# freud inlay set



## Dvoigt (Mar 20, 2009)

I purchased the Freud inlay template, but it came with a spiral up bit. I thought that you should only use a down bit for inlays? I inquired to their customer service and the told me that they send an up bit because no bits can break too easy. That sounds like crap to me... should I but a down bit?

Thanks
D


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

The up spiral bit is going to give you the cleanest cut in solid wood. Down spiral bits are for cutting part way through laminates and veneer's. Compression bits are for through cuts in laminates and veneer's.


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## Greeneyedeagle (Feb 15, 2009)

An up spiral bit will pull the cut bits of wood up and out of the way and as Mike stated... a cleaner cut


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## Dvoigt (Mar 20, 2009)

Oh ok, I thought that you had a greater chance of creating chip out with an up cut.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI D

Use the bit that came with the set...Freud is the pro.in this case..
You are only going down 1/4" max. in the stock
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Dvoigt said:


> I purchased the Freud inlay template, but it came with a spiral up bit. I thought that you should only use a down bit for inlays? I inquired to their customer service and the told me that they send an up bit because no bits can break too easy. That sounds like crap to me... should I but a down bit?
> 
> Thanks
> D


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## Ghidrah (Oct 21, 2008)

My kit is down and what it does is pack the debris in the tract. Can't say for sure, but it may stress the bit out more. 

I always use the full 3/4" of the block, route both sides then rip it in the TS

I'm considering an up spiral to pull debris away and then router exhaust to blow it away.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

A spiral bit is cutting with a shearing action... like scissors or a paper cutter. You get a cleaner cut than with a straight bit. This will tend to tear out laminates or veneers but not solid wood.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

For inlay I suggest using DOWN cut spirals all the time.

I do inlay everyday and the DOWN cut spiral is much better. The bit is only 1/8" to 1/4" most of the time and the dust collection will take the dust out. Such a little bit and shallow pocket does not create much heat in my experience.

The benefit to the down cut is it leaves the edges around the inlay pristine. An up cut bit tends to pull up the wood on the edges and you will need to sand, even in hardwood. After an inlay or two with the up cut bit you will be sanding every single pocket you make and if a big chip comes off the edge it is a hassle to fix.

The up cut really only excels for deeper pockets and mortises as the pockets are so deep for a mortise that you do need to direct the dust up and out. Any pocket for inlay over 9/16" to 1" deep is when I consider jumping to an up cut bit.

Another advantage is if I am routing to a pencil line free hand. The down cut bit is much better for me to get the router right up the the line. Using an up cut bit tends to push the edges up. You will find as you get closer to the pencil line more times than not with the up-cut bit it is much more difficult to get a nice cut at the line. It chips the wood at and into the pencil line more often and/or causes over cutting the line too. With the down cut router bit I can move the router and cut from the center of the pocket to the line, sneaking up on the line. With an up cut router bit I tend to have to work from the line to the center of the pocket and I don't like that.

This all really matters more on a shallow inlay than a deep recess for a sign, etc. For the deeper cuts the up cut bit benefits out weigh its drawbacks. You can also get a combination up/down or compression bit. For example I use the compression bit for going around the edges of a round floor inlay. I want the bottom ply edge to be cut cleanly and I also want the top hardwood edge to have a nice clean edge. The compression bit really works well for that.

These ideas are only my personal opinions and observations from doing the procedures.


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