tcarswell Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Seems like an obvious question with all the glue and multi grain directions of plywood but I have found myself hesitating to use my nice router bits etc on plywood lately and I thought if I'm gonna be using ryobi router bits on plywood I should at least be certain my theory holds water. Thanks guys ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I have no hesitation using any router bits on plywood, MDF or hardwood. MDF probably produces the most wear but if you take shallow passes 1/4" deep at a time you will be good to go. Keep them sharp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted November 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I wouldn't have guessed MDF cause its so soft but the glue content is abrasive I believe so that certainly makes sense . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 All woodworking makes tools dull... That said, good carbide bits and blades stand up to all of it for many uses. Some solid woods can be abrasive, such as teak, Ipe, and dirty woods early in the process. Many carbide router bits can be professionally resharpened for a few bucks. I think a lot of the worries are mainly left over from when a much higher percentage of tooling was high speed steel. I don't worry about my carbide bits and blades, but I am careful about dried glue around HSS planer and jointer cutters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I try to keep my best bits away from plywood and MDF. Sometimes it's unavoidable. Barry is right about the HSS...when I was a noob I ran some edge-grain ply over my jointer...never made that mistake again. Carbide bits seem to laugh at plywood, but HSS takes a beating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 The biggest thing to do is keep your blades and bits clean. Frequent cleaning and a bit of bearing lube will help a lot. Resin builds up and adds to heat and dulling of the cutting edge. I just use a commercial blade cleaner and a plastic stiff brush, scrub, rinse , throughly dry . I also use Bostick blade spray, it helps reduce resin buildup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Also, keep in mind that most plywood is a slightly different size.. 3/4 isn't really 3/4.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted November 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I've made both of those mistakes jointing plywood and of course planing jointing glue lines as well. Live and learn . So it sounds like using my cheap bits is just wrecking them a lot faster than my Freud bits as they don't stand up to the ply wood nearly as well. And I do occasionally work with ipe that stuff is a nightmare but it's my wife's favorite wood so she tortures me with it often And Mr TIODS I learned that the hard way. Imagine my frustration buying a whole new set of (special plywood sized )straight bits to plow dado cuts with !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I have this router bit and drill bit lube to protect the bits from getting hot and doing them quicker. It works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted November 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 I have the router bit lubricant sounds like I should start using it ! Also I clean the inside and outside of every flute on my router bit after each use with a q tip it helps by not allowing the resin to harden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Tcarswell, I keep a tooth brush in my shop to clean off any stuff on my bits. Keeping the bits clean helps keep down the heat and makes the bits last longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted November 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Toothbrush is about a million times more efficient than a q tip . I even have one I use constantly for bandsawtires and cleaning gears on tablesaw. Thanks so much guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 ==>Is plywood significantly harder on router bits than hardwood? In short, yes... A more careful answer -- it depends... 3/4" BB is certainly harder on edge tools than 5-ply lauan... As others have mentioned, a clean bit is a happy bit... Also mentioned above, I keep my better, hard to sharpen, etc bits away from engineered laminates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 FYI 12mm spirals are perfect for undersized 1/2" ply and 6mm for 1/4" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Toothbrush is about a million times more efficient than a q tip . I even have one I use constantly for bandsawtires and cleaning gears on tablesaw. Thanks so much guys. For about 15 or 20 bucks you can get a bandsaw tire brush and install it to keep the tires clean as the saw runs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcarswell Posted November 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 For about 15 or 20 bucks you can get a bandsaw tire brush and install it to keep the tires clean as the saw runs Did you have one in mind ? Only one I've found is the carter one. It looks decent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 These are the same thing I believe. It's even cheaper than I thought. I remember seeing one last year for about 15 bucks. http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=56044&cat=1,41036,56060 http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/146153/clean-sweep-bandsaw-brush.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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