[Julie]

I know this has been discussed a little before, but...
Do you prefer Horizontal or Vertical???
(Panel Bits, panel bits!!! )
I'm going to do some pine kitchen doors and wondering what's the best way to go.
Any suggestions, comments, etc. much appreciated.

~Julie~

 

[Hickory]

I like doing raised panels Horizontal becuase i think you have better control laying the material flat on the table rather than up on the edge against the fence..I alao like using the Horizontal bit becuase it has a back cutter on it.Gives it a finished look to the back of the panel.
Some routers will not except these large raised panel bits and people choose to use the vertical type..If you are doing small doors that are easy to handle , vertical would probably work out fine.

Hickory

 

[jerrymayfield]

Equally important you can't follow a pattern as you can with a horizontal bit, so no arch or cathedral type doors.

Regards
Jerry

 

[Julie]

No one seems to want to comment on this except Jerry and "Hickory." According to Lee Valley, the vertical panel bits are safer to use and put less load on the router. I'm not doing arched doors, and I have a Hitachi M12V, so still not sure of what bit to buy.
Anyone else with comments???
Thanks,
~Julie~

 

[reible]

I only own the horizontal type because that is all I knew about when I got mine... don't know how long the vertical type has been around. I do think if I were to order any at this time I would most likely order the vertical.

I really don't like that 3" cutter spinning around at 12000 rpm on a router and table, miss my shaper that felt a lot safer...

I also should point out that a lot of router tables and sub-bases and mounting plates are not designed for that large of a bit. If you got the standard oak-park mounting plate for your Hitachi then it has the 1-1/2 hole...... so you will need to get the large hole one or make a sub-table top to use the horz. bits. You might also want to check if your router has any metal ears for mounting template guides that could get in the way...

If I were using the vert. bits I would make a taller fence and some sort of feather board to keep the panels vertical and against the fence.

One other small plus is price. I have a catalog sitting here and the verticals are priced at $50(US) each while the horz. are $55

I think Jerry mentioned the only down side I can think of.... and as Hickory mentioned if you were to do really big panels it might be an issue.

Now before we leave the subject if you want to make the job easy you might want to get a horizontal router table.... the sell for less then $200 here in the US.... check out:
www.mlcswoodworking.com

Ed

 

[reible]

One thing that I forgot to mention was the fact that horizontal bits can also be purchased with "undercutters"........ don't have any of these so I don't know how well they work but that could be another plus for horizontal bits.

Ed

 

[jerrymayfield]

There are many more profiles available with the horizontal bits. While they are more expensive they can do more. The few times I have used pine the major problem,for me, was burning. Leave enough material to make make a final (very shallow) clean-up cut to remove any blemishes.

Regards

Jerry