OK, I got one, now how do I use it - without losing a finger

[Bas]

I don't have a lot of time for the shop these days. The next best thing? Buying tools on Amazon.

I bought these, since they were on sale. Rail and stile set:

and liked the way they looked. Thick sharp carbide. So I also bought this one, since, well, it was on sale

Holy cow this is a big bit. It's for making lock miters. But man, when you hold it in your hand it is pretty darn scary! Especially since there is no bearing on this bit. There is also a complete lack of instruction. Other than turning down the router speed, any hints and tips on using one of these? Are you supposed to make the miter in one pass?

 

[Trent Mason]

Nice score Bas! :eusa_danc Not sure how you use it, but nice score! :gar-La;:thumbs_up:thumbs_up

 

[Joe Scharle]

look in mlcs 'how to'. Good info.

 

[Canuck]

Hey Bas,

Nice score!!!!!

You could check our friends at MLCS. They have this video available and a setup block (for a nominal fee:gar-Bi:gar-Bi.)

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...ges/bt_lockmiter.html#lock_miter_video_anchor

That new Milwaukee won't have any trouble spinning that bad boy at all!:wsmile:

Nice looking bits!

Wayne

 

[Woodman2k]

Hey Bas,
if and when you push some thing through that mitre bit I would seriously consider a backing board.I see large chunks of material flying out of the crossgrain making that cut in one pass.A zero clearance setup around the bit will help steady it since there is no bearing to support the wood in the cut.Pix.Pix Pix
Greg

 

[froglips]

I hope you haven't BIT off more than you can chew......

I have a friend who is big into that lock miter bit. He has mentioned numerous times that having your stock perfectly square and flat is critical to it fitting. He does a fair bit of router work and drawer stuff. For use of this bit, he had to really up his stock prep.

But, he loves the results. Let us know what you find out.

I hear that the more tools you buy the sooner the universe gives you shop time

Jim

 

[WDHTRIM]

I Always Start By Running The Bulk Of The Miter On The Table Saw And Then Using The Bit To Finish So There Isnt So Much Material To Take . It Will Take A Few Tries To Find The Right Setup But Just Make Sure To Leave A Good 1/4" OR Flat For The Piece To Ride One When You Rout It. THIS ALSO LEAVES ENOUGH WOOD TO FORM THE TENONS THE MAKE THE LOCK. One Piece Gets Routed Flat And The Other Standing On END So Keep That In Mind When You Decide Where To Use This Joint As Running A Long Piece On End Is Dicey At Best.not Sure This Is The Best Way But It Works. Hope It Helps. And By The Way The Joint Is Crazy Stong When Finished.

 

[FredP]

good info at MLCS but basically you make your own setup block after you get it setup. it's much cheeper that way and we all know you are thrifty er um cheep!:gar-La; cut your self some scraps [lots of em!] and a zero clearance fence. raise and lower the bit and move the fence in and out till you get the scraps to mate perfectly. then make a new zero clearance fence!:rotflm: once you have it right take a nice piece of scrap and run it through. lable it as a setup block for whatever thickness material you have. drill a hole in it and hang it on the wall. paint it a brite color!:gar-La; set some stop blocks behind the fence and clamp them down. this allows you to get the right setup later. then move the fence away from the blocke and make a pass. move the fence close to the blocks and make another pass. [you should do all your pieces before moving:wsmile:] I do three pases with the final one with the fence back to the original setup [against the blocks] use a backup block to eliminate tearout on all cuts. now leave the bit in the router table forever so's you never have to go through this setup thing again!:rotflm: get another router table [and router] to do any other work you may require in the future!:gar-Bi after you get your new router table [and router] get a drawer lock bit and repeat these instructions. before long you will have collected a dozen or more router tables [and routers] and can have a BIG sale!:rotflm: but make sure to sell them with the bits [and routers] so's you never have to set them up again! :rotflm:

 

[rbdoby]

Bas,

Lock miter bits can be a little scary. Use them only with your router table.

I used lock miters on the pine entertainment center I just made on the sides of the panels. Lots of glue surface so no mechanical fasteners were used. I routed the lock miter in the stiles before the final glue up of the panels. This was a lot easier than doing it after the panels were glued up. While I had the router table set up I cut lock miters in some scrap to use as blocks during glue up. They protected the 45° edges from the clamps.

Using lock miters also does away with stopped dados for case bottoms. If you are using a dado in the case sides to hold the bottom of a case the 45° cut of the lock miter hides the ends of the dado.

Rick Doby

 

[b4man]

Bas...
Your shopping habits look dangerously close to mine. I love your justification and plan on adding it to my long list of amends for my shopping sins!:gar-La;

259 (and holdin')

 

[Dutchman]

"I don't have a lot of time for the shop these days. The next best thing? Buying tools on Amazon."



Bas,
Thank you for doing your part on economy stimulation. However, it may be better on your bank account to get back in the shop.

 

[SteveCogs]

I have not had ANY time for the shop and have been looking for a way to stay involved. I just pulled the trigger on the rail and stile set myself.:gar-La;:gar-La;

 

[MrAudio815]

Congratulations BAS,

That lock miter bit is big especially if you got the big one that handles up to 1 1/4 stock. MLCS is the place to go and it looks like there is plenty of info for you already.

Can't wait to see what you make. I have got to make a few more setup blocks for different stock....Someday.

Have fun,

 

[Bas]

Fred, I like your cheapness on the stop block! Gives me more cash to buy all those additional routers.

I wonder if the MLCS setup block will fit my router bit. It looks very similar, and the diameter is the same (2 3/4"). Yes, it's ten bucks, but I'd need a LOT of scrap to get it set up right. Time = money!

Good advice everyone. Thanks!!! :icon_thum Definitely good to hear this should be done in multiple passes, the stopblock-behind-the-fence is something I'd never thought of! Useful for other things too. Also the idea of mounting an auxiliary piece, without it the work piece doesn't register against the fence anymore...yikes!

(BTW, I ordered bit #3 last night. Not quite as good a sale, but I actually need this bit to finish my end tables. The other bits were just "preemptive" buys. )

(Well I don't need it, I just want it. I could have used a regular roundover, but DaveO inspired me to use a table edge/ thumbnail profile)

(Oh, I also need a raised panel bit to go with the rail and stile bit. Just so I have the tools to make something else I don't have time to make!)

 

[dino drosas]

You can also set the height of the bit easily without setup blocks as follows :
Set the bit so it is centered on the thickness of your stock. Run a piece of scrap flat on the table. Cut this piece in half and turn one side over and fit the two pieces together as in a glue joint. When the two pieces are flush with each other, the bit is set correctly. If you run both surfaces flat, this bit also produces a very good glue joint for making wide panels as it gives you a lot of glue surface.

 

[CrealBilly]

Bas nice score - big bits can be a little intimidating can't they? But your the bas and with everyone's good input here, soon enough you'll be locking miters together in no time. My advise would be to only use only that in a a router table and slow the speed down on your router (how slow?). When I was a mold makes apprentice back in my younger days, my master taught me a jedi trick. If you have florestent bulbs in your shop, adjust the speed on your cutters till you can see the cutter flashing as it spins - works well with end mills in the bridgeport on steel and seems to work well with router bits in the router on wood also.

Thanks

 

[FredP]

Fred, I like your cheapness on the stop block! Gives me more cash to buy all those additional routers.

I wonder if the MLCS setup block will fit my router bit. It looks very similar, and the diameter is the same (2 3/4"). Yes, it's ten bucks, but I'd need a LOT of scrap to get it set up right. Time = money!

Good advice everyone. Thanks!!! :icon_thum Definitely good to hear this should be done in multiple passes, the stopblock-behind-the-fence is something I'd never thought of! Useful for other things too. Also the idea of mounting an auxiliary piece, without it the work piece doesn't register against the fence anymore...yikes!

(BTW, I ordered bit #3 last night. Not quite as good a sale, but I actually need this bit to finish my end tables. The other bits were just "preemptive" buys. )

(Well I don't need it, I just want it. I could have used a regular roundover, but DaveO inspired me to use a table edge/ thumbnail profile)

(Oh, I also need a raised panel bit to go with the rail and stile bit. Just so I have the tools to make something else I don't have time to make!)

after you buy the setup block and use it you will still have to do final fitting. It only gets you close. you will only spend about 10 to 15 min getting it set up right and a few seconds to make a future setup block. but theirs is pretty plastic soooooo...............:rotflm:

 

[Charles Lent]

The right setup for that lock miter bit makes a sharp edge of the top surface of your board without cutting away any of the top surface. The sharp edge should touch your fence as it leaves the router bit. When you get this right the second board that you cut vertically will also come out perfect. The boards must be square cut and dead flat or you will have problems. Use feather boards and backer boards for both cuts and build a jig to ride on your fence so that the vertical board is held absolutely vertical. It takes care and practice, but makes some great and very strong joinery if you can get it right. Run it slow and make several practice cuts before committing your work.

Freud and Sommerfeld make a dial type setup gage that is great, but it only works for their respective bits, as there are slight variations in bit styles between brands that prevent cross brand use. You just dial the board thickness on the center knob of the gage and then place the correct spoke of the gage with the pattern that you want against your bit and adjust the bit height until they fit together. If the board thickness is set correctly you get a perfect cut the first time. Maybe someday all router bit manufacturers will offer these, or better yet, standardize their bit shapes so one universal gage could be used across brands.

Charley