Page 13 - Router Boss Manual

you no longer have to worry about tear-out. You can
also make climb cuts on dovetail and box-joint pins,
another place where traditional router jigs have prob-
lems. The Router Boss’ guide rail system and base plate
provide the needed support, and with both hands on the
router, you can easily control the cut.

A Bit about Bits
While you can use your existing bits with the
Router Boss, we suggest you consider our high-speed
steel dovetail bits and our solid carbide, spiral up-cut
straight bits to get the most out of your machine.

We recommend high-speed steel (HSS) dove-
tail bits for a number of reasons, particularly for use The carbide-tipped bit on the left has a much wider
in hardwoods. First, HSS is not as brittle as tungsten profile than the high-speed steel bit on the right. The
carbide, so it’s less likely to chip or break. And while cutting angle is also steeper on the HSS bit, giving you
it doesn’t hold an edge as long as carbide, high-speed a cleaner, slicing cut.
steel is much easier to resharpen.

The geometry of the bits is also different. Carbide-
tipped bits are typically “beefier” looking because they
need extra steel to back up the carbide cutters. HSS bits
can be “thinner” because the cutting edge is ground di-
rectly into the body of the bit. This also allows a greater
hook angle, so the bit can slice more cleanly through the
wood. This thinner profile also gives you more elegant
looking dovetails that more closely resemble hand-cut
dovetails.

For making straight cuts, we recommend using
solid-carbide, spiral up-cut bits for a different set of
reasons. First, these bits stay sharp much longer than
standard two-flute carbide or steel bits. Because the
cutting edge is spiraled, only a small portion of the bit
is in contact with the wood at any one time, so the bits
stay cooler and hold their edge longer.

The spiral cutting action also slices the wood more
cleanly and the cutting action lifts the chips out of the
cut, again helping to keep the bit cool. Cutting surfaces
on the end of the bit also allow you to plunge the bit
into the wood similar to a drill bit. This drilling action
and chip clearance makes cutting mortises a snap.

Our spiral up-cut bits are also extra long to allow
deeper cuts for mortises and cheek cuts on tenons. (See The standard two-flute 1/2” diameter carbide-tipped bit
on the left uses a chopping action while the solid-car-
the router bit selection chart on page 14.) bide up-cut bit on the right slices through the cut. The
length of the bits is also easy to compare.

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