Bit sharpening
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Hi Rocdoc, welcome.
I have had the same experience, but the question is, does it matter? As long as the leading edge is sharp, the flattness of the bit face will not contribute to the cut - it is not in contact with the wood. Might affect the bit’s balance and therefore vibration.
I have had the same experience, but the question is, does it matter? As long as the leading edge is sharp, the flattness of the bit face will not contribute to the cut - it is not in contact with the wood. Might affect the bit’s balance and therefore vibration.
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Why aren't you sending it in to be sharpened?
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Found this picture of sharpening a bit with a diamond card. FYI
![Gesture Wood Finger Nail Thumb]()
Why are you sharpening it? A router bit isn't like a saw blade. Unless you are in a production mode, your bit should last a lifetime. I have bits that I bought in the 70's that are still going strong, and these are cheap bits. I can't imagine the average person dulling a router bit. Maybe if it's a common bit like a round over in which case I would just buy a new one. Yours looks like a panel bit and to dull one of those you would have to do dozens and dozens of panels.
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It's common to have bit sharpened. It's only $5 to sharpen a router bit from a professional...
Raised panel bits will get you between 75 and 150 panels depending on the manufacturer of the bit..
Sorry router bits don't stay sharp for life unless you don't use them...
.A production shop would turn out 75 to 150 panels in a day and would want to keep their bits sharp. The average joe might do the equivalent 3 or 4 kitchens in a lifetime so the 75 to 150 panels should be no problem. I think what you meant to say is that router bits don't stay sharp for a lifetime if you use them on a regular basis. I would agree with that, but they don't have a shelf life so if you use them as an average person does, they should outlive you. But as I said everyday bits like round over bits are another story. For those high use bits just buy new ones.
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I don't think anyone has mentioned this,but the cutters can accumulate pitch from some woods, so cleaning with a saw blade cleaner might be all that's needed for a home shop's bits.
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If you use a router bit regularly, it's going to need sharpening. Professional shops normally don't use routers to make doors unless, like me you were trying to break into the business..
My point is that the amount of use that a router bit gets will determine if it ever needs sharpening. We are in agreement that if it's used a lot, it should be sharpened or thrown out. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to sharpen a $15 dollar bit. It also doesn't look like the bit he is talking about is a $15 dollar bit it looks like a panel raising bit. To me that means that bit probably hasn't been used much (unless he is in the business of making cabinets). As you pointed out he would not be using a router but a shaper. And if he was in the business of making cabinets then I doubt that he would be asking about sharpening since he would already know about it. Taking my assumptions one step farther, he could just as easily ruin the bit by trying to sharpen it rather than actually sharpen it
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