The best Spiral Router Bits: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Most of those look like rotary burs and are totally useless for CNC routing.

My go to bits are mostly single flute endmils. I also use 2 flute compression or up/down cut endmills quite a bit. I usually just pick up inexpensive packs on amazon.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Carbide-AFUNTA-Milling-Acrylic-Hardwood/dp/B07FGFHTG8/

or

https://www.amazon.com/HOZLY-3-175x22mm-Carbide-Cutters-Compression/dp/B073RK6F8N/

These are great.

You may be best served by buying a 10 pack of 2 flute ball end and 2 flute strait cutters. Work out your feeds and speeds and the rest from there. I just cut out a mini table saw in aluminum on a old ox router with these https://www.amazon.com/HQMaster-Carbide-Router-Acrylic-Hardwood/dp/B010NI39WO/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1BLCW7JK9CZKS&keywords=2+flute+carbide+end+mill&qid=1664866092&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjk0IiwicXNhIjoiMi43NSIsInFzcCI6IjIuMTMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=2+...

Small flat endmills. like this or equiv. is what I use. My boards are generally pretty small (my blanks are 7x10cm. If you have lots of holes and it will be a pita to drill em by hand, something like this as well.

If you plan on cnc drilling, buy a couple of bit sets, it will take ya some time on the learning curve to get the programming right and you will break the lil one.

Also, start reading on height mapping - this is an absolute must for good boards as all of em are a bit warped (and use a pretty high density of points if your board is crowded or very detailed). If you are only going to use the same size blanks, then make a pocket jig out of mdf or something when you first get the cnc, if you are cranking the same board out over and over makes it easy as you can do the individual steps on several boards very quickly.

Sorry state side here but maybe you can find this brand down there. This was the one I bought in 2012. I still have it and use it. They make top bearing bits as well, I’m just not sure what you specifically need. The brand is Whiteside and they were recommended by the guitar building circle back in my day.

RFT5200 SOLID CARBIDE 2 FLUTE UP-CUT SPIRAL FLUSH TRIM ROUTER BIT 1/2 DIA X 2" CL X 1/2" SHANK

The one thing about spiral bits is that you need to have the material evacuate in a certain direction. I believe the direction changes for where the bearing is but don’t quote me on that. Make sure you research that.

Also I don’t think you can climb cut with a spiral bit (at least by hand - might be doable by cnc).

What rate of depth cut should I do? I’m currently doing it at .006 (first depth where it isn’t melting plastic butnhavent speed things up feed rate wise yet) but would like to be somewhere around .01 or .02.

I also ordered a set of these. 12 PCS Carbide END Mill Cutter, AFUNTA 4 PCS 1/8" CNC Router Bits Double Flute Tools + 8 PCS 1 Flute Single Edged Milling Cutter (2 Types) for Nylon, Resin, ABS, Acrylic, PVC, MDF, Hardwood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FGFHTG8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_PTQ7GKK0ENHHE9026DZJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Hopefully they help! :)

You've got a lot of tear out causing all that fuzziness. Pine isn't a great material to work with - I did the same thing for my first cut. I've had good luck with compression bits to help minimize tear out when working with plywood (these.. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073RKCWGH/)

Personally - I am afraid of climb-cutting. Even though I can do it safely now and understand how and when it can be dangerous. I prefer a double bearing template bit, it allows to flip the work halfway through the router pass, adjust but height and proceed downhill the grain direction without climb cuts.

Whiteside template bit is very expensive, but I view it as essential safety gear. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009102BMK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_WBKEEW2ZZ6FTS16J2ZVT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Whiteside Router Bits RU4900 Standard Spiral Bit with Up Cut Solid Carbide 3/8-Inch Cutting Diameter and 1-1/4-Inch Cutting Length https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K28U2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_KNMFQXVY8PEE2K01Y88K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This is the exact one I use with my dado jig. Really enjoy it.

The bottom of the bit is an upcut, the top of the bit is a down cut. It really reduces tearout on full depth of cut cuts. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073RKCWGH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_8DA55C57ZV70RKZ0QXSM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I used the pointy ones with a flat on one side that came with the machine for the engraving, and it seems to have done a fine job, but when I went to cut all the way through, the bits I bought didn't work very well. They're almost more like a burr than a spiral cut bit and they chattered like mad and made a horrific noise, even when only cutting 1 mm depths per pass. Could this also be a speeds and feeds issue, or straight up the wrong tooling?

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07P7LGQJ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_A1S6Fb83QRJHE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Those are the bits in question.

Well, I've been able to actually cut aluminum projects with patience, the problem is I get some really bad chatter/vibrations on the bit. So what ends up happening is I either get some really nasty cuts where the bit starts wobbling and not cutting precisely & leaving a horrible finish. I think if the machine was more sturdy it could definitely handle it. I think most of the problem is in the Z axis assembly and the spindle itself. TechyDIY has a video on a spindle upgrade that looks nice but I can even hear some minor chatter when he attempts aluminum:

I had some good luck with the following settings when doing a contour:

• Single flute spiral bit
• Depth of cut: 0.8mm
• Feed: 300mm/min (going slower seemed ok too but I still got a lot of flex on the spindle, speeding up past 600mm/min was completely unusable with a LOT of bit wobble)
• Spindle Speed: Max, which supposedly is 10,000rpm (slowing this down seemed to only cause problems

my last purchase was at amazon: Whiteside Router Bits RU2100 Standard Spiral Bit with Up Cut Solid Carbide 1/4-Inch Cutting Diameter and 1-Inch Cutting Length

Try using a single-flute cutter, your chipload might be too low when using a 2-flute cutter. Try it with your current plunge rate and if you're still having issues, go with a more aggressive plunge rate. Set your router to the lowest RPM.

Plastic is soft (especially HDPE) and will tend to smear and melt unless you're taking healthy cuts.

Been a while since I've used Easel, but I think you can also set your travel rate slower to give the cutter time to cool between cuts if you're having tool heat issues.

I use these for cutting Kydex plastic and they work great: https://www.amazon.com/HQMaster-3-175mm-Milling-Engraving-Tungsten/dp/B07F35WQYG/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=single+flute+end+mill+1%2F8&qid=1599766649&sprefix=single+flute&sr=8-6

I do most of my machining with 1/8" bits. First thing i would recommend would be to not buy your bits from Carbide 3d. Get some endmills from Amazon. You can get a 5-pack of compression bits for $20, and at that price point, they are disposable. I make a lot of signs out of 1/4" baltic birch. I cut the entire depth in 1 pass. Using compression bits, i have very little cleanup.

Also, the feeds and speeds in Carbide Create are off. Its very possible you could be burning your bits by spinning too fast and moving too slow. For 1/4" baltic birch plywood, i generally have my router set on 3.5-4 on the speed dial, and change the feeds and speed on the toolpath to cut the full depth of the cut (~.230) and have the feedrate set at 50ipm and the plunge set at 40, and i have no problems burning bits, and my projects get done a lot faster than their recommended speeds. Try a small project with those settings and you can raise or lower the feedrate in Carbide Motion if you notice any chatter or you feel like the router is struggling. I find birch plywood cuts real easy with these bits, and cutting the full depth, i generally only have to do some quick touchup sanding on the back side of the project: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RKCWGH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These guys?

I'll have to pick up a set, I'm a week^tm from finally having my lowrider cnc set up and I have yet to buy endmills.

I highly reccomend this pack: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FGFHTG8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Bu98CbT1VPMF7

That guy posted him doing aluminum on his MPCNC with these bits so I bought some. Haven't done aluminum but I've done wood and acryllic with this set and I've been super pleased with the results.

I also bought a 1/4" two Flute upcut bit for clearing out pockets and cutting out larger stuff as well. Just bought a home depot Diablo bit off the self, works great. I'll probably get a Kodiak Cutting tool bit next time though.

I think so too. I got a router bit kit and they seem to be cheaply made. I bought spiral cut up bit from Amazon. Hopefully that'll fix the problem. how should I dial my speed for this bit?

I think this set is small enough and cheap enough that it makes sense. Plus, if you want to experiment with the edge treatment that you give a project, it is nice to have a few options. It wouldn't be fun to decide that you want an ogee and then spend the $50 on a nice ogee bit only to change your mind once you try it on some scrap.

I would recommend a spiral bit though if you plan on doing any mortises.