Is it realistic

[sunnybob]

To sharpen router bits?
I have a couple of flush trim bits that are now no longer flush trimming. They are tearing lumps out of softwood.
Even the mediocre replacements here are 20 quid plus, so an EASY and UNCOMPLICATED way of sharpening would be good.

 

[AndyP]

There are better experts around here than I Wealdon tend to know what they are talking about

https://www.wealdentool.com/kb/rons-tip ... ters-care/

 

[9fingers]

Any sharpening will reduce the diameter so with a bearing guided cutter a step will be formed.
Try leaving the absolute minimum to trim off and look at the grain changes and consider climb cutting in the vulnerable zones.
When doing your commissions consider building in cost of tooling.
Bob

 

[AJB Temple]

Excellent Weldon post from Andy there. Well worth a read. :text-+1:

 

[sunnybob]

That wealdon page was short enough that I only had to speed read a bit of it
But it looks like its not worth the effort on my flush trim bits.
A= because it shortens the diameter,
B = because I would have to find somewhere to buy the diamond files.
C= because its too damn fiddly.

I dont normally make much profit on what I sell, because after all, this is my hobby and I dont need to make money from it, but strangely enough the 2 adirondack chairs I am making now will give me a nice "extra" as I priced them a bit higher as I didnt really want to do them :lol: . So I shall order a couple more bits on monday

 

[Mike Jordan]

I bought a set of diamond plates 150mm X 50mm in fine, medium, and coarse for £15 about ten years ago. The medium and coarse plates sharpen the HSS planer knives and the fine is used for router cutters. Only cutters of 12mm diameter or more, and lengths up to 25mm ( including rounding over cutters) are involved but I find it very effective and easy to do. You only need to take off about 1 thou to restore the sharp edge so I haven't noticed any reduction in diameter. Smaller and longer cutters go to my saw doctor as a small batch for sharpening. Only decent brands of cutter are worth sending, the cheapCC ones are not worth the cost.
I put the plate horizontal on the bench and rub the cutter on it after removing the guide bearing, white spirit being used as lubricant,

 

[novocaine]

I feel this ere is time for some secret majic.
On a bit of soft wood, use the router to form a few inches of profile. With me so far? Good
Now recite the following befote moving forwards. Losotua losotua, great as it be, bring unto me the majic of thee.

Good. Now apply a bit of autosol to your profile. Remove router bit and put it in your drill. Run it backwards along your profiled edge a few times. Done. You have a sharper bit again.

Note, majic only works with bearing guided bits.

 

[novocaine]

Now yell me that isn't what a great innovator of the router wpuld let ypu know about?

 

[Lurker]

Now yell me that isn't what a great innovator of the router wpuld let ypu know about?

He uses trend, they never go blunt nor fail.

 

[novocaine]

I should also add that this will only work a couple of times. After which the relief will be gone and the cutter is scrap unless ypu face it with a stone back to the right angle.

 

[sunnybob]

I feel this ere is time for some secret majic.
On a bit of soft wood, use the router to form a few inches of profile. With me so far? Good
Now recite the following befote moving forwards. Losotua losotua, great as it be, bring unto me the majic of thee.

Good. Now apply a bit of autosol to your profile. Remove router bit and put it in your drill. Run it backwards along your profiled edge a few times. Done. You have a sharper bit again.

Note, majic only works with bearing guided bits.

I ran this though google translate;
I got a message telling that there was I D ten T error .
Any chance of an English like wot the Queen speaks translation?

 

[clogs]

SunnyBob,
started to look at Germany for stuff....even Holland and Belgium........
thats with all the kerfuffle over Brexit probs....
I wont start to order from the UK again until it all settles down.....
just ordered a Milwaukee product from Germany...1/2 the UK price and no hastle with import duties....

I use a lot of very specialist taps n dies.....I just add a fiver - tenner to the bill to help pay for them....
bought a big 1,1/2 tap the other day £86 and thn I needed the die....ouch...
sorry but clients have to pay extra for specialist gear....
they can like it or lump it or go away, I dont much care.....

 

[Trevanion]

There are some companies out there that will grind your carbide cutters for a bit of extended life if the cutting circle accuracy isn't particularly important. I guess that's not a particularly helpful suggestion for you though, Bob, being where you are there can't be many places that would do that.

I've never found lapping bits on a diamond plate really helped the sharpness much, definitely nowhere near the same level as a brand new bit anyway.

 

[sunnybob]

The last company I worked for back in the UK (up till '08), added £5 "consumables" as a matter of course, as a separate item on the invoice for every job. This covered things like electrical crimps, pipe thread tape, and self tapping screws. Often we didnt actually use any extras, but that fiver always went into the pot.

I knew a fried chicken shop owner who put away a fiver for each and every machine in his kitchen, every week, to cover breakdown repair costs. I had to visit his shop at 1 am one friday night (sat morning), and he didnt even flinch at my bill. :shock: :lol:

But back to my current world :lol:
If I make stuff for other people, its enough for me to cover material costs and a few beers, as I dont charge for my time because its a hobby. If I did it would work out around 2 new pence per hour. :eusa-naughty:

I use my router a lot, so have to get used to idea that now I need to buy new cutters ('m tight like that)
Luckily, there is an on island main stockist of DIMAR tools. I have bought a couple and they seem to be good quality without being stupidly priced. :eusa-clap:

 

[Woodbloke]

I usually always just touch up one edge only on my router cutters and it’s the one that still reduces the diameter, but it’s so small it ain’t worth bothering about. If the other edge is sharpened, the dia will reduce fairly rapidly. I use an Extra-Fine (green) DMT to do the sharpening but the edge is never as good as a brand new one, but it’s still workable - Rob

 

[sunnybob]

But that means that the wood is hit with a blunt edge before before being sliced with a sharp edge.
How can that give a clean finished cut?

 

[Woodbloke]

But that means that the wood is hit with a blunt edge before before being sliced with a sharp edge.
How can that give a clean finished cut?

Nope, the edge isn’t blunt but ‘workable’ and not as sharp as a brand new cutter. I’ve used a Wealdon rebate cutter for about 20 years now, simply by giving one edge a little tickle from time to time. Works fine - Rob