirements. One of the most versatile Solid Carbide Router Bits to have in your armoury in order to make intricate carvings. Sizes available are 1mm~20mm with different OAL avaialble.
- Straight Cut Solid Carbide CNC Router Bits (Series: C118) As the name suggests these router bits have straight flutes and good for preventing Delamination / cracking on the TOP Surface of the MDF or the wood job you are doing. So the jobs where you need cleaner TOP surface go for this bits instead of C103 series - Up-Cut Router Bits as mentioned
- Up-Cut Solid Carbide CNC Router Bits (Series: C103) As the name suggests these router bits pulls the chips upwards hence the forces acting on the job are upwards on the table hence it causes delamination on the TOP Surface of the job. But these bits are the cheapest of the lot & easily avaialble, these can cut through the Wood in bulk & hence if you want to make straight slots then use these bits.
- Down-Cut Solid Carbide CNC Router Bits (Series: C112) : Down-cut router bits as the name suggests forces the chips downwards
- Compression CNC Router Bits Or Up-Down Solid Carbide CNC Router Bits (Series: C114)
- Single Flute Engraving CNC Router Bits (Series: C119) : These Engraving bits come in different point angles of 15~60* as per customer needs and tip diameter as small as 0.1mm / 100 microns so as to make precision engraving on your job.
- Single Flute Router Bits for Wood, Aluminium, Plastics (Series: C107) : These Single Flute Router bits are best tool to have in your tool box for scooping out or removing bulk material in Wood , Aluminium , MDF etc.
Carbide Tipped Router Bits are 2nd Category of Router Bits on our List in this Blog
- Straight Router Bits
Are most common frequently used router bits. Straight router bits are used to make cuts or slots straight into a material to form a groove or to hollow out an area. Straight router bits come in a variety of flute or cutting diameters, most common range included 3/16" to 1-1/2". - Rabbeting Router bits
It is possible to cut a rabbet with a table saw when using a dado blade or even with a straight router bits. However, you can also use a rabbet router bit for this special need. A rabbet router bits is just a dado however on the edge of the workpiece; this router bit will ride along the edge of your stock to remove the material. These rabbeting router bits always comes with Bearing at the Top of the tool as shown in the image. - Flush Trim Router Bits:
A flush trim is a must-have if you tend to work with wood veneer or plastic laminate a lot. These Router Bits are guided by a pilot bearing that is the same size as the bit's cutting radius. They're used to trim the edge of one material flush with the edge of another material. Trimming a veneered surface flush with a substrate or using a pattern to create multiple identical shapes are examples. It uses a ball-bearing pilot, which makes it ideal for flush cutting. This is a very handy bit when making table-tops, cabinets and drawer faces. - Raised Panel Bits : This router Bits are mainly used for decorative door panels and for making of varied profiles on wood, mdf etc. You can use these router bits for decoration on your wood panels.
- Edge Forming Router Bits : If you would need to make varied creative and decorative edging on your wood piece, this could be achieved with edge forming router bits. You will find different variety of edge forming router bits and choosing one would really depend upon your task requirement. Some of the most common ones include Round-Over bits (used for cut rounded edges), Cove routing bits (cutting concave circle), Ogee bits (S-shaped cut) etc
Conclusion
How much you are going to use the bit? Would buying a router set seems viable for your work? If you won’t be doing regular work of similar type and you do varied works of all types hence buying a basic set would be more suitable decision.
Now since you have the details of which router bits are suitable in which situations and since now you have the basics of router bits you can start your first ROUTER machining project on your newly purchased Router Table or Hand router using the suitable router bit. Even now if you face issues in selecting the right tool you can write in to us at sales@rigpl.com for more information.