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re: Router bits?
Also have had great luck with the Yonico bits. Specifically with anything straight, or like Nathan, upcut, downcut, compression, spirals, which I use for edging more than any others. So Plywood bits, and any of the top bearing bottom bearing or even both bearing edging bits. I haven't used any of the profile type, or bits with anything except a straight cutting edge though. For plywood I do dados enough that I do have the Whiteside set, and keep them for really good plywood BB, and Appleply, stuff like that, meant to be machined stuff. I use the Yonico's on XYZ plywood, and even exterior plywood I use for rougher stuff like shop cabinets. The glues used on the XYZ stuff is harder on good cutting tools, so I throw the cheaper bits at it.
Versus Bruce's experience, maybe they do straight well, curves not so much?
Time has had me leery of anything from Woodline, or P Tree, more bads than goods. MCLS is ~~~~~~ again seems like straight are better than curves. Found on clearance, and elsewhere I will gobble up profiles I like from Trend, but I haven't seen any in a while. Of course I have a pile of the smaller Trend routers too.
Pretty sure American Eagle is the upcharged version of MCLS. Due to less than stellar results I have had with them, I am hesitant to spend upcharged amounts for bits from A.E., but I have not used any, so it might be my loss? Some of the ones I did look at, were within pennies of Whiteside though, and if it's that much WS is always gonna win, again based on past history.
I have maybe one, or 2 bits each from Rockler, and WoodCraft, both are ok, doing what I bought them for, not enough real world experience with either to say if they are across the board are worth a look. I think for me the Yonicos have that spot. I also have not had enough good luck with CMT (orange) or Irwin, any of the off brand, but name brand stuff you see. Like Bosch, and sometime Freud to have them listed as a top tier bit, and all of them run higher than Yonico, so again I'd tilt a seldom used bit to Yonico. So Whiteside, or Yonico/
There are an entire bunch of bits, many supposed to be for CNC, most all have colorful tips, and ALL of them are heavily PIMPED by an online woodworker. I love Jonathan Katz Moses, but he'd sell skunks to his Mom if he could turn a buck, he has some bits n such or somesortashit, and he PIMPS the crap out of them, but I have yet to see anther reviewer, magazine, or anyone else pick that flag up and run with it. Stuff like that I seldom jump into unless I start seeing other notable persons or entities doing same. IOW I want redundant reviews to change my path through life. Stumpy is another who PIMPS hard, and swears them to be the best, but there are many I would think. That, as I see it is the danger of Online Gods, and Goddesses. Many sell junk, and use their name to do it.
Mike at TayTools, and JKM both are selling that CMT stuff hard, and my experience is it comes to you dull, and gets no better. Especially their drill bits. After such Underwhelming experience with the bits, I have steered clear of router bits, and saw blades. For 1/32 of what I paid for the bits they were junk. I'd sell them off, but would feel bad doing that to someone, so I plan to eat the cost, and have a lifetime of saying what I think of them. I bought a kit from Mike, and it had a single CMT router bit, just a simple straight cutter. I don't think it was a spiral, and it too was crap, so I think saying blades and bits are all in the same range. I'd review them, but even one star makes them look salvageable, they are not IMHO that either, so until they allow for negative numbers I'll just drop little F bombs like this one.
Total agreement with don't buy sets. Only what you plan to actually use, or you will have some bits like I do from 1960 with no use. If I live long enough I hope to recoup the cost of that stupid set I did buy, with just a few virgin "antique" bits. :-)
Versus Bruce's experience, maybe they do straight well, curves not so much?
Time has had me leery of anything from Woodline, or P Tree, more bads than goods. MCLS is ~~~~~~ again seems like straight are better than curves. Found on clearance, and elsewhere I will gobble up profiles I like from Trend, but I haven't seen any in a while. Of course I have a pile of the smaller Trend routers too.
Pretty sure American Eagle is the upcharged version of MCLS. Due to less than stellar results I have had with them, I am hesitant to spend upcharged amounts for bits from A.E., but I have not used any, so it might be my loss? Some of the ones I did look at, were within pennies of Whiteside though, and if it's that much WS is always gonna win, again based on past history.
I have maybe one, or 2 bits each from Rockler, and WoodCraft, both are ok, doing what I bought them for, not enough real world experience with either to say if they are across the board are worth a look. I think for me the Yonicos have that spot. I also have not had enough good luck with CMT (orange) or Irwin, any of the off brand, but name brand stuff you see. Like Bosch, and sometime Freud to have them listed as a top tier bit, and all of them run higher than Yonico, so again I'd tilt a seldom used bit to Yonico. So Whiteside, or Yonico/
There are an entire bunch of bits, many supposed to be for CNC, most all have colorful tips, and ALL of them are heavily PIMPED by an online woodworker. I love Jonathan Katz Moses, but he'd sell skunks to his Mom if he could turn a buck, he has some bits n such or somesortashit, and he PIMPS the crap out of them, but I have yet to see anther reviewer, magazine, or anyone else pick that flag up and run with it. Stuff like that I seldom jump into unless I start seeing other notable persons or entities doing same. IOW I want redundant reviews to change my path through life. Stumpy is another who PIMPS hard, and swears them to be the best, but there are many I would think. That, as I see it is the danger of Online Gods, and Goddesses. Many sell junk, and use their name to do it.
Mike at TayTools, and JKM both are selling that CMT stuff hard, and my experience is it comes to you dull, and gets no better. Especially their drill bits. After such Underwhelming experience with the bits, I have steered clear of router bits, and saw blades. For 1/32 of what I paid for the bits they were junk. I'd sell them off, but would feel bad doing that to someone, so I plan to eat the cost, and have a lifetime of saying what I think of them. I bought a kit from Mike, and it had a single CMT router bit, just a simple straight cutter. I don't think it was a spiral, and it too was crap, so I think saying blades and bits are all in the same range. I'd review them, but even one star makes them look salvageable, they are not IMHO that either, so until they allow for negative numbers I'll just drop little F bombs like this one.
Total agreement with don't buy sets. Only what you plan to actually use, or you will have some bits like I do from 1960 with no use. If I live long enough I hope to recoup the cost of that stupid set I did buy, with just a few virgin "antique" bits. :-)
