Freud 12-152: 3/4 (Dia.) Double Flute Straight Bit (Eclipse Grind) Red

To start off with, this product is great and I enjoy using it, but it measures at 1.4 instead of inch and a half. I use it to machine plastics, it leaves a great finish even during roughing cuts, the grind is good and it leaves a perpendicular wall if youre cutting a slot, etc. I have no reason to be upset that it isnt quite the size stated, I can make it work for my needs and I will have no problem ordering more tools from this company.

Quality piece of tooling. Ive used it with both a hand router and CNC so far and it moves through maple like butter. Cant yet speak to the longevity, but it has worked perfectly for surfacing the table Im workin on.

Its a Freud. They make good products. Cant go wrong.

This bit cut as expected, and I have high expectations. Freud products continue to impress me. I use their saw blades almost exclusively. This is a great bit at a very fair price. Also, on one other note, the first bit received was the incorrect bit. The packaging wrap around the bit had the correct number and description, but the actual bit in the Freud container was not the bit I ordered (Freud package was correct, just not the bubble wrap label around the bit). After many (100s) Amazon orders, this was the first real issue I have had (small shipment damage on a few orders but nothing that damaged the product to a return level). So, I contacted Amazon inside my account, and checked the issue that I had received an incorrect item. I was contacted by email, before I could get over to my email account. They had the info to ship the wrong bit back,with free shipping label to print and attach, and stated that a replacement bit was being shipped that day. Now listen to this folks, I received the replacement the next day by FedEx, and the next day was Saturday. I repeat, a Saturday. For a $20 router bit. I havent received customer service like this since the 80s. Wow! Knowing this type support is backing up my orders, gives me a real piece of mind (and I have no stock in Amazon, just a satisfied customer). And yes, since this is what this review was mainly about, I like the bit too. Go Freud!

Go through the material slowly.

I wanted to flatten the end of a 6x6 reclaimed oak beam. The beam was just the right height to secure in my benchs tail vice, and I made a jig to control the path of my 2.25 HP plunge router. I chose this bit because of its size (1 diameter-- takes off a decent amount but not too scary-big) and because of its cutting depth, which was necessary for me to reach the piece with my jig, while a more typical slab-flattening bit was not able to do. Anyway, it worked great for that purpose!

The trick with router bits is to make sure they are clean and sharp. They are pretty good from factory, but I found if you clean them and give them a good honing with a diamond file card before first use. They work much better. Also important to use correct router speed and feed rate. But dull dirty bits along with incorrect speed and feed lead to burning. When used properly these bits work great. Unfortunately some undersized plywood from foreign producers sold at big box stores are now thinner than 21/32nds. So these might even be a little over sized for those ply goods. So if you buy from large retailers, check the actual thickness of the sheet stock.

Let me just say I love freud cutting tools. I rate things in consideration to the price range they are in along with what it is supposed to do and how it actually performs. Usually everything I purchase that is made by freud gets the highest rating in my book, because the performance quality at the price range their products are in are always on par if not better. I have a large selection of freud saw blades, forstner bits, and router bits and they all perform to the highest standard of the price range they are in. Now with this 1-3/4 straight bit. My experience has been a little different which is why I gave it 4 stars only. The bit is a beast and for the most part it performs great, but I purchased this bit to plane wood down flat and level. Seeing as I do not have a jointer or a plane. I will say it that this is the first time for me to plan wood in this manner, but this bit leaves uneven lines in the surface of the wood that I am planing. Which is why I gave it 4 stars. The lines are easy to sand out with some heavy grit sandpaper or a smoothing plane, but this is a straight bit that is supposed to perform as a bottom smoothing bit. So it should not leave lines in the wood surface. I am thinking that maybe I could have received a slightly defective bit. So I ordered one of the Amana 1-3/4 straight bits. I am going to give that a go and see if it does the same thing. Even with the lines .I would still recommend this bit, because the lines can be sanded out afterwards and freud bits usually last a long time. Plus this particular bit is large enough to eat away a lot of material in one pass and it is sharp as hell.

worked great, well made!

You do the math... this should produce a very tight fit. It does. Pliers were required to force the 1/4 shelf pins into the 15/64 holes. But, that was the recommendation of the shelf pin jig maker (Rockler). I dont think I will be making frequent changes to the shelf positions. (I have used the bit only one time to make 16 shelf pin holes so I wont comment on either longevity or value for money.)