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

Its like a hot knife through butter. Very happy.

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.)

I needed a larger straight cutting bit for a project I was working on. I bought this one and I must tell you, this thing cuts! The bit runs true, sharp as heck and no tear out! Pretty much what you’d expect from Freud!

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.

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!

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.

so far so good

I use this almost exclusively to cut slots in small shelves. Like for a fastener or a lectern book sliding stopper or perhaps something adjustable. I could use the 1/4 straight bit that came in a set of various bits costing about what this one bit costs. So why would I buy this? Well, it cuts far more accurately. You can see by eye even that the slot is kind of perfect. The 1/2 shank transfers more power for any brand, but its still a feature. The cutter goes straight and it doesnt care if it suddenly hits where a branch was in hardwood or an odd spot in something, that just disappears. Thats where the free or multi-pack one fails. Something a little off and it wobbles and maybe you can see it, or the board moves a little, or the slot height is uneven, or even some little bits fly out, all of which leave the slot looking crummy. So being frugal I might very well use cheap bits sometimes where the holes will be invisible or Im just doing some random chopping. But for finishing stuff that the end user will see, you need to use a specialty premium bit. For me thats usually Freud bits because I get consistently good results with them. And again, not saying your whole set needs to be these--theyre not cheap. But even for a hobbyist who cant pass on the cost, the ones you really like and use frequently should be Freud.

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!

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