# Bit Care and Lifespan



## Ion McCusker (Feb 23, 2017)

I just recently purchased a compact Dewalt router kit as an affordable alternative to a jointer and am really excited about the versatility of this tool. As a router newbie, I also got a cheap 24 piece Stalwart set from amazon to get my feet in the water before I fork out money on higher end bits. I've read about using toothbrushes and some cleaning solutions as part of the maintenance process but was wondering if applying 3 in one on the tips would help extend the lifespan of these cheap bits. So far, the only precaution I've taken is to use several passes, incrementally increasing the depth of my cuts. Are there any tricks or things I could do before, during, or after my work that would help in the care of my bits? 

Thanks!
~Ion


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

#1... use no oils. WD-40 simple green, oven cleaners or silicone contaminated products...
these will come back to haunt you later.... 

here's some reading to accelerate your learning curve...

.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

now that you ingested those ...
here's some more...

.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Welcome, Ion...

Generally, a clean cutter will last longer and will run cooler. Cleaning with CMT or Trend bit cleaner is suggested and do not apply oil...not needed if using appropriate bit cleaner.

Multiple passes are good but not too shallow as to create dust...sawdust should look like cuttings...thi,k shredded luttuce rather than grits...

Be careful using cheap Chinese bits as carbide joint could be weak...especially if harsh chemicals are used to clean. The softer the brush, the better. Avoid routing pressure treated wood...

Clean your bits after each use...avoid contact with other hard metals...

...and follow router speed recommendations...avoids burning, "varnish/gum" buildup, etc...

Good luck...but buy good bits...just a few will more than satisfy your early projects...round, cove, straight, ogee, chamfer...Freud, Whiteside, etc...

I'm sure others will add...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Welcome to the forum Ion, You will like it here, lots of good information.
Herb


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

No oil, eh? I buy good quality bits, and 99.99% of the time use pattern bits. I've found that the bearings last longer if I put a drop or two of Marvel Mystery Oil on them before routing. Never noticed any ill effects from it, and been doing it for years.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

JOAT said:


> No oil, eh? I buy good quality bits, and 99.99% of the time use pattern bits. I've found that the bearings last longer if I put a drop or two of Marvel Mystery Oil on them before routing. Never noticed any ill effects from it, and been doing it for years.


the no oil thing is to prevent a finishing disaster...
I use better bearings and the bearings out last the bits...
the bearings are then saved when the bits are tossed and used as backups and for other stuff....


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## Ion McCusker (Feb 23, 2017)

Thanks for the materials everyone! I'll try and spend some time trying out some bits on some scrap wood keeping in mind all of this.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

JOAT said:


> No oil, eh? I buy good quality bits, and 99.99% of the time use pattern bits. I've found that the bearings last longer if I put a drop or two of Marvel Mystery Oil on them before routing. Never noticed any ill effects from it, and been doing it for years.


How do you lubricate a sealed bearing?


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

paduke said:


> How do you lubricate a sealed bearing?


that's why it's called *Marvel Mystery Oil*... :grin:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Don't rout pressure treated wood????
Why not? Yes, it's corrosive to metal but that's why you clean the bit(s). I've been routing PT wood for years...not to mention cutting it with circ. saws, SCM saws, and drilling it. I've never experienced any problem.
Never even occurred to me to clean my ships augers after boring bolt holes in PT wood, although I have to say that I often spray them after drilling with WD40 as moisture protection.


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> Don't rout pressure treated wood????
> Why not? Yes, it's corrosive to metal but that's why you clean the bit(s). I've been routing PT wood for years...not to mention cutting it with circ. saws, SCM saws, and drilling it. I've never experienced any problem.
> Never even occurred to me to clean my ships augers after boring bolt holes in PT wood, although I have to say that I often spray them after drilling with WD40 as moisture protection.


your health? Tricks for Treated Lumber


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Don't rout pressure treated wood????
> Why not? Yes, it's corrosive to metal but that's why you clean the bit(s). I've been routing PT wood for years...not to mention cutting it with circ. saws, SCM saws, and drilling it. I've never experienced any problem.
> Never even occurred to me to clean my ships augers after boring bolt holes in PT wood, although I have to say that I often spray them after drilling with WD40 as moisture protection.


WD-40 for moisture protection Dan...
good luck w/ that...
wanna buy a bridge...


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## whimsofchaz (Jun 6, 2013)

Welcome Ion this is a good group of people and lots of information. Learn to search for answers.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Bill; re the 'health' issue. If I counted all the ways I've abused my body in the last seven decades I should have been posthumous a long time ago!
Seriously, no wait, that _was_ seriously ... 

Stick; moisture blocking is the one thing that WD40 _does _do reasonably well. I don't think it kills rust very well and it's certainly not a lubricant.
My locksmith swears by it; it doesn't gum up the pins and it does keep moisture out of exterior locks (car door locks for example).
I spray my garden tools with it after using them and they seem to be holding up pretty well.
YMMV


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

Dan And I cut firewood today without earmuffs and have a list of abuses as well. But as far as recommendations to others I will recommend that they wear muffs while cutting firewood and that they should not rout PT


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Don't rout pressure treated wood????
> Why not? Yes, it's corrosive to metal but that's why you clean the bit(s). I've been routing PT wood for years...not to mention cutting it with circ. saws, SCM saws, and drilling it. I've never experienced any problem.
> Never even occurred to me to clean my ships augers after boring bolt holes in PT wood, although I have to say that I often spray them after drilling with WD40 as moisture protection.


Somehow "wet" was dropped...senior moment...

Most of the PT wood available in my area is real wet...doesn't route well and gums up the bit and the wet dust gets all over the router innerds, especially if routing on a table. These are the reasons I recommended against PT...should have added why...

Thanks for calling it out...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Bill; re the 'health' issue. If I counted all the ways I've abused my body in the last seven decades I should have been posthumous a long time ago!
> Seriously, no wait, that _was_ seriously ...
> 
> Stick; moisture blocking is the one thing that WD40 _does _do reasonably well. I don't think it kills rust very well and it's certainly not a lubricant.
> ...


that stuff is a trah collector...

.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nickp said:


> Somehow "wet" was dropped...senior moment...
> 
> Most of the PT wood available in my area is real wet...doesn't route well and gums up the bit and the wet dust gets all over the router innerds, especially if routing on a table. These are the reasons I recommended against PT...should have added why...
> 
> Thanks for calling it out...


and corrosive on/to anything aluminum and the like...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Lots of good advice here. When in doubt, choose the most conservative approach. Not covered is sharpening a bit, usually done with a diamond, fine grit, credit card sized sharpener. You clean, then stroke a few times on the flat of the cutting surface, NOT ON THE SHAPED EDGE. No need to grind with a diamond device. If you sharpen on the shaped portion on the edge of the carbide, it will change the profile and probably ruin the bit.

For general routing, I like using easy to find Freud bits. But for making doors and other multi-bit projects, I have settled in on the Sommerfeld matched bit sets. You aligh the first with a nifty star shaped (EasySet) device and then all the other matched bits automatically line up correctly. They also have an EasySet for select Freud bits.

Have a good time learning, and welcome to the Forum.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DesertRatTom said:


> Not covered is sharpening a bit,.


2nd post 7th PDF...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

here it is again...
.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> here it is again...
> .


Thanks @Stick486, Not everyone reads the novella's worth of material you so graciously post, although they should. But if we asked everyone here to raise their hands if they've read those great pdfs, only a certain percentage would raise them.

I just wanted to add sharpening info to the open discussion. 

I figure with all the snow up there, you're probably pretty happy these days.


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## fire65 (Oct 29, 2008)

LOL, This went further than cleaning saw blades. First off I do not care how you care for your tools, read, learn and decide for yourself. 
I was reading this and I read them all about everything. I was thinking back to my first shop, in my garage, few tools, little money and trying to make a living. I had cheap saw blades, cheap bits of every kind, a skill saw with a guide, a radial arm saw and a router. I cleaned my bits with whatever I had in the shop and sharpened them with a dremel, yes I am still alive. 
So I guess my cleaning and maintenance is from many years of using tools and using what I had. 
Sure, now I have all kinds of wax and cleaners because I can afford them. 
To this day, and I have used a lot of bits, I still clean them, oil them and blow them off with air.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

paduke said:


> How do you lubricate a sealed bearing?


What Nick said. hahaha

Not sure how it works, but I just put a drop or two on the end of the bearing. Sealed or not, somehow I get better mileage out of my bearings when I do that. I can start with a brandnew bit, no oil, and it may go a few weeks an self-destruct. Then I can go with the same brand and type of bit, use oil on the bearing, and it may got for a year or more. A bit strange I know, but it works for me. Of course, it could also be one of the Woodworking Gods looking out for me, one never knows.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

what snow...
it hasn't snowed in a month and a half and been just like spring every day..


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Ion McCusker said:


> I just recently purchased a compact Dewalt router kit as an *affordable alternative to a jointer* ...



Ion...I know we have been concentrating on your bits but I couldn't help but ponder your intended use of the compact router...

Do you have a technique in mind for using the router as a jointer...? Typically, using a router (on a table) to prepare an edge for joining requires a split fence, outfeed side proud of the infeed, bit aligned to the offset portion. I'm wondering how you plan to do the same with the compact...?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Ion McCusker said:


> I just recently purchased a compact Dewalt router kit as an affordable alternative to a jointer a
> 
> Thanks!
> ~Ion


take a look here...

.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I think Nick was referring to the lower hp of a "compact" router(?)...


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## KAG (Feb 27, 2017)

I read through this thread and some of the pdf's. Picked out some useful info.....thanks for letting me lurk and pick out some good info. 

Now I know some types and brands of bits to start with. 

The oil discussion...a lot like all oil discussions no matter which forum your on :wink:


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Silicones, WD-40 and wet oils/grease and finishes do NOT go together or play nicely....
this *IS NOT *a myth.
You don't need gobs of siliconized wax, silicone or wet oils/grease to contaminate the surface of your project.... Like they say, very, very little goes a loooong way for about forever!!!
why risk or take a chance screwing up your finish, your project, risk set backs and untold rework if alternatives are available that are much safer???
white lithium is a disaster waiting to happen across the board...
also wet lubes and WD (WD is NOT a lubricant) tend to collect all kinds of trash and make working things more difficult to operate... it also destroys bearings and motor internals...

*run a quick test:*
Many people use WD-40 to help them remove rust from cast iron surfaces - until I ran into the silicone problem and smartened up.... Now, apply some WD-40 to you table saw surface, work the surface well, as if you were removing a rusty spot. Then, clean the surface really well, but leave a small area near the blade where the WD-40 is not removed so well.
Now, go through the entire process as if you were doing a project start to finish on scrap test piece(s)....
Apply some shellac, to seal the surface- you are likely to see fish eyes, indicating that the shellac has not wetted the surface properly. This is the problem with silicones, WD and wet oils....
do the same for siliconized automotive wax...
putting these products on your moving parts, bits, blades and tools in general you risk contaminating/ruining your project...
*
VOE...*

be smart and get ahead of the game... completely remove all silicones, WD-40 and wet oils from the shop....
stop jeopardizing or putting all of your work at risk......

*Finishing: Silicone Contamination*


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> I think Nick was referring to the lower hp of a "compact" router(?)...


for the minute amount of material removed a compact router works just fine...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

In the spirit of keeping my story straight, vis-a-vis WD40 (Stick's point), I was only referring to construction/garden tools/locks applications. NOT shop use. I don't use it around woodworking stuff.
As far as car locks and exterior padlocks go, I haven't had any frozen or sticky locks since I followed the locksmith's advice...no graphite, only WD40.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> In the spirit of keeping my story straight, vis-a-vis WD40 (Stick's point), I was only referring to construction/garden tools/locks applications. NOT shop use. I don't use it around woodworking stuff.
> As far as car locks and exterior padlocks go, I haven't had any frozen or sticky locks since I followed the locksmith's advice...no graphite, only WD40.


okay... ZERO shop and shop tool use...
but locks in a dry dusty or a really wet environment don't play nicely together...


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> WD-40 for moisture protection Dan...
> good luck w/ that...
> wanna buy a bridge...


Bridge!! Where is it and how big? >


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

hawkeye10 said:


> Bridge!! Where is it and how big? >


pick one...
I'll sell it to ya...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"...but locks in a dry dusty or *a really wet environment *don't play nicely together..."
-Stick
Hey; I don't have any influence over our weather!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

we're talking arid desert or subtropical ...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*Rain, Rain; Go away*



Stick486 said:


> we're talking arid desert or subtropical ...


Not familiar with the concept...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

OK, it doesn't _always_ rain here...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I prefer graphite for locks. Dry here in the Mojave. Works like a champ for me, here.


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