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Working in cherry how many doors can I expect a set of carbide tipped rail and stile bits last? I ask because the set I have is from a company that went away. I can get similar, but not exact. If I need, say, 3 sets to do all of my kitchen cabs, I think I will just start with new bits. Current ones have made maybe 5 doors of use on them.
Saratoga, NY
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Forgot to add, my upper cabs are going to have glass and will need muntins.
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5 doors and your bits are done?? They must be the cheapest grade of carbide you can get. You should be able to do multiple kitchens with one set of bits.
A few variables come in to play. Feed rate, RPM, amount of cut per pass (although you should be able to route profile in one pass)
But yeah, I'd say spend money on a quality set of bits. They should last you a lot longer than 5 doors
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No, they are not done, they work fine. The question is "How long do they last?" I don't want to start and find out halfway through that they need to be replaced.
I have not done enough cabinet building to have any idea how much use I can expect from a set.
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They should complete your cabinet build and then some.
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Outstanding! Ya know, one less thing to worry about.
Saratoga, NY
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Don't worry about it. Even the cheap bits will make many many doors. I have one set from Holbren when he first started out. They are Chinese bits and I have used them way more than I thought I would making many dozens of doors out of oak etc and they still cut great.
My favorite so far is the infinity set I bought in the shaker/ac set. Just has an angle. They are very nice. Only thing is with cherry when making your cuts cut the ends of the rails first. If you don't you will get some chip out as a small spot isn't supported by the jig.
I know allot of guys run all their stock through then cut to length the rails but that won't work with cherry or other woods that like to split.
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Years ago I bought my cutters from Penn State. I have built 5 kitchens and also used the same cutters on a school library. No visible wear as of yet.
mike
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I've had router bits re-sharpened. I don't know that that will do to the fit of the rail to the stile though.
I did ruin a hss bit once on plywood. The glue line burned up the steel. But carbide lasts a long time and even when it gets a bit dull you can usually salvage the job by some light sanding of the cut edges.
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RJT123 said:
No, they are not done, they work fine. The question is "How long do they last?" I don't want to start and find out halfway through that they need to be replaced.
I have not done enough cabinet building to have any idea how much use I can expect from a set.
with consistent feed speeds ( ie power feeder) I would say 175 doors using router bit profile sets 500+ for shaper sets
I would also say if they are not dead cheap bits they can be resharpened with little change at least once maybe twice.
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