I have some of their carbide spiral bits and they are pretty good. Don't know about their HSS bits. What are you cutting?

You can get 3 HSS bits at HF for $13 before the 20% coupon.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-spiral-mortising-router-bit-set-66733.html

 

HI Gavin

I have my share of the solid carb.spiral bits and they are great but back away from the HSS ones, unless you like the color of black and blue on bits..

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Anyone have these bits or even just a general opinion ?
They are very cheap (practically disposable at $10), even with postage they would end up being less than half the price of the only spiral bits i can get here (festool hss spiral bits)

MLCS solid carbide router bits

 

I don't really care about the color only the cut and I have used the ones from HF on occasion and have had no problems with them at all. I would venture to say they are prolly the same manufacturer as others but just rebranded under another name and price. For the money(I paid $6.99) they are well worth the price as most of the wood I used them on were pine and the cut thru that like butta. on hardwood they worked well also.

 

Thing that has me kinda tempted me is they are available in 5/8" and 3/4" CD. Haven't tempted me enough to spring for 'em yet though

 

Hi

HSS steel can't hold the cutting edge, heat will kill any cutting tool.

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The so-called catch-22 with bits is that, at least in theory, a sharper edge can be put on HSS than on carbide. But, the HSS edge is more prone to dulling quickly than carbide. So, a lot depends on what is being cut, and how the cut is being made. It should also be noted that the solid carbide bits are much more brittle than HSS. As such, particularly with the smaller bits, cuts need to be made gingerly to avoid breakage.

 

HI Ralph

When was the last time you tried to sharpen a spiral bit , I have tried and I got some great looking short dull tent stakes I think one that trys that job will have a router bit on one end a fool on on the other end spiral bits are on the very high end of router bit design..

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I have 2 festool hss spiral bits, and yes they did get too hot at some point and have changed colour, but they are still very sharp and able to perform their tasks. For the price of them though, I am disappointed. I think I paid close to 80 euros for the 2 !!
These harbour freight ones have caught my eye but the image of them does not match the description.
It says they are 1/4 inch shank, but the picture shows 3 different shank sizes, an I don't think you would have a 1/2 inch cutter on a 1/4 inch shank !?

Tommy, can you confirm the shank sizes for me ?

 

Gav, thats the same thing I noticed in the picture. And my local HF didn't have any in stock to check out last week. Maybe the new one opening up closer will have them, plus maybe some good Grand Opening deals as well.
3 Piece Spiral Mortising Router Bit Set

 

1/4" x 3",1/2" x 3 1/4", 3/8" x 3" M2 HSS Double Flute, RH Twist 65 deg. up cut and draw angle. They work great for mortise and box joints IMO

 

Hi

Note the shank size

" * Precision ground up-cut spiral design allows maximum material removal while keeping bits free of chips and shavings
* M2 high speed steel runs cooler, lasts longer
* Includes sizes 1/4" x 3", 1/2" x 3-1/4" and 3/8" x 3"
* 1/4" shank

Double flute, right hand twist design"

3 Piece Spiral Mortising Router Bit Set

It sounds like the cheap S & D dill bits almost .

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I'll take tommy's word that they're all different shank sizes like the picture.

Bob, do you really think you could have a 1/2 inch cutter on a 1/4 inch shank ?

 

Why not, Gav? Lots of my bits are bigger than my shank sizes. Bob's reference to S+D bits, which you might know as blacksmiths' bits, covers drill bits up to a couple of inches on shanks that are rarely more than 1/2".

Admittedly sharpening spiral HSS bits is not something for a simple D/E bench grinder, but is quite feasible on a tool & cutter grinder. If I ever finish my Quorn, it was designed for such things.

Woodrat actually recommend and supply HSS cutters, although I've none with mine, but I'd be wary of the material I used them on if I did. Certainly not on MDF or plywood.
OTOH, one of Woodrat's reasons is that they can make much more delicate cutters in HSS, giving dovetail angles much nearer to hand cut ones, than is possible with TC.

Cheers

Peter

 

I also have normal straight bits that have cutters larger than the shank but I have never seen a spiral bit that has a cutting diameter twice that of the shank.
Close to all the spiral bits I've viewed have cutters equal or less than the shank.
Maybe it's possible to have a 1/2 inch cutter on 1/4 inch shank, but I have looked at a lot of sprial bits online and never seen anything like it.

Would you be interested in getting the HF ones Peter ? Postage is cheaper spread over more items. I bought some bits from jvl and had them sent here via a friend in switzerland and didn't get stuck with any import costs. Pretty sure we can do the same from US.

 

Hi Gavin

The bits on the web page may not be 1/4" shanks size like they state but many can't use the 3/8" bit so it's just one more bit in the bit tool box..so you get two bits made of HSS ..for that price...that you can use..

I will say I have 3 bits made out of HSS (for the JessEm mill slot machine) but they suggest the max. speed of 500-600 rpm's for them..I would never spin them at 16,000 rpm's I know what they will look like in just short time..

1/2" cutter and bigger on a 1/4" shank is no big deal you will see them all the time..

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(GENERAL OPINION) I have never used these bits. I will say, though; $10.00 is truly a "disposable" price for a quality bit. It is an easy matter to sharpen drill bits - because all of the cutting is done on the tip, however; the tip is only a teeny-weeny fraction of the cutting edge on a spiral router bit. Buy the bits, if you need spiral bits! Why would one take the time to sharpen a "disposable router bit". GOOD LUCK! OPG3

 

'1/2" cutter and bigger on a 1/4" shank is no big deal you will see them all the time'

Really ? I still can't find any trace of such a spiral bit.
Can you post a link ?

 

HI gav

Not the norm on spiral bits but the norm on carb.tip bits. but the other way around is norm on spiral bits ..

http://www.holbren.com/spiral-downcut-hss/

http://www.holbren.com/spiral-upcut-hss/

http://www.holbren.com/spiral-upcut/

http://magnate.net/index.cfm?event=showCategory&theID=39
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FWIW, I posted some pics of them miked and the packaging advise's not to use above 30K rpm, Thats good advice for most any router bit". However I have found these work best at about 10-12k rpm and for the money are hard to beat. Others here will continue to downplay HF tools and that's their perogative but these to me are inexpensive throwaway bits for mortising and box joints and do the job. If thats all you need and for the money they will do the work I would give them my TOMMYT654 seal of approvel for that price I can buy several sets and be happy with them

 

Hi Gav

I'm definitely up for it. I do have a 1/4" collet for the DeWalt.

Cheers

Peter

 

Hi Mike

Just pulling your leg a little bit, I have two Full sets of adapters from MLCS, I use the 3/8" one all the time to hold my drill chuck in my router , along with the brass guides and the metric drill bits to drill the holes for the metric size shelf support pins.
By the way the adapters are harder than the HSS router bits (spring steel adapters)

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I think ya'll misreading the add as printed. What they mean is 3/8 x 3 1/4 inch not 1/4 inch shank and the photos I posted clearly show that. What gives, can folks not see that micrometer in the picture? Are they not showing up for anyone other than me? Hopefully these pics will clarify things for good

 

Got it ! Thanks for the clarification. 3/8" is a rum size for a router bit. I don't think I've seen 3/8" shank router bits before.

Cheers

Peter

 

3/8" is a rum size for a router bit. I don't think I've seen 3/8" shank router bits before.

Very old standard from years back, Stanley used to sell loads of them. deWalt still list a 3/8in collet for the DW625/DW624/DW626/MOF177e/MOF98/MOF77/3338/3339/T10/T11, reference DE6275. Another good reason to go MOF177 IMHO! :yes4:

Myth: High-Speed Steel (HSS) bits lose their edge and have been superseded by Tungsten Carbide Tipped (TCT) bits. Nobody uses HSS anymore.

Fact: It’s true that TCT bits last a very long time. However HSS bits can be easily sharpened to a much finer edge using a Diamond Whetstone. Because they are engineered from a single piece of steel, HSS bits can be crafted to match the traditional shape of a hand-cut dovetail even at miniature sizes. Jigs that rely on TCT bits simply cannot produce this quality of work.

Yes, but..... HSS spirals (in fact any spirals) can't be sharpened at home. It requires a special automated grinder to do the job. And the problem is that HSS spirals are generally so cheap that they're simply not worth sharpening. Ergo they are in effect a disposable product. I've bought HSS spirals from Clico in Sheffield in the past (it used to be their biggest product by far - used extensively in the aerospace industry on aluminium, plastics and composites) and they were certainly dirt cheap against SC (solid carbide) bits. What they don't do well is anything with aggresively abrasive adhesives in them - MDF, particle and flake boards, plywoods, etc for which carbide cutters are more appropriate

Regards

Phil

 

Not a problem,They actually work quite well for the money and with a 20% off coupon widely available they are cheap enough to get sevreral sets Peter

 

Tommy the package is marked correctly but the online ad does state 1/4" shank.
I also just found 1/4" with 1/4"shank and 3/8" and 1/2" with 1/2" shank 3 packs at the newly opened HF in my area for about $10 to $12 . they are not going to be the longest lasting bits but if your going to be cutting MDF or plywood that can be tough on the bits then these are better than trashing your more costly bits.

 

I was having the some issues with HHS spiral bits. I wanted to sharpen them myself, so I bought a 7 axis tool grinder and now I spend more time sharpening bits for others than I spend cutting wood. I make a little $$ and I always hve sharp bits in my shop