If you were to stop the next 22 people you met and inquired as to how many could explain how carbide router bits are used, my guess is that very few would have much to say. Actually, though, these little carbide cutters are used for almost everything we use made of wood. From my desk I can see a hand rail, floor molding, window frames, window trim, a desk, a chair, several doors and more that were partially made using these woodworking tools. Think about your cabinets, dining table, end table, coffee table and so on. All these have some feature that was cut using a router bit.
Advantages of carbide cutters
Box Cutter
In the past, cutters were made of high speed steel, and before that they must have been made of the best materials available, but I assure you, they were not very good. I know, because I have used some old ones belonging to my deceased grandfather. He left a box of tools for me to have when he passed away, and I tried to use them. They could cut wood, but not metal. And the details would wear out very quickly, simply because the steel was just not that tough. He must have known some secret speeds and feeds to use, because, compared to today's tooling, they were very inadequate. In any case, I was all to happy to come back to my own carbide cutters.
Some obvious benefits are higher speeds and feeds, finer finishes, prolonged tool life, and higher dimensional accuracy. Since the tool does not deflect during use, the results are generally excellent. This is one of the hardest materials known to man, and has so many industrial applications that it would be difficult to list them all. But, just for the sake of demonstration, here are some of the more common.
Industrial Applications For Routers
Furniture making Window construction Trim and baseboard manufacture Door details Flooring Tile and fiberglass Aluminum materials Channel cutting for cables Shaping dishes and tray Joinery
As much as possible, high speed machining is the preferred method of using carbide. It can also work well at lower speeds, but the process will suffer as a consequence. The edges are very brittle and tend to chip when used improperly. Tool and die makers, injection mold makers, and precision machinists use them on a daily basis. In fact, it is difficult to imagine returning to the old days of high speed steel. It would be worse than only having dial-up on your computer!
