Tried that $40 router bit sharpener from Amazon last week

I picked up one of those little diamond-coated sharpening widgets for my router bits thinking it would be a cheap fix for some dull whiteside bits. It just made them worse, honestly felt like I was grinding them down unevenly. Anyone else tried one of these or found a better way to touch up bits without sending them out?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_johnson7511h ago

Felt like it was doing more harm than good after two passes on a straight bit so I tossed it in the drawer and went back to buying new ones. Honestly how dull does a bit have to be before it actually messes up your work? I mean unless you're running production all day everyday a slightly dull bit still cuts fine with a bit of extra feed pressure. Maybe the trick is just to not overthink it and run em until they really won't cut anymore.

rowanbennett10h ago

john_johnson75 basically said run em til they give up the ghost which sounds about right honestly. that $40 sharpener is probably the tool equivalent of those "as seen on tv" knife sharpeners that promise miracle edges then just chew up your steel. i bet the diamond grit on those things is uneven as hell so you're basically giving your bit a lopsided haircut with a dull pair of scissors. if a bit is so dull it's burning wood instead of cutting it then yeah maybe look into a proper sharpening service but for most hobbyist stuff just crank up the feed pressure and buy a new one when it really dies. better to waste $20 on a new bit every couple years than risk trashing a perfectly good one with some amazon gadget.