possum1284 Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 hi i noticed craftsman bits from sears are a lot cheaper then those stewmac sells. Are they ok to use for general guitar routing? Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Are they carbide tipped? That's what stewmac sells, and I know I've seen all high speed steel(meh imho) craftsman bits before. Carbide bits are well worth the extra money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 I dont think the adage "you get what you pay for" applies any better than to buying bits. Those bits will probably work for a while but I guarentee that they will wear out sooner than you would like. Routerbits.com is an excellent source for bits, they sell whiteside bits which are the best I have used by far. For the $5 extra (or whatever) you will pay for a top quality bit you will get much beeter durability and quality of cuts. Don't skimp on bits man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum1284 Posted October 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 hi are these router bits the same kind other then then the ball bearings? stewmac vs. routerbit.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Its hard to say if they are the same brand, if thats what you're asking. I would assume that the whiteside bits are just as good if not better than the stewmac ones, only b/c I dont know where they come from. You want THESE here. I have # 3002 and it has been flawless thus far. I would dare to say that that bit is almost essential. The only drawback is its 1/2" diameter which means you cant rout corners less than 1/4" radius, but I have never needed to do anything less so it fits me fine. Where ever you get one, just dont go cheap. I cant stress that enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_A_T_T Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 I have some Craftsman bits, I like my Freud and Canwood-Pro bits ALOT better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Craftsman bits are okay if you're somewhere that you can't find a top shelf bit and have to have it now. I've used them when I'm doing an install in the boondocks and need the bit that I didn't think I could conceivably need and left at the shop. They have always done an acceptable job and are priced appropriately. This same review goes for darn near anything in the Sears tool section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 Get the stew mac ones! You get what you pay for! If you can get a set of carbide tipped ones for the price that stew sell them, get 'em! They are not cheap! I broke a craftsman and burned another in ONE guitar!!! The first Stew 1/2" bit that I bought I have used in 5 guitars and still cutts like warm knive on butter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 The whiteside bits from routerbits.com by far are some of the nicest bits around, they did a test on router bits a while back, one of the woodworkin rags and whiteside was rated the highest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 if you google freud router bits you'll find other sources for them that are a bit cheaper than stewmac. don't get me wrong..i use stewmac when i need to but they are a bit pricey on some things and router bits is one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 Big-D......Whiteside is the way to go! Many people don't realize that there are different grades of carbide. I have some Stew-Mac bits and have replaced them with Whiteside. The Stew-Mac bits were starting to lose their edge after 3 or 4 uses. In many cases, the Whiteside bits were less expensive than Stew-Mac's were. http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 I agree that the Whiteside bits are top notch, but you have to remember that if you ask to much of the bit (ie taking too much wood off in a pass) ANY bit will wear down. Most people I have seen comment on them agree that the Stewmac bits are top quality. I only use the Whiteside bits cause' theyre a bit cheaper. Like someone else said, STewmac is an awesome source for stuff, but some of the more common items in their catolog can be found much cheaper elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum1284 Posted October 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 anyone got a link to the whitestone bits that are used for routing with templates. im looking for the ones similar to what stewma sells stewmac bit. also could anyone tell me what type of bits i need for routing a neck pocket and pickup cavities? Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 Seriously dude, have you read this thread at all? Come on. Routerbits.com And they are WHITESIDE bits, not whitestone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted October 29, 2005 Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 One router bit that you're not going to find elsewhere(well, maybe the bit...but not the bearing set) is stewmac's binding router bit/bearing set. It's well worth the money IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possum1284 Posted October 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2005 One router bit that you're not going to find elsewhere(well, maybe the bit...but not the bearing set) is stewmac's binding router bit/bearing set. It's well worth the money IMHO. ← yeah ive read theread i just cant make sense of all the different router bits on that site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 One router bit that you're not going to find elsewhere(well, maybe the bit...but not the bearing set) is stewmac's binding router bit/bearing set. It's well worth the money IMHO. ← The binding bit that LMI sells is superior to the Stew-Mac....I have both and since I puchased the LMI bit, the Stew-Mac bit doesn't see daylight. BTW.....Stew-Mac bits are not top notch......CMT, Jesada, Amana and others all make better bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 LMII sells a binding bit/bearing set?...I'll definitely be checking that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javacody Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 I just got an Amana 1/2", 1" long template bit. Are these any good? It was $24.95 from the WoodSmith shop (here in Des Moines). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 LMI sells a far more expansive range of bearings in their router bit set, but they're predictably a whole lot more expensive as well. Click here for their main set, and there's an additional set of bearings under 'binding tools' to add even more combos. Alternately, you can be like me, and get this set from Tracy Leveque, who's started up a newish company, mostly featuring jigs for acoustic guitar builders. The set's quite a bit cheaper than LMI's, and I'm very pleased with the quality. Aquiring something this pricey only really makes sense if you bind a lot of guitars, and use a lot of different purfling/trim combos. I got mine for my acoustics, not my electrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyd Posted November 1, 2005 Report Share Posted November 1, 2005 rockler.com sells affordable bits and they last pretty good too. i bought one from them cause i had a hard time finding a 1/4" straight bit in a 1/2" collet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Posted November 15, 2005 Report Share Posted November 15, 2005 I've only used a router long enough to make 2 bodies, but so far I've been very happy with CMT, Whiteside and Bosch. The Stewmac binding and pickguard bits are nice too. The only one I've been unhappy with was a Craftsman roundover bit I usd on my last tele. The "sealed" bearing spit oil all along the edge of a sweet one-piece body. I was so focused on keeping the router steady and I didn't notice until I was done. Almost all my bits have guide bearings and none of them did that. I later noticed the package said, "made in China". I got a refund and I'll never buy another Chinese bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsilver Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 All of my pattern cutting bits, and many others, come from here I've had good results thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB7539 Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 I get all my bits from Infinity Tools. They are awesome bits for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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