kingchristo
Established Member
Hi everyone I've just got in the post a locking miter bit.never used one before anyone got any tips before I get started.
Locking miter bit
- Thread starter kingchristo
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Phil Pascoe
Established Member
I look forward to discovering what a "locking mitre bit" is. 
https://www.google.com.cy/imgres?imgurl ... mrc&uact=8
Seen pictures, but not a real one.
Considered buying one, but am still happy with my comb set cutter.
Go on, ask me what a comb set cutter is. (lol)
Seen pictures, but not a real one.
Considered buying one, but am still happy with my comb set cutter.
Go on, ask me what a comb set cutter is. (lol)
RobinBHM
Established Member
I think you would be better having a woodworking blog that contains more than one brief article before trying to direct traffic from this forum.
It would be more helpful if you linked to the site where you bought the router bit and provided an in depth review of the quality of the router bit.
It would be more helpful if you linked to the site where you bought the router bit and provided an in depth review of the quality of the router bit.
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
:lol: I actually have one - had no idea what it was called. I have a comb cutter set as well.
Eric The Viking
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I have a couple of different sizes.
They're hard to set up, but once you have, I find they work pretty well. They are ABSOLUTELY NOT a tool to use handheld. Never mind the safety aspects, you couldn't hope to achieve the precision necessary for the joint to work.
You need a well set up router table, probably with a tall and sacrificial fence if you're making boxes or drawer carcases, and very straight and flat. Otherwise your joints will be squiffy.
I'd be amazed if a cutter as cheap as you describe isn't complete rubbish. I suggest you check the shank diameter (at several places) with a micrometer before putting it in any router you value - cheap Chinese ones are often out of tolerance and can damage collets, or worse, are unbalanced.
The finished joint is asymmetric: like dovetails, it resists force along one piece of stock only. Unlike dovetails, it is wholly reliant on glue to work.
You need to think about which way round you cut it before starting, and, again unlike dovetails, any mistake in setup will change the dimensions of the finished piece too (even if it fits together).
People on this forum have had cheap Chinese cutter shanks bend like cheese, and big mitre-lock cutters have a lot of mass whizzing round.
This doesn't sound like something I'd want to do with no experience. There's a lot of info out there, including YouTube videos. Go Google...
They're hard to set up, but once you have, I find they work pretty well. They are ABSOLUTELY NOT a tool to use handheld. Never mind the safety aspects, you couldn't hope to achieve the precision necessary for the joint to work.
You need a well set up router table, probably with a tall and sacrificial fence if you're making boxes or drawer carcases, and very straight and flat. Otherwise your joints will be squiffy.
I'd be amazed if a cutter as cheap as you describe isn't complete rubbish. I suggest you check the shank diameter (at several places) with a micrometer before putting it in any router you value - cheap Chinese ones are often out of tolerance and can damage collets, or worse, are unbalanced.
The finished joint is asymmetric: like dovetails, it resists force along one piece of stock only. Unlike dovetails, it is wholly reliant on glue to work.
You need to think about which way round you cut it before starting, and, again unlike dovetails, any mistake in setup will change the dimensions of the finished piece too (even if it fits together).
People on this forum have had cheap Chinese cutter shanks bend like cheese, and big mitre-lock cutters have a lot of mass whizzing round.
This doesn't sound like something I'd want to do with no experience. There's a lot of info out there, including YouTube videos. Go Google...
i would be interested to hear whether it is any good- i fancy one of these cutters myself, and have been tempted by the ebay cheap ones. i have a niggling doubt about the quality for the price that they are offered at.
I have both the 1/4" and 1/2" versions from Rutlands, I use the 1/4" in 12mm ply and the 1/2" in 18mm.
Both work very well but are a nightmare to setup.
One setup tip I have is once you have it set up perfectly for a given thickness of timber keep an offcut of that timber (with the routed profile) then next time you use the bit you can use that offcut to get the initial setting of cutter height and fence position. You will still need to make test cuts as microscopic differences in the thickness of timber mean resetting both the cutter height and the fence position, but it gives you a good starting point.
edit: just realised I'm talking about the drawer lock bit but the same principle applies
Both work very well but are a nightmare to setup.
One setup tip I have is once you have it set up perfectly for a given thickness of timber keep an offcut of that timber (with the routed profile) then next time you use the bit you can use that offcut to get the initial setting of cutter height and fence position. You will still need to make test cuts as microscopic differences in the thickness of timber mean resetting both the cutter height and the fence position, but it gives you a good starting point.
edit: just realised I'm talking about the drawer lock bit but the same principle applies
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
I have found with complex bits that when you eventually get the depth set correctly it is a good idea to machine a small piece of scrap and keep it to use it as a check the next time you use the bit.
Eric The Viking
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marcros":3cez9x7r said:
Well the two Axminster ones I have are good. And the setup isn't as nightmarish as I was led to believe. You'd struggle without good cutter height adjustment, and all the caveats about test cuts apply, but it's not that bad. I tested with some really rubbish ply - full of voids etc. but it worked well enough for my "Matthew Walker" boxes for the sanders. I did cheat though by bevelling the corners, so the thin edge of the mitres didn't look so bad (the final finish is painted).
I made a sled for the tall fence, as I found the stock tends to tip, which ruins it. That's not a perfect solution but it certainly helps, as does having a sacrificial fence in place -- but there is a Catch #22 in making that: You don't know the cutter height at the time you need to make the hole in the fence! It's also a rather nasty process, as my table isn't set up for fence micro-adjustments back & forth, and obviously you have to make it with the cutter running, so plunging through is a bit heart-in-mouth.
E.
