The best Trim Router Bits: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

you do not freehand on a router table, my friend.

Make thee a smooth shape in 1/2" plywood as a template, trace the shape onto your piece of wood, then jigsaw or bandsaw close to the line. Then, use pin nails or screws to attach your template to the workpiece on the B-side (the side that is not seen) and cut it with a Bottom bearing router bit

Repeat for every piece.

I have one of those but you're right, not long enough to do the side of a body but also probably more prone to tearout and gouges trying to cut the entire height of a body outline, better to get something shorter and take multiple shallow passes until you get all the material removed

like this Amana bit, you might see that as a nub but it'll force you to not take off more than you can chew and will also work for routing pickup cavities and such

I'd do this assuming you have a 1/2 inch collet. router bit

Flush trim bit doesn’t need to be spiral. Actually the best are of this kind:

https://www.holbren.com/Whiteside_Machine_UDC9112?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmKiQBhClARIsAKtSj-mB4QHAGM9-4VUV3kjgj-kLeypZC6wzP-9dD03HoqVStra78zWi6o8aAldMEALw_wcB

Other companies also make them: Amana, Infinity, etc.

This bit works very well for me:

Freud 3/4" (Dia.) Top Bearing Flush Trim Bit with 1/2" Shank (50-118),Red https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IPHGAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_NNPXW455T8ZEEHWM0TJ3

As for Amazon: a billion people are buying from them….Get serious.

I'm new here, so please let me know if this post goes against any rules! I read through them but it seemed like this is ok...

I am working on a large credenza with mitered corners. My mitered corners are NOT GREAT. I would like to route out a a 1/4"x1/4" inch channel on the corners and fill with strips of hardwood, and then do a 1/4" round-over to give it a cool mid-century feel. I believe since I have two pieces of 1/2" ply laminated together, taking out 1/4"x1/4" in the joint will not result in a loss of structural stability. I will be edge-banding the front, if you're worried about exposed plywood edges.
To do so I'm looking at this bit set.
Do you think this will work or am I missing something?

This also works. Especially with a pattern bit that has the bearing on the at the end of the bit. One like this.

if I was concerned I would use the forstner bit to cut a hole all the way thru in MDF or scrap. then use a router with flush trim bit.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Freud-Bearing-Flush-Shank-50-102/dp/B0000225XQ/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Trim+Router+Bits&qid=1613064605&s=power-hand-tools&sr=1-3-spons&ts_id=686959011&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNzhCTlU3S1oyMFU1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTY4OTk5QTkxMEkzVlREODlWJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzODE4ODAzTUU4UE1HNVpRNVFSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== like this with the bearing on top of the knives, unless your Austrailian, then its on the bottom :)

Having looked at the image they are pretty big pockets. Like Halal0szto said. You want to use a pattern bit alternately you can use a template collar on your router. With such a setup you can make the round pockets but the bottom might not look as pretty.

If I were to do it I would buy a 3/4" bit and use 3 or 4 pattern pieces starting in the center and working my way out with a larger and larger diameter.

Router will work. I used to use a flush trim but and the factory straight edge from a piece of MDF. Worked great for me. Make sure the cutters on the bit are longer than the material you want to joint.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000225YD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_zhNFFbN3N6XYS

Don't use a template, your box is the template you want to follow. Get a rabbeting bit with a top bearing (i.e., the bearing is on the end, opposite the shank with the cutter in between; here's a Freud set on Amazon). The bearing will ride on the inside of your box's recess, following it all the way around.

The width of the rabbet is determined by how much larger the diameter of the cutter is than the diameter of the bearing. The depth depends on how much you "plunge" the bit using the router's depth settings. Flip the router upside down with the rabbeting bit installed, and raise/lower the bit until the cutter is flush with a piece of your acrylic that's resting on the bottom of the router.

I'm struggling with setting up a jib for cutting dados with a router.

I'm using 3/4" ply and want to cut a 3/8" deep dado. I followed this guide and bought this router bit, but it seems way too deep. What bit should I buy to make this work?

You should be able to get one pretty much anywhere that sells router bits... for example, or here (scroll down).

If you get a good spiral bit like this or a smaller spiral bit it will probably help, but you still might get tear-out. A two-bearing (top and bottom bearings) bit like ElPolloRico suggested would help as well. I would avoid the big CMT bit on Amazon, though, because I've had a hard time limiting tear out, regardless of feed or grain direction.

MDF doesn't have a lot of grain pattern, but it will soak up a bit more finish on the cut ends than on the faces.

The steps I follow to finish MDF seamlessly has always been to flush-trim the edges with a bearing flush trim bit, followed by sanding to 220 and primer before final finish. The trim bit (if you have a router) saves a lot of time sanding.

This is the flush trim bit I use: https://www.amazon.com/Dia-Bearing-Flush-Trim-Bit/dp/B0000225YC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1464796548&sr=8-2

Before I purchase, I would like to know if this bit will work? I watched your video and believe this is similar to what he showed. Thanks!

For the entire cut, I'd stand the final board on-end, with a jig attached to provide support for the router on the outside of the board and probably some curved triangles in the corner to help support the router when it's going those curves. Then you use a rabbet bit like this to remove the material and just follow along the board to remove material.

I'm the first to admit that I'm not an expert, but is there something fundamental that I'm missing which would make it impossible to run a router along the inside of a board stood on-end like that, assuming there's proper support to keep the router level and the workpiece stable?

My corners are rounded, like a bullnose cut on a counter edge. There are no outer corners in my entire house, they are all rounded (there are inner corners but those don't require caps).

Here is an example.

Use a circle jig to router out a 10" out of some scrap wood, clamp that to the mdf, then use something like this to cut the bigger circle onto the mdf.