Up cut Spiral Bit

I was going to say that I'm not aware of any bit that can't be used in a router table but then I thought about the keyhole bit and it would be really hard to use in a table but the rest should be okay I think.

I can't imagine NOT using a table for a keyhole bit.

The upcut bit has spirals that will eject the saw dust out of the hole and usually leaves a rougher edge at the surface of the work. The down spiral does the opposite and pushes the waste (sawdust down and compacts it in the kerf. So if you need a very smooth surface use a down cut spiral bit. If you are cutting through and you need the top to be smoother than the bottom use a down cut. If you want a smooth bottom with a through cut then use an upcut. Both have their place. If the surface finish is not important then I would use the upcut because the kerf is not packed with sawdust on non-through cuts that has to extracted.

I went to great pains to answer your question above. Literally as I was answering your question I got a very deep cramp in my left thigh. It was one of those that really hurt. I hobbled to the freezer and got a pickle pop (Frozen Pickle Juice) to help relive the cramp. I buy the pickle pop at Walmart in the pickle section. It usually works in about 2-3 minutes. I occassionally get foot and calf cramps and the Pickle Pop really works. If it is bad enough i have to eat two. But in my haste to get the pickle pop down I got brain freeze. I do not which is worse the bad leg cramp or the brain freeze. Anyway the lengths we go through to help the fellow router forum members. Plus I threw my arm out of socket patting my self on the back for answering your question.

Guy, that was a good answer but maybe lay off the cramps. I have a bad habit of getting upper legs cramps that feel like steel and walking is the only thing that seems to work as long as I can get started. Those foot cramps are another thing altogether. My wife looks at me like I'm trying to kick start an old Indian cycle and it takes the weight sometimes just to get the foot flat again. But those pesky hand cramps after a solid workout and loss of a bucket of sweat while trying to eat dinner is maybe not as bad but damned inconvenient. My grandkids think I'm trying to give weird Startrek hand signals. Sometimes I need to pull the fingers back to "normal". Pickle Pop, never heard of such a concocktion. Back in school before football practice we'd be given salt tablets which usually after taking left me a bit nauseous but seemed to work.

Did I mention good answer?

Guy,

I used to get really bad cramps or ''Charley horses'' in my legs in the early morning hours while sleeping. I was advised to try Magnesium pills and lt works very well !!! No more cramps or PAIN, 'cause we all know how much those Charley horses can hurt.

Dan

Thanks Guy for the answer on the spiral bits. As far as the pickle juice, I think you are right on point there also. They have a bicycle ride across our state in late July which attracts somewhere between 15,000 to 20,000 riders and from the people I know who participate, pickle juice is a very popular remedy for cramping. I never heard anyone talk about 'pickle pops' or the frozen variety, but I know pickle juice is widely used.