Looking For A Rare Router Bit

[stereordinary]

I'm trying to find a router bit that apparently doesn't exist. You know those 45° chamfer bits with the ball bearing on the end? It would be like that, but with a steeper angle. I already found one with a 30° chamfer. It was a Craftsman "raised panel" bit that actually didn't have the ball bearing, but I set it up in a pin router. But 30° is apparently too steep. I'm not actually sure what angle I'm looking for, but if I can find some place that sells chamfer bits in a variety of angles between 30° and 45°, then I can order a variety and try them out until I get just the right one.

Anybody know where I can find something like that?

[DC Ross]

I'd be really surprised if you found something between 30 and 45... This is the closest I could find.

[avengers63]

Could you rig up a dovetail bit? I don't know what the available degree angles are on them, but it's a thought.

[stereordinary]

Hmm, that Infinity Tool link is helpful. I may be able to use those bits for something else.

Unfortunately the dovetail bit idea won't work. I thought of that, turning a bit sideways and using it sort of reverse of the way it would normally go, but I don't think it would work. At least not without some major jig being built and possibly some loss of fingertips.

Still looking...

[stereordinary]

I just noticed something. Don't know why I didn't think of it at first. In the Infinity Tool diagram (below) they measure 30° as being less steep than 45°. It's entirely possible that I got things mixed up when I was talking about the Craftsman bit that I have, but I'm looking to go the other way. So what Infinity calls 30° is less steep (in my terminology) than 45°, and I am therefore looking for something more steep than 45°. Am I making any sense?

So I guess I'm looking for something 50° or therabouts.

[Rick500]

Maybe Item # 7723 at this link?: http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc...es/bt_sign.html

It says 120 degrees, so I'm thinking that would be 60 degrees from vertical.

It doesn't have a bearing, but you could get around that a number of ways.

[stereordinary]

Hmm. Only $28 not bad. Might do the trick. I'm gonna wait a bit and see if there's still one out there with the bearing, but otherwise, that just might be the one to order. Thanks!

[Supernova9]

Maybe Item # 7723 at this link?: http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc...es/bt_sign.html

It says 120 degrees, so I'm thinking that would be 60 degrees from vertical.

It doesn't have a bearing, but you could get around that a number of ways.

That would give a 30degree bevel, which the OP has already said is too steep.

[stereordinary]

Dang it.

Still looking...

[Rick500]

It'd be 30 degrees from horizontal, though, not vertical. 60 degrees from vertical.

Something like this.

[stereordinary]

See, that's exactly why this is confusing.

[Rick500]

I think that's why, on the site I linked, they're describing the actual full angle of the metal bit itself rather than the angle of the cut it makes.

If the bit itself is a 120 degree angle, then there's no mistaking what it is. From the spin axis of any bit to horizontal (the work surface) is 90 degrees. Half of the 120 degree bit takes up 60 degrees of that 90 degree angle, leaving 30 degrees from the cutting surfaces to horizontal. (In the chart you posted above, that would have been marked as 60 degrees because they're labelling them, for some reason, as degrees from the spin axis, not degrees from horizontal.)

[stereordinary]

Thanks for taking the time to explain all that!

Though that bit is still my best bet so far, I think that it's probablty too steep for my purpose. I'll probably get it anyway, but I'm afraid it's going to be identical to the Craftsman bit I already have.

[perhellion]

I saw Norm Abrams make some molding with a shaper once where he was using a custom made bit. Someone could custom make any shape you want. Probably not cheap though.

[stereordinary]

Yeah, I think I saw where someone on this forum had some custom-made router bits that he got for doing the radiusing on his fingerboards, an he said they were about $200 a piece. I'm considering going that route, but I don't know of any place that does them.

[Woodenspoke]

Yeah, I think I saw where someone on this forum had some custom-made router bits that he got for doing the radiusing on his fingerboards, an he said they were about $200 a piece. I'm considering going that route, but I don't know of any place that does them.

Maybe you should look at Raised Panel bits. Also providing more information like what you plan on using your bit for may help everyone who has tried to answer your mystery bit question. Many online router bit companies have a huge selection of bits. If you can't find what you want there than you need to throw us a bone here.

[stereordinary]

I'm not intentionally trying to be vague, but admittedly it does involve an idea that I would like to keep proprietary. It's just a very minor detail. One of those things that only super-vintage-geeks would notice.

I've looked at raised panel bits a lot. I own three now and still they are all too "steep". Plus, it doesn't need to be so big. I only need a tiny cutting length.

[j. pierce]

I've seen bits like you're looking for. They're quite large, kind of scary and dangerous, and generally made to be used with a shaper rather than a router. The bits are often quite expensive and are often made to be mounted on a spindle, rather than having an integral shaft. The spindles on shapers are often 3/4". When they get to be the angles you're looking for, they end up being several inches across. Something like this might do something akin to what you're looking for, although that's 15 degrees rather than 30 - you can see it's 5 inches across.

the problem is that as you change the angle of the bit, it naturally becomes much wider - making it narrower would also make the bit much thinner, unless you had a lot of unused mass on the top. This means the thing is spinning at some ridiculous speeds at the outer edge of the bit - I'm not sure you could slow down a router enough to use that large a bit safely.

If you don't need a lot of width (you talk about not needing a lot of cutting length) could you perhaps find a V-grooving bit that suits your purposes?

EDIT: Sorry, some of this is redundant - missed the most recent replies.

[Woodenspoke]

I'm not intentionally trying to be vague, but admittedly it does involve an idea that I would like to keep proprietary. It's just a very minor detail. One of those things that only super-vintage-geeks would notice.

I've looked at raised panel bits a lot. I own three now and still they are all too "steep". Plus, it doesn't need to be so big. I only need a tiny cutting length.

I know StuMac will steal your idea, seems to be a theme. How about a vertical raised panel bit. My best guess other than buying a shaper and a holder so you can get some profiles made at a reasonable cost. Of course the shaper isnt cheap and cheap shapers are garbage.

[stereordinary]

So, I guess you can set specific angles with shapers? I wouldn't know I've never used one and they look frightening.

[Woodenspoke]

So, I guess you can set specific angles with shapers? I wouldn't know I've never used one and they look frightening.

Just as scary as any other machine that will remove fingers. I am referring to holders which use straight HSS blanks secured by set screws. Shapes can be cut like key blanks. Again not knowing the application makes for many unknowns. Carbide welded custom cutters are more expensive to fabricate and will cost a pretty penny. Routers and Shapers are similar but different. If you look at a molding planer it is the same basic premise. The difference being you do not need to run the part through the full length.

[stereordinary]

Interesting. Thanks for your help with this, I think I may have come up with a solution. I'll need to invest in a quality router table, but I think I'm gonna just use a 45° bevel bit and then shim up to it. I can't really describe it well, but it should do the trick.