Router Question

[Termin8tor]

It seems I have been a good boy this year and Santa is bringing me a router. Having never owned one before I'm unsure which bits I'll need. Mostly it will be used for making cabinets I know I will need a flush trim bit, but that's about it any advice is welcome and links would be great. I will be using 12mm and 16mm MDF. Also I'm in the UK.

[shfifty]

i would probably just get a set with an assortment of bits. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/MLCS-8377-Router-Carbide-Tipped-15-Piece/dp/B000FJRN8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292500596&sr=8-1

Should have everything you need for your purpose and will be cheaper than buying all the bits individually

[TOK]

i would probably just get a set with an assortment of bits. Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/MLCS-8377-Router-Carbide-Tipped-15-Piece/dp/B000FJRN8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292500596&sr=8-1

Should have everything you need for your purpose and will be cheaper than buying all the bits individually

I bought a pack like this and the only one I used was the flush trim bit. Wound up buying the slot cutter and a larger roundover bit to make the Williams style control panel front for my bartop.

I say get the bits individually since so many of them in the kits are made for creating ornamental cuts for trim and storage cabinets.
You also have to know your collet size. Many 1/2" collet routers will work with 1/4" bits, but not the other way around. If you got a 1/4" collet router, the bits in the link won't fit.

[brock.sampson]

I would recommend a pattern/template bit.  Essentially a flush trim bit but the bearing is above the bit instead of below.

http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/v102-0552b/ea_-_laminate_trim

[Erik]

I bought a pack like this and the only one I used was the flush trim bit. Wound up buying the slot cutter and a larger roundover bit to make the Williams style control panel front for my bartop.

I say get the bits individually since so many of them in the kits are made for creating ornamental cuts for trim and storage cabinets.
You also have to know your collet size. Many 1/2" collet routers will work with 1/4" bits, but not the other way around. If you got a 1/4" collet router, the bits in the link won't fit.

I got a generic kit like that.  It was cheap and works fine.  I use some of the other bits for making dado cuts for a shelf which was handy.  I can't see regretting having a few more bits 

My suggestion would be if your router has a 1/2" collet then buy 1/2" bits.   

[Donkbaca]

YEah, hopefully you get a 1/2 inch router.  Gives you access to more options and better bits.

I use a 45 degree chamfer bit, a small I think 1/8th inch straight bit, and the flush trim a lot.  A rabbet bit is helpful too

[javeryh]

1/16" slot cutter
flush trim bit
pattern bit
chamfer bit
1/2" straight cutting bit

That's my list and other than a round over bit which isn't really necessary that's all you really need.

[Termin8tor]

I love this forum. Thanks for all the advice guys the router I was getting was a 1/4 inch only, now I'm getting a 1/2 inch. I will probably go with the individual bits I know I'll use and also buy a small set of assorted bits that will probably come in handy in the future.

[orchidius]

Another piece of advice I would like to give you is not to go for the cheapest solution. The routerbit itself makes or breaks most of the woodworking. I learned this the hard way... I bought a cheap bit online because I didn't feel those things were worth 20-30$. I ended up having to order a second and a third cheap one because they broke down or got worn out reallyreally fast. The poor quality also messed up a lot of the work I did. The work that didn't get screwed up entirely didn't have the nice finish it should've had.

If I were to do this again, I'd invest in a decent bit/set of bits.

[stuckpixel]

- Flush Trim/Pattern bit
- 1/16" slot cutter
- 3/16" slot cutter (if you intend on using your router to do biscuit joining)
- Straight Bit (for routing out pieces of wood - under mounting joysticks and the like)
- Roundover Bit

And I'll echo what someone else said about not buying cheap bits.

[NoBullMAME]

If your MDF is melamine coated be sure to get a compression bit. These minimize chipping on both sides. If you are doing lots of cutting I'd even spend the extra dough for a solid carbide bit. I get mine from toolstoday.com (roughly $50 each, so don't break them).

If you are not cutting melamine, then don't bother with a compression bit. If you are only cutting one arcade and not doing lots of other woodworking just jet a carbide tipped bit.