33,000 Rpm Router Bits

samthedog

I bought myself a Bosch Colt and ordered some bits at the same time. Unbeknownst to me the bits were only rated for 20,000 rpm and the router spins at 33,000. Now the Router I have is the European version of the Colt and as such has no speed control. Seeing as I like both blood and eyes left in my body, I am shopping for some new bits.

First of all, what do I buy? I am not sure I can get Katana bits here and they are really pricy. That leaves me with bosch but are they rated for 33,000 on their 1/4" bits? Anyone who has some good advice on this can you please share? I was relying on this to do a job this weekend so now I need to sort out this bit situation fast. Thanks for any help chaps.

samthedog.

john5mt

what kind of bit do you need to use on it?

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samthedog

I was after the standard selection you get with most kits.

-straight bit
-round over - beading bit
-cove bit
cove and bead
-45 degree chamfer bit
-raised panel - ogee bit
-v-groove bit

I know the Colt seems a little small for wanting to do this sort of work but it will just be used for trim and moldings done in pine so it will/should handle this with ease. The only issue is I need bits rated for 30,000 rpm

Winchester

Maybe do a search for Dremel bits. They should be good for high RPM

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samthedog

I'll give it a shot. I went to a store today and asked the guy if the Bosch router bits handled 33,000 rpm. He looked at me like I had two heads... that were kissing each other.

He then says, 'no, there are no routers that spin that fast...'. WTF?? It even said on the plastic box some of the bits were in 'rated for 35,000 rpm'. Needless to say I didn't buy them from him. I am driving to the city tomorrow to try pick something up.

Dammit, just checked and they have a shank dia. of 3.2mm Back to the start...

jarhead0531

I have a couple of those style of routers (not bosch) and there are all around 30k rpms and I just use my other router bits. If your only doing roundovers, ogee, small coves, I wouldn't worry too much. Use some common sense with bit selection (NOT BIG BITS) and you should be okay.

samthedog

Cheers Jarhead. Are your bits rated at 20,000 or 30,000 rpm? I am sure I can get a pretty good selection of router bits rated around 30,000 rpm (I think 25 - 30k rpm) but anything faster than 30k and the selection thins out fast. Also, do you use name brand bits like bosch, katana etc? Also, what is you definition of 'big bits'? What max diameter would you use? I would be more inclined to use more expensive bits as I am sure their safety tolerance is much greater. Any help is appreciated and thanks again to those who have helped .

jarhead0531

To tell you the truth I have no idea what my bits are rated at. Most of my bits have been picked up in those cheap sets when a good deal was around. If I had to guess they are probably the 20k rpm variety. As I've replaced frequently used bits I've gone with whiteside, freud, or whatever vendor brand I was ordering from that day (Lee Valley in particular). Until this thread I never gave a thought to what the bits were rated at or what my routers were spinning at. I have only ever lowered the speed on my routers(full sized 2 1/4HP or more) for panel raising bits or really big profile bigs (1" or larger)

I just checked my two small routers and I have a 1/4 roundover and a small 45 chamfering bit loaded up. Thinking about it I wouldnt' go over 3/8" on these small routers, roundovers/coves/ogee/straight bits included. If I was routing a dado/rabbet I would also be more inclined to do it in multiple passes also.

I'm not saying using those lower rpm rated bits are safe(CYA disclaimer) for use in higher rpm routers, just that I have used them and I can still count to 10. I am also very safe when I work, always wearing safety glasses(occasionaly with a full face shield over them) and hearing protection.

Glad to help.

Barry

samthedog

Cheers Barry. I'll have a look tomorrow for some bit sets. If possible I'll get them as close to 30k rpm as I can. Failing that I'll buy good quality bits with a lower rpm rating and cross my fingers. I guess they use that safety margin figuring people probably throw around their tools and bits and if any damage occurred or metal stressed on the bit there could be a problem.

jarhead0531

I took a look at the manual for the bosch and they only say to one use bits 1/4" smaller than the opening in the base. Sounds like some sort of guidline to me.

Where are you finding these bits with 30k or higher rpm limits?? I searched around for a bit earlier today and couldn't find one bit rated for over 25k rpm.

Barry

Tom R

I would imagine once there's a 'load' on the router and bit it's not going to spin that fast, - - but to me, - - that's too fast for anything but very light operations, with very small bits.

I'd consider returning it for a Variable Speed, if you can.

Anyway, - - here's an excellent article on bit speed . . .


http://www.newwoodworker.com/rtrbitspds.html

Meetre

great article tom!! Thanks for the link

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samthedog

Bosch sell bits rated at 35,000 rpm. You won't find the info on the net but next time you visit the supplier/store have a look on the clear case the bits come in. The fastest I have found are 30,000 - 35,000 rpm. Most of them are straight bits or 45 degree bevel bits. I found some bead and cove bits rated at 30,000 too.

The problem with returning the router and getting a variable speed is that here in Norway we easily pay 2x the price for tools. I bought mine from the UK so as to save some money. I may just have to buy a variable speed router next...

PA woodbutcher

I think you would like the variable speed anyways. Allows for changes between hardwoods and softwoods and various bits in them. 1 speed is pretty limiting.

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samthedog

Yeah I think you are right. It's just a shame that the 230volt European Bosch Colt variant is only single speed. I am not sure why they did it that way.

Charles M

I would highly recommend that you not exceed the max RPMs given by the bit manufacturer. The bits that are rated for that RPM are likely high speed steel as it may be difficult to find carbide tipped bits rated for that speed. Even if you do find bits that are rated for 35K, if they are 1" diameter the tip velocity will be really high and burning could result. To counter this the feed rate needs to match the bit speed and at that speed you would need to feed so quickly that I would be a concerned about safety. My recommendation is to use the router only with bits in the 1/4" diameter range and only those that are rated for that speed.

I do represent a manufacturer so I hope that no one objects to my posting in this forum. My intent is only to be of assistance and not to peddle wares.

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Freud America, Inc.
http://freudtools.com

samthedog

Cheers Charles M. I have found some bits rated at the suitable speed and that range from 1/4 - 3/4". They are carbide and seem to be quite high quality. My next problem is sorting out an issue with parts that should be supplied in the box