Has anyone here had experiences—good or bad—with inexpensive 1/4" top bearing spiral or compression bits found on Amazon? I'm looking to trim solid wood edging on shelves but hesitant to spend a lot on quality bits since I know they can be brittle. However, I'm also wary of cheaper options for the same reason. Would it be better to use hand tools for this task? I'm considering a hand plane, but my previous attempts with a block plane left me frustrated. I'm not a regular hand tool user and currently own lower-end tools, although I recently got a set of Narex chisels that might improve my experience. I want to minimize the sanding needed after trimming flush, and any advice would be appreciated!
3 Answers
I have a low-cost spiral compression bit that I use for template trimming and it's been decent so far. Spirals definitely cut faster than straight bits and reduce tear-out, but make sure you’re using the right type for the material. If you’re working with solid wood edging, a router should do the job. But if you're using self-adhesive edge banding, a router can mess it up, so go for an edge banding trimmer instead.
From my experience, the inexpensive bits can work for the first few projects, but if you're going to use them regularly, I'd recommend investing in better, carbide-tipped spiral bits. They last way longer!
I think those cheap bits are okay for light projects like trimming edging. Just don't expect them to last long if you're using them often.
I’m using solid wood cut to match face frames, usually 1/8 to 3/16 thick. I prefer iron-on edge banding, but I ran out of maple for this project.