Router bits/End mills

[ramdesigns]

ShopBotters, try this following Web Site
www.wttool.com and consider using spiral "end mills" instead of router bits. The prices are so much lower. I use end mills in all of my cuts and the results are no different than that with router bits.

My travel speed cutting through 3/4" Red Oak is
0.30 or 0.40 inches/sec.

Check out the 3 and 4 flute mills for smoother cuts.

[Gerald D]

The end mills shown at wttool mostly carry the wording "High Speed". Would guess that these are made of "High Speed Steel" or "HSS".

They probably would not hold their cutting edge as long a "Carbide", "Tungsten Carbide" or TC-tipped (TCT) tools which are made of more expensive materials.

The prices of the wttool end mills are excellent! So, if they do the job, go for the better price.

[ramdesigns]

In their catolog, on page 67, they have a 3/8"dia Carbide, 7/8" long spiral flute end mill for $9.73.

A 1/2" dia. for $19.25

[jim_melton]

Does anybody know of a source for different size collets that will fit the PC 7518 Router?

[billp]

Jim, I've just received a 3/8"collet reducer from www.pricecutter.com ( 1-800-288-2487)which I plan to use for end mills. They also have the 1/4"to 1/8" adapter which I use to run dremel engraving bits in my PC. Ten bucks apiece..Bill P.

[donchapman]

Jim, Call D&R Saw 800 274-7701 to order fiber bushings made by Wisconsin Knife which adapt a 1/4 " collet to use 1/8" and 3/16" shaft cutters. The bushings are not cheap, $12.29 & $21.29 respectively, but I'm ordering some today. I just wasted three days finding out that MultiCam really doesn't have small collets to fit the PC 3.25 HP router. As a temporary solution I used a split piece of 1/4"OD copper tubing to hold a 3/16" shaft cutter in a 1/4" collet. It worked for a 3hr run, but I don't want to trust it forever. Porter Cable sells the 1/4" collet for about $12. I wish PC sold smaller collets but they don't.

[uniguard@pamlico.net]

There is A company called "Trend-Lines" that offers a split collet adapter that will go from 1/4" to 1/8". They sell for $6.26 and work well. I had only received one catalog from them a while ago but there email address is trend-lines.com or they can be reached at 800-767-9999. I'm not sure if the collet is listed on their web site so you may have to give them a call if your interested. they also have many other nice products.