If you've an 8mm collet, 8mm shank bits are often the same price as 1/4" and are heavier and stronger. You can sometimes pick up 8mm cutters cheap because few people use them.
Router Question
- Thread starter DFC1047
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blackrodd
Established Member
DFC1047":1q1kx6t4 said:Blackrod,
smack on the leg accepted........profuse appologies
Question answered thank you very much
No problem, It just seemed a shame to see members going round in circles trying to answer you're query,
with the mode number changing.
Personally, unless you are either a serious routerer, or a professional, then I'd just use the 1/4" bits.
They are cheap and easy to come by.
The 8mm bits would be stronger and get you some bigger moulds, but quite costly in comparison
Much depends on you're use and what you make.
Regards Rodders
chippy1970
Established Member
Yeah it does. I use an 8 mm in my of1010 festool router and I know the small dewalt with the built in extraction (don't know the model) has an 8 mm collet too.Wuffles":32460t3b said:
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RobinBHM
Established Member
I use a 1/4" router dewalt 615, and use an 8mm collet and cutters where possible, it has almost 50% more steel. Unfortunately there is only a very limited cutter choice.
AES
Established Member
@DFC1047:
Sorry to say I missed this thread before. Being in Switzerland (a metric country like France) I learnt some info re router bits and collets diameters the hard way - my problem was the reverse of yours but with a lot of help from people here managed to sort it in the end.
Router bit shanks are "commonly" available (somewhere or other - see below) in the following diameters:
6mm; 1/4 inch (i.e. 6.35 mm); 8mm; 12mm; 1/2 inch (i.e. 12.7mm).
And you MUST have a collet/s which is the exact size for each of the above diameter shanks that you want to use.
My problem was that I bought a cheapo router over here which was fitted with a 12mm collet but then bought a router bit by post from the UK with a half inch shank because I thought they are the same. They aren't, and only after a lot of hassle was I able to get a half inch collet to fit my router.
Thank goodness it wasn't the other way round (i.e. in my ignorance, me trying to use a 12mm shank bit in a half inch collet) as that could have been really nasty - it would have "fitted" but not gripped properly.
To sort all this out I did some "research" by visiting a very good tool store locally who stock Bosch, DeWalt, and Festool routers. Comparing those on the shelf with the published specs for "the same" models available in UK, I found out that, for example, the same Festool machine supplied with a 12mm collet in Switzerland would be supplied with a half inch collet in UK. Similarly the other brands mentioned above.
The same applies with router bits - over here (and I guess France is the same) bits with 6mm dia shanks are freely available; bits with 1/4 inch shanks are as rare as rocking horse manure; bits with 8 mm shanks are becoming more and more common; bits with 12 mm shanks are freely available; bits with 1/2 inch shanks are similarly very, very rare here.
I'm not of course aware of what the exact situation is in UK, but from the websites of people like Wealden, it seems that in the main, bits with 1/4 inch; 8 mm; and 1/2 inch diameters are the most common.
So if you're a "hybrid" bloke like me, with a mixture of UK and "continental" gear, then you need a collet to fit each router bit you have (or will have).
Of course there are collet adaptors (which some people seem not to like) but obviously, while you can step down diameters (e.g. 12 mm collet to 8 mm shank) you can't step up.
The main thing is safety, as I learnt from the very helpful people here. So do NOT even consider putting a "too small" shank into a "too big" collet - e.g. a 6mm shank into a 1/4 collet. It'll fit but won't close properly, leaving you with a potential bomb in your hand, as mentioned above.
Sorry the above is lengthy, I found out it's a complicated subject.
Quite why the manufacturers have made it so complicated I have no idea - trap for the unwary.
HTH
AES
Sorry to say I missed this thread before. Being in Switzerland (a metric country like France) I learnt some info re router bits and collets diameters the hard way - my problem was the reverse of yours but with a lot of help from people here managed to sort it in the end.
Router bit shanks are "commonly" available (somewhere or other - see below) in the following diameters:
6mm; 1/4 inch (i.e. 6.35 mm); 8mm; 12mm; 1/2 inch (i.e. 12.7mm).
And you MUST have a collet/s which is the exact size for each of the above diameter shanks that you want to use.
My problem was that I bought a cheapo router over here which was fitted with a 12mm collet but then bought a router bit by post from the UK with a half inch shank because I thought they are the same. They aren't, and only after a lot of hassle was I able to get a half inch collet to fit my router.
Thank goodness it wasn't the other way round (i.e. in my ignorance, me trying to use a 12mm shank bit in a half inch collet) as that could have been really nasty - it would have "fitted" but not gripped properly.
To sort all this out I did some "research" by visiting a very good tool store locally who stock Bosch, DeWalt, and Festool routers. Comparing those on the shelf with the published specs for "the same" models available in UK, I found out that, for example, the same Festool machine supplied with a 12mm collet in Switzerland would be supplied with a half inch collet in UK. Similarly the other brands mentioned above.
The same applies with router bits - over here (and I guess France is the same) bits with 6mm dia shanks are freely available; bits with 1/4 inch shanks are as rare as rocking horse manure; bits with 8 mm shanks are becoming more and more common; bits with 12 mm shanks are freely available; bits with 1/2 inch shanks are similarly very, very rare here.
I'm not of course aware of what the exact situation is in UK, but from the websites of people like Wealden, it seems that in the main, bits with 1/4 inch; 8 mm; and 1/2 inch diameters are the most common.
So if you're a "hybrid" bloke like me, with a mixture of UK and "continental" gear, then you need a collet to fit each router bit you have (or will have).
Of course there are collet adaptors (which some people seem not to like) but obviously, while you can step down diameters (e.g. 12 mm collet to 8 mm shank) you can't step up.
The main thing is safety, as I learnt from the very helpful people here. So do NOT even consider putting a "too small" shank into a "too big" collet - e.g. a 6mm shank into a 1/4 collet. It'll fit but won't close properly, leaving you with a potential bomb in your hand, as mentioned above.
Sorry the above is lengthy, I found out it's a complicated subject.
Quite why the manufacturers have made it so complicated I have no idea - trap for the unwary.
HTH
AES
AES,
thank you for taking the time to provide all that info...........I was guessing that would be the case.
My current situation is that I had an old router, given to me years ago, a cheapo FERM make, together with a purpose made box with various bits............the bits are definitely 1/4 inch ( measure 6.3+ mm in my micrometer ).
They fit nicely in the router, which I must presume is 1/4" , as it was bought in UK, probably 20 years ago !!
The DeWalt I have just purchased, which caused the confusion, as the spec. listed in the manual shows 6 - 8 mm collet . It was in effect my mistake for not reading/understanding everything, but without doubt, it must be the 6mm collet, as my borrowed 8mm bits will not fit. ( Subsequently got an 8mm collet/nut on the way )
That said, I have used the 1/4" bits in the 6mm collet, and they fit tight enough, and the collet nut tightens fine.
I do have easy access to 8mm bits now through a friend, and will be using these in the future.
It's good to know that there is so much knowledge/experience available here on the forum !!!
thank you for taking the time to provide all that info...........I was guessing that would be the case.
My current situation is that I had an old router, given to me years ago, a cheapo FERM make, together with a purpose made box with various bits............the bits are definitely 1/4 inch ( measure 6.3+ mm in my micrometer ).
They fit nicely in the router, which I must presume is 1/4" , as it was bought in UK, probably 20 years ago !!
The DeWalt I have just purchased, which caused the confusion, as the spec. listed in the manual shows 6 - 8 mm collet . It was in effect my mistake for not reading/understanding everything, but without doubt, it must be the 6mm collet, as my borrowed 8mm bits will not fit. ( Subsequently got an 8mm collet/nut on the way )
That said, I have used the 1/4" bits in the 6mm collet, and they fit tight enough, and the collet nut tightens fine.
I do have easy access to 8mm bits now through a friend, and will be using these in the future.
It's good to know that there is so much knowledge/experience available here on the forum !!!
AES
Established Member
My pleasure Sir. It's nice to be able to help someone else in "the same situation" as me - I've had a lot of help from members here.
Cheers
AES
P.S. Don't worry about "old" routers, I have a 1/4 inch B&D router bought in UK in the early '80s (+ several 1/4 bits bought in the US) about the same time. They all work, it's the metric/imperial thing which I guess is the route(r) - sorry! of the problem.
Cheers
AES
P.S. Don't worry about "old" routers, I have a 1/4 inch B&D router bought in UK in the early '80s (+ several 1/4 bits bought in the US) about the same time. They all work, it's the metric/imperial thing which I guess is the route(r) - sorry! of the problem.
