What cutters are needed for hardware manicure. Types of nozzles. What you need to know about CNC Router End Mills

04.05.2020

Milling is one of the most common machining methods. In terms of productivity, milling is superior to planing and, in large-scale production, is second only to external broaching. The kinematics of the milling process is characterized by a rapid rotation of the tool around its axis and a slow feed movement. The feed motion during milling can be linear, rotary, or helical. With a rectilinear feed motion, cutters process all kinds of cylindrical surfaces: planes, all kinds of grooves and grooves, shaped cylindrical surfaces (Fig. 84).

Rice. 84. Milling schemes

With a rotary feed motion, milling surfaces of rotation are processed, and with a helical feed motion, all kinds of helical surfaces, for example, chip grooves of tools, hollows of helical gears, etc.

The milling cutter is the original body of revolution, which, during processing, touches the surface of the part, and on the surface of which cutting teeth are formed. The shape of the original body of revolution depends on the shape of the machined surface and the location of the cutter axis relative to the part. By changing the position of the tool axis relative to the machined surface, it is possible to design Various types cutters designed to produce a given part.

The main parts of the cutters and the elements of their cutting part are shown in fig. 85.

Rice. 85. Elements of cutters

The variety of operations performed on milling machines has led to a variety of types, shapes and sizes of cutters.

This article provides an overview of the cutters used on CNC milling machines in various situations.

End mills

The most common are end mills. End mills belong to the group of cutting tools used in industrial milling and differ from other cutters in the area of application, geometry of the working surface, fastening in the spindle milling machine and production methods.

Tungsten carbide or high speed steel?

Typically end mill materials are tungsten carbide (called carbide) or high speed steel, but exotic options such as powder metal alloys also come across. For workshops with industrial scale production, the question of choosing one or another material is usually not worth it - carbide is used everywhere, i.e. tungsten carbide, as there is an opinion that they are universal, and in general - better in all aspects. However, it turns out that everything depends on the material being processed, as well as on the maximum spindle speed of the machine and some other parameters. If you are working with more soft materials such as aluminum, and the spindle speed is not capable of reaching the recommended speeds for a carbide cutter for aluminum, then it might be more rational to use HSS end mills. For end mills with a diameter of 15 mm or more, when used in small machines with a spindle speed not exceeding 6000 rpm, high speed steel is recommended for aluminum cutting, and carbide for cutters with smaller diameters. This not only avoids the high cost of large end mills, but also keeps the rigidity of small end mills at the desired level.

End Mill Dimensions for CNC Milling Machines

End mills come in a variety of sizes, both in metric and inch systems. There are also micro-cutters for processing extremely small parts. Diameter tolerances for most end mills often have some variation. If your work requires increased accuracy, you will most likely need to make a trial cut to determine the exact diameter of the end mill. Naturally, you can measure it directly with, for example, a micrometer, but a trial cut test is the most reliable way.

Micro cutter

Number of cutter teeth

The number of teeth on an end mill is important and depends on the material you want to machine and the capabilities of your machine. The most common options are 2, 3 or 4 flute cutters. For example, you should not take a cutter with more than three teeth for aluminum work. Aluminum produces large chips that tend to clog the flutes of the cutter even at moderate cutting speeds. Flutes in 2 and 3 flute cutters have sufficient clearance and are suitable for working with aluminum. For most other materials, the use of 4 flute cutters is the generally accepted standard. Increasing the number of teeth is a kind of "spindle speed multiplier". For a given spindle speed, a 4-tooth cutter can be cut twice as fast as a 2-tooth cutter and will typically produce a smoother finish. There are also many other varieties that are less common. End mills with more than 4 flutes are great for increasing productivity in tough materials such as titanium, where spindle speed is often just not enough.

Center cutting or not?

Most 2 and 3 flute end mills are center cutting. Some 4 flute cutters are not. The center cutting end mill can be plunged directly into the material. Non-center cutters have a groove in the middle, without a cutting edge, so that the plunging stroke into the material is very limited. The only advantage of non-center cutters is their low cost. Speaking of cost, you can purchase both double-sided and single-sided end mills, one double-sided end mill is much cheaper than two single-sided. But not all machines have the ability to use double-sided cutters.

Center cutting on the left, non-center cutting on the right.

Double End Mill

About working length

The longer the working part, the lower the rigidity of the tool. If a cutter with a long tip is worked aggressively, it will cause bending, which can lead to breakage of the tool. Thus, we can conclude that cutters with a short working part should be preferred, using long ones only in cases where there is no other choice.

Working length

Cutter bend

End Mill Coatings

A good coating can drastically increase the performance of an end mill and its life. There are many coatings, both ubiquitous and very exotic and expensive. Most of these coatings are named according to their chemical compounds, somehow:

End mills coated with titanium aluminum titride (AlTiN), which is created using the chemical deposition process using a cathode arc;
TiN (a base coat with a yellowish color that has recently fallen out of wide use);
TiCN (popular bluish gray coating);
TiAlN and AlTiN (extremely popular dark purple coating);
TiAlCrN, AlTiCrN and AlCrTiN (polycrystalline diamond (PCD) coating).

Advances in the development of advanced coatings for end mills are made every year. Many premium workshops already use amorphous and nanocomposite polycrystalline diamond (PCD) coated tools. The use of coated or uncoated end mills depends on the ratio of the economic benefits of the latter to the technological advantages of the former.

End mill geometry

The performance of the cutter can depend on both the type of coating and the geometry. Now a great variety of milling cutters of the most diverse forms are mass-produced, but some decisions are very controversial. For standard tasks, it is more likely to choose the time-tested classic end mills, leaving fancy cutters for those who like to experiment.

Roughing end mills

Rough end mills, such as the one shown in the image below, have small teeth on the teeth, which are called chipbreaker cutters. These teeth serve the following purposes: firstly, they crush the chips, which makes it easier to remove them from the hole, and secondly, they reduce vibration and stabilize. Roughing end mills are not very expensive and can give a noticeable increase in productivity.

Spherical end mills

So far we have been talking about end mills mainly used for flat surfaces, and in the vast majority of cases this is enough, but for 3D machining you will have to use spherical end mills. Spherical (end) cutters create funnels with a certain radius or recesses. Also, with the help of such cutters, it is possible to form protrusions, i.e. free-form reliefs. Such a tool is presented with 2, 3, 4 or six teeth. The cutter profile is presented in a spherical shape. The angle of the spherical territory of the cutting part is 180 degrees. Models are produced with an angle of exactly 180 degrees. To eliminate chips, the cutter has grooves in the form of a spiral.

Mold often needs 3D machining

Spherical cutter

Formation of comb protrusions with a spherical cutter

The milling cutter is a cutting tool with which a manual milling machine or a stationary machine performs surface treatment. various materials(wood, plastic, metal). Since the equipment is designed for rotational movement, then its basic shape will be disk-shaped or cylindrical. At the same time, the cutting edges of the tool can have a rather intricate shape. Milling cutters for a manual milling cutter are divided into several types. The most common among them is for wood processing. At the same time, wood cutters also have their own classification. Consider what types of cutters are designed for processing wooden surfaces, and how to choose them correctly.

If needed choose a groove any depth and width, then for this purpose it is impossible better fit groove cutter. Its design allows this operation to be performed both on the face (face) of the part and on its edge. The groove cutter is mainly used when joining parts with a tenon. Also, using nozzles for a wood router that follow a ruler, you can cut even grooves of any width.

Shaped

Allows you to give the groove certain shapes, similar to braces. The tool selects not only the grooves inside the workpiece, but also change the shape of the edge ribs. When making a complex pattern on the face of the workpiece, first a straight cutter (groove) cuts through it. In the future, this simplifies the centering of the shaped equipment.

The following figures show the main types of groove cutters.

Structural

After processing the workpiece with this tooling, a groove is obtained that looks like a trapezoid ( dovetail) or an inverted "T".

This method of connecting parts is considered one of the most reliable, since the spikes slide into the grooves of the same shape, and they cannot be separated by another method.

Fillet V-shaped

Although the word “fillet” refers to a semi-circular notch or groove, V-cutters also fall into this category. The tool allows you to select not only vertical grooves, but also grooves at a certain angle. Also, a fillet cutter is often used for decorative carving and changing the geometry of edges in furniture production.

Fillet

They have a rounded cutting edge. If you look at the groove after it has passed in section, it will resemble the letter "U".

The cutter is used for decorative finishes edges and ends of wood products, creating complex patterns on the face of the workpiece or various fillet recesses (grooves) on the face of the product and on its ribs.

Direct

This is the simplest tool that has the shape of a cylinder. The groove obtained in the workpiece has a rectangular cross section.

Tooling is most often used with plunge cutters.

Straight groove (finger) cutters are used if you want to choose a rectangular groove with a clean bottom, for example, for cutting door locks and hinges.

Edge cutters

In most cases, edge cutters have thrust bearing. Thanks to him, it becomes possible to guide the tool according to the template, processing the edges and edges of the workpieces.

Half rod

The tool creates semi-circular ridges on the edges of the workpieces.

If you use a half-rod cutter paired with a moulder or fillet cutter, then you can make hinged joints. Also, rods are made with a semi-rod tool. round section. In this case, the workpiece is processed on both sides.

curly

These curly cutters are also called multi-profile. Depending on the tasks, the wizard can use part of the snap-in profile or use it completely. In the second case, you will need to install the tool in a unit that has a power of at least 1600 watts.

Fillet

Designed to give the ribs of the workpiece an inner radius or a selection of grooves with a circular cross section.

Fillet cutters are equipped with one or two bearings, which exclude tool distortion.

Cone

With cone cutters you can:

chamfer on the edge of the workpiece;
decorate the edge of the tabletop;
create an angular cut on the edges of the workpiece before gluing them (it is possible to obtain products with a polygonal shape).

Folded

Apply to quarter samples and grooves of rectangular section. Thanks to the thrust bearing, the rebate cutter can be used on both flat and curved workpieces.

To adjust the depth of the groove, thrust bearings of different diameters are used.

Moulder

Moulder cutters allow you to get an arcuate, straight, as well as a figured edge on the workpiece. Working with any part of the same equipment, you can:

round the edge of the part;
get an edge with a fold;
make a half-rod protrusion;
get EDGE WITH SPONGE;
make decorative processing of ribs, for example, by making window frames.

Also, with molding cutters, you can create complex-shaped ornaments on the edges and ends of a wooden part.

The tooling of this series can also be double, as shown in the following figure.

On the double cutter the distance between the elements can be changed in accordance with the thickness of the workpiece. Thanks to two elements, the workpiece is processed in one pass, simultaneously on both sides.

Direct

A straight edge (overrunning or face) cutter is used when finishing the ends of a workpiece or creating an ideal angle of 90 between the face of the part and its edge (end). The bearing can be installed at the top or bottom of the tool.

With the lower position of the bearing, the template is fixed under the workpiece, and with the upper position - above the workpiece.

In addition to the facing function, the upper bearing tool can be used as a grooving tool and cut a rectangular slot on the workpiece face, of course, using a template of a certain height. The bearing diameter is usually the same as the tool diameter, i.e. it is flush with the cutting edge. But in some cases, it is changed to a smaller or larger diameter in order to expand the possibilities of equipment.

The corn cutter is also an edge cutter. Its main purpose is to grind and align the edges of the workpiece according to the template. Thanks to the special arrangement of the knives (in a spiral), easy chip removal and smooth running of the tool.

Combined cutters

Splicing of workpieces is considered the most effective if you use a combined tool. These types of cutters consist of tenon and groove elements at the same time: thanks to this design of the equipment, both profiles are obtained in one pass by the apparatus. As a result, the area of the edge intended for gluing increases, which has a positive effect on the strength of the connection.

Framework

Frame cutters are compound tools. All cutting elements are installed on the base, and the master can place them in the desired order. Type-setting cutters have the following components:

base;
cutting elements;
bearing;
washer;
fixing nut.

When changing the location of the cutting elements, it is not required to remove the shank from the collet of the unit. It is enough just to unscrew the fasteners located at the bottom of the equipment, and all its elements are removed. Thanks to collapsible design tooling, the tool overhang remains the same, and its re-adjustment is not required.

Groove-thorn

The kit contains 2 cutters, one for grooving and the other for the tenon.

Groove and tenon cutters have a mirror-identical profile of the cutting elements, due to which the machined parts are spliced as accurately as possible.

The only disadvantage of this equipment is that the grooves and spikes are made by different cutters, which have to be changed and again adjusted for their overhang relative to the sole of the unit.

For the manufacture of lining

Milling cutters for the manufacture of lining, according to their principle of operation, are similar to a tongue-and-groove tool, but with the only difference that when connecting parts, a V-groove between them to simulate a beam. A set of 2 pieces is also required to make the connection.

Universal

After the passage of the tool, 2 planes are obtained that are fully compatible with each other, having a groove and a spike. Both of the latter are located at an angle to each other.

A micro-thorn cutter is also used for splicing parts.

The equipment can be used both for longitudinal splicing of blanks (in the manufacture of shields) and for end splicing of parts.

For corner splicing of wood, equipment from the combined series is also used, which allows you to prepare the joints at an angle of 45 degrees.

It should be noted that the same combined cutter is used to process workpieces that need to be spliced. original design tooling allows you to achieve maximum quality of joining parts, and also significantly saves time, since you do not need to change the tool.

Apply tool in the manufacture of panels, namely for decorative processing of the edges of parts. All equipment has a thrust bearing fixed from below. A milling cutter with a bearing can process not only rectangular workpieces, but also curly ones. You should be aware that infill tools have a diameter of 50 to 70 m, therefore, in order to use them effectively, you must have a device with a power of at least 1500 watts. For a domestic router, processing a panel with this type of equipment will become an impossible task.

To make doors with a manual router (meaning kitchen facades), you will need to purchase a special set consisting of three elements.

The set contains the following facade cutters: one paneled and two accessories for furniture strapping (profile-counter-profile).

Horizontal

Apply for pre-treatment panels. To form a spike for insertion into the groove of the frame, you will need to additionally process the edge.

vertical

Most often, vertical figure cutters are used for the manufacture of plinth.

Horizontal double-sided

This type of equipment significantly simplifies the production process, since in one pass of the tool a connecting spike and a part of a panel of a certain configuration appear on the edge.

In addition to the above types of equipment, many masters also use homemade cutters. Usually they are standard locksmith drills, reground in a special way. How to do this at home, you can learn from the video.

Criteria for choosing a cutting tool for wood

When choosing wood cutters for a manual unit, attention should be paid to the following equipment parameters.

Shank diameter and size

Please note that some foreign manufacturers of cutters may indicate the diameter of the shank in inches. In most cases, if a collet is installed on the machine, then there will be no problems with installing the tooling, of course, provided that the collet diameter matches the diameter of the shank.

It is important to know that the collet of a manual unit is not a drill chuck into which you can clamp a tool of different diameters. The inner diameter of the collet must strictly correspond to the diameter of the tool shank. Difficulties can arise if you buy a tool with a 1/2ʺ (12.7 mm) shank and try to insert it into a collet with a diameter of 12 mm. At the same time, a shank with a diameter of 6 mm will fit 1.4” (6.35 mm) into the collet without any problems.

Before buying a cutter, especially an expensive one, read the instructions for the unit and find out which collet is installed on it.

Shank length snap also has great importance. Not all of them have extended shanks, and sometimes their sizes are not enough to use the tool, for example, when expanding deep grooves. Also, long tooling shanks may be needed when fixing the unit under the table. In this case, it is customary to use cutter extension, which is clamped in the collet of the unit.

blade material

This is an important criterion when choosing equipment. The product can be made of high speed steel (HSS) or carbide (HM). Blades from high speed steel easily cope with soft woods of low density. But for processing hard wood, these cutters are not suitable. In this case, they can be replaced with a snap-in with carbide blades.

Location of cutting elements

The blades on the tool can be located vertically, that is, parallel to the axis of the shank, or at a certain angle to it. Vertically arranged blades work like a planer and cut wood more than they cut it. Therefore, if the blades are a little dull, they will leave marks on the surface they have processed, which will have to be sanded.

Blades located at an angle to the axis of the tool, they work much cleaner and do not form chips.

Stone cutters

To process an artificial stone with a router (manual), you can use traditional types of cutters designed for wood, but only with carbide blades. There is one nuance here: an artificial stone is a composite material that contains the smallest abrasive particles. Therefore, no matter what carbide material the cutter is made of, it will only be enough to process no more than 10 linear meters of a stone blank. Further, dull blades will not give the required cleanliness, for example, of the surfaces to be bonded, which will affect the quality of the connection.

Therefore, professionals advise using the best cutters from well-known manufacturers such as Festool, Leuco, Titman, Leitz, Dimar. Resource cutting tools, manufactured by these enterprises, is 5-10 times higher than that of conventional carbide tools. “Branded” equipment can already be processed from 60 to 100 meters of the composite.

Cutters for wood and stone are similar in appearance and even have the same name. Some of them are very often used for stone operations. But there are cutters specially designed for the processing of composite products.

With this stone cutter, you can create sills on kitchen (toilet) sinks and composite countertops. Typically, the complete formation of the collar occurs in 2 passes of the tool.

There is also a modification of the cutter “anti-overflow”, which has a thrust bearing.

This tool is for surface preparation before splicing. The cutting part of the equipment has a wavy profile.

The tooling selects a groove, which is further intended for inlay with composite materials.

This set is used to eliminate damage on the surface of products made of artificial stone. The set contains 2 elements. One is a cork, and the second is a hole for it.

CERATIZIT milling cutters can also be used for processing composites.

This is diamond cutters which are known for their durability. They are made by sintering several layers of diamond chips. The multi-layer coating allows you to extend the service life of the tool, since during its operation new layers of abrasive appear to replace the worn layers.

Milling cutters for metal

There is no specially designed tooling for metal for a manual router. Usually, craftsmen use tooling designed for machine tools with a suitable shank diameter. Most often, on manual units, end mills are used to create grooves. But you should know that the router is a machine that develops high speeds, which is not very suitable for end cutters. Therefore, the metal must be removed in minimal layers, a few tenths of a mm thick, and in several passes. The following photo shows a spiral cutter for metal.

Also on milling machines you can install burrs of various configurations that can easily cut steel, cast iron, stainless steel, brass and even titanium. But since they most often have a small shank diameter (6 mm), an adapter is required to install in an 8 mm collet.

Burrs for metal are of the following types.

Disk. You can make all kinds of cuts and grooves.
Conical (60°). Used for countersinking holes.
Tapered with reverse taper. The equipment is used for grinding grooves, processing sharp corners of the workpiece, removing welds in the corners of the product, processing hard-to-reach holes.
Conical rounded. They are used for processing interfaces, cleaning welds, processing planes.
Tapered pointed. The tool can handle sharp corners, parts mating, as well as milling in hard-to-reach places.
oval. They process and expand the holes, as well as align the welds in the corners of the parts.
Flame-shaped. Due to the universal form, the tool is used to create fillets, as well as for their processing.
Spherical. The tooling can be used for making holes, creating semi-circular mates, and making slots.
Spheroconic pointed. It is possible to process honey with planes connected at an acute angle.
Spheroconical rounded. Mates with internal radii are processed.
Spherocylindrical. You can process edges, profiles, welds, radius grooves. Also, this equipment removes chamfers and burrs and prepares the surface for welding.
Cylindrical with a smooth end. Used for processing contours, seams after welding, edges, for chamfering and deburring.
Cylindrical with teeth. Tooling with teeth on the end is used for the same purposes as tooling with a smooth end. Only this type of tool can work simultaneously in two planes at a right angle.

Devices for a manual router

The main task performed by various devices for this unit is the expansion functionality devices. Some of the accessories come with the machine, but the rest of the attachments to the router must be purchased separately or made by hand.

This device is available in standard equipment any cutter.

The stop allows you to make straight cuts on workpieces. The edge of the workpiece or the guide rail is used as the basic guide.

The tire acts as a guide along which the stop of the apparatus moves. By using this device, straight line milling.

This device is attached to the sole of the unit and allows you to produce radial milling and cutting circles.

Grooving

For grooving a certain width, use the router attachment shown in the following figure.

The width of the groove is regulated by one platform. In this case, a straight groove cutter with an upper bearing is used.

copier

To transfer any complex ornament or pattern special devices are used on the workpiece - copiers (pantographs).

The copier works like this:

the workpiece is placed under the unit installed in the pantograph;
at the right distance from the copier, an ornament or pattern is placed that needs to be copied;
the pantograph pointer is set to the initial position, after which the engine of the unit is turned on;
all movements of the pointer along the pattern are transmitted with accuracy to the milling cutter, and it cuts out a copy of the required pattern on the workpiece.

The copy sleeve is needed, first of all, to protect the template from the impact of the tool blades. In addition, the copying ring, moving along the edge of the template, transfers all its forms to the cutter, which processes the part under the fixture.

If the hole in the template exceeds the dimensions of the sole of the device, then it can be installed on a platform of suitable sizes.

Given simple device allows you to cut transverse and longitudinal grooves in workpieces cylindrical shape(turned table legs, poles, balusters).

To make spikes for box connection, straight or dovetail, use a tenon cutter.

Using this attachment allows you to make spikes with equal distances between them, so that the connection of parts occurs in an ideal way.

Tenon-groove device

The tenon-groove connection is the most common in carpentry.

To make this connection, there are special devices called pantorouters.

Despite the apparent complexity of the design, this machine is easily made by hand according to the drawings, which are enough on the Internet.

By installing a manual unit in the table, you get stationary mini machine. With it, it is convenient to process small and long parts that cannot be clamped with clamps. Ready-made milling tables specially designed for fixing manual milling machines. Below is a table manufactured by Corvette.

But as practice shows, most craftsmen prefer to make milling tables do it yourself because their design is not complicated. A table for a milling cutter can be made of thick plywood or chipboard with a thickness of 16 mm or more.

If you cut an isosceles triangle, for example, from plywood, and fix it on the sole of the router, as shown in the following figure, you get a simple fixture for processing door panels.

This overlay allows for additional decoration of ready-made doors without disassembling them, without using templates.

How to sharpen a cutter at home

Sharpening of the cutter should be carried out only after the complete removal of carbon deposits and dirt from its body and cutting elements. For these purposes, it is better to use a special cleaning fluid (shown in the figure below).

Apply the product to the cutting parts of the equipment and wait a few minutes for it to dissolve the carbon deposits. Then you should take a regular toothbrush and carefully clean the blades of the remaining dirt. After cleaning, you can proceed to the sharpening process itself. To carry out this operation at home, you will first need to purchase set of diamond stones, differing in granularity.

For coarse sharpening, bars with a larger grain are used. But the process of dressing blades should always be completed by polishing with the finest abrasive.

To sharpen a cutter, follow these steps:

place the bar on the edge of the table and moisten it with water. If necessary, fix the fixture;
lay the snap on the bar so that its cutting edge is in contact with the bar along the entire length;
drive the cutter along the emery with smooth movements with the same pressure force, periodically wetting it with water;
make the same number of strokes for each blade of the tooling so that the edges are ground evenly.

If the equipment prepared for sharpening has a thrust bearing, then it must be removed before the start of the process.

Of course, if there is such an opportunity, it is better to hand over the cutter for sharpening to a specialized workshop, where it will be restored on precision equipment. This procedure is inexpensive when compared with the cost of diamond bars.

From this article you can find out what a cutting element is like a wood cutter for a manual router. The text contains a detailed classification of products: the main varieties and features of parts, their specifications and practical use. The article contains useful advice, which will help determine the choice of milling cutters for hand tools.

A hand mill is a convenient and efficient tool designed for processing lumber, including shaped, as well as flat surfaces. In addition, this device is suitable for the formation of various technological recesses, for example, grooves, ridges, recesses for the installation of hinges. To do this, it is enough to buy cutters of the appropriate configuration. Each such element has individual design features and is used to perform certain functions.

The purpose of a hand cutter for wood:

Edge Processing - It is assumed to use a wood splicing cutter for a hand router when it is necessary to connect various workpieces together by connecting a tenon / groove.
Inserting hinges and other fittings.
Decorating - in this case, cutters are used to form flat products of three-dimensional shapes on the surface, as well as to manufacture wooden blanks with a complex configuration.

Professionals know dozens of options for using cutters on a manual router. However, in order to correctly determine the choice of cutting parts for a tool, it is advisable to study the official classification of existing products. Having figured out what cutters are and the features of their use, it will be much easier to make a choice.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the unit of measurement for the diameter of the shank. This can be done in millimeters or inches. The unit of measurement depends on the type of collets that are included with the router. These components are designed to clamp the shank. If the size is calculated in millimeters, then the most common options will be products with a diameter of 6, 12 and 8 mm. If inches are taken as the unit of measurement, in this case it will be possible to buy cutters for a manual router in only two sizes - ½ and ¼.

Note! You cannot combine a mm shank and an inch collet and vice versa. This may result in tool breakage.

Types of cutters for a manual wood router: typesstructures

There are dozens of product options on the market with different purposes and costs. If we consider the design features of the cutting elements, we can distinguish the following types of wood cutters for a manual router:

Prefabricated - have the form of a blank with welded cutting edges. These cutters are very easy to manufacture, which is why most of the products on the market have a similar design.
With interchangeable edges - the products are equipped with interchangeable cutting edges with double-sided sharpening. When the knife becomes dull on one side, the cutter can be turned over and used again.
Monolithic - milling cutters, at the base of which the cutting edges are turned. They rarely break, but after several sharpenings, the part will have to be changed.

Types of cutters for wood: product classification by blade type

Cutters can have vertical, helical, or beveled blades. Products with straight edges will cut pieces of wood from the workpiece, which increases the likelihood that chips will appear during the cutting process. As a result, the quality of milling is significantly reduced. This does not happen with angled blades.

Consumers can buy wood cutters with two types of blades:

High-speed cutting (HM) - used on surfaces made of soft wood.
Carbide-tipped (HSS) - used for machining hard surfaces.

Products with carbide blades have a higher temperature coefficient and have improved characteristics, which affects their cost.

Milling cutter classification: an overview of the main product types

Cutters are rotating parts studded with teeth. These elements are available in various configurations. Milling cutters can be used for processing metal and plastic surfaces, but they are most often used for working with wood.

There are the following types of products:

end;
terminal;
cylindrical or slotted straight lines;
shaped elements, which are both grooved and edging;
disk, etc.

Helpful advice! If you periodically lubricate the support bearing, you can increase the life of the part.

Features of end mills for wood for hand tools

End mills for wood for a hand mill have cutting edges on the end side of the working part. At the same time, they work not only due to the application of axial load. These cutters also use the side edges, due to which it becomes possible to move the rotary element in the plane of the support platform on the cutter. As a result, you can get different samples and grooves in the wood. Such parts may have a different number of cutting edges, which affects the finish.

In most cases, end mills have a monolithic design, but sometimes you can also find composite ones, for example, hole saws, used as cutters for wood drills. This option is used in cases where there is no manual milling cutter at hand.

end;
spiral;
burrs;

profile;
conical;
spherical.

End mills for wood are used to form grooves of various configurations and sizes. They are suitable not only for wooden products, but also for creating tenon/groove connections. Therefore, often end mills are classified as groove products.

Profile cutters represent an extensive group of components for the following tasks:

processing of the end part;
formation of grooves with a complex configuration;
surface decoration with ornaments.

Wood burrs have another name - cutters. They are designed to make holes with a specific configuration. Such cutters are used at an intermediate stage of processing. In addition, they can be used to finalize the configuration of some parts.

Classification of edge cutters for wood for a manual router

Edge cutters are the most common group, since hand tool most often used specifically for the manufacture of edges on products made of wood. Even in large sets, edge cutters represent the bulk of the parts. This option is more preferable for home craftsmen. It is easier to buy a set of wood router bits for a manual router than to select these elements one by one.

This group includes:

profile - to give an intricate shape to the edges of the product;
molding or shaped - to round the edge, while obtaining a convex shape on ¼ of the circle;
conical - designed for chamfering at an angle, the most common option is 45 °;
disk cutters for wood - for the formation of grooves in the edge part of the product;
folded - designed for sampling a quarter in the edge part of the product;

fillet - used to make grooves in the edge on a ¼ circle;
figurine - designed for the manufacture of the edge of the panels.

In most cases, edge cutters are equipped with a thrust bearing. This element restricts the movement of the tool, preventing it from sinking into the wood. In this case, the cutting part of the part can be located above or below the bearing. By setting the tool support pad to a certain position, you can adjust the cutter overhang depth.

Helpful advice! If the cutter makes large cuts, it is desirable to carry out the processing of the product in several stages, each time deepening it into the material, until the thrust bearing is triggered.

In some cases, the bearing in the design of the cutter is missing. To work with such a part, you will need a template and a copy sleeve, or parallel stop. The size of moulder cutters depends on the height of the cutting part. If the profile has several roundings, then the manufacturer indicates the dimensions of the largest diameter that can be obtained using such a part. Moreover, the distance between the cutting parts can be adjusted at your discretion.

Figure cutters of horizontal type have a large diameter and weight. Such elements require a lot of cutting force, for this reason they are made exclusively with a 12 mm shank. These cutters are designed for the fixed design router.

Related article:

To accessories, operating instructions. Recommendations for the choice of designs and an overview of the best models.

Classification of groove cutters for wood for a manual router

The main purpose of a groove cutter for wood is to make grooves in wood - grooves.

There are several varieties of such cutters:

fillet - these parts are designed for the manufacture of semicircular grooves;
conical - elements are used for threading flat surfaces;
spiral cutters for wood for a manual router - in many ways similar to end elements. However, they have a more pronounced cutting edge located on the outside. In fact, the design of a spiral wood cutter resembles a drill;

T-shaped cutters for the formation of grooves of the appropriate shape;
elements of the type "Dovetail";
shaped;
grooving straight cutters for wood - cylindrical parts that form a groove with a rectangular section;
combined - milling cutters are used to connect large-sized wooden shields.

Combined elements include tenon/groove cutters. Most often, such elements have a monolithic design, however, there are also options equipped with carbide cutting edges. They are used for splicing workpieces.

Copy cutters or straight cutters are the smallest group of accessories for a manual router. Between themselves, these parts differ in the number of cutting edges, dimensions, as well as the nature of the placement of thrust surfaces and bearings, which can be located both above and below. There are options with double-sided placement in relation to the cutting part. During operation, the bearing moves along the template, which makes it possible to obtain a part of the required configuration from the workpiece.

The head of the fillet cutters has a rounded shape. The cut-away groove resulting from its use looks like the letter "U". The walls of the recess can be rounded immediately at the very surface or for some time be located at a right angle. It depends on the depth of the cut.

Note! Even though a “fillet” is considered a semi-circular cut, this category also includes cutters that form a V-shaped groove. If in the course of work it is necessary to make grooves with different angles of inclination of the walls, it is advisable to have an appropriate set of wood cutters for a manual router, where there are cutting elements of different configurations.

Wood cutter for manual router: choosing the optimal set for the job

Buying the right woodworking tool is no guarantee of a great result. In order for the processing of the material to be accurate and of high quality, it is advisable to purchase good equipment. For this purpose, sets of wood router bits for a hand router are designed, which include a set of cutting parts suitable for certain jobs.

Which wood cutters are better to buy for a manual router

When choosing equipment for a manual router, you need to pay attention to the main criteria:

Execution quality.
The level of thermal strength.
Type of connection of the cutting part with the shank.
Solder material.

Before purchasing a set of wood cutters, you should pay attention to the quality of soldering. It must be made in such a way that during long-term operation the tool does not lose its longitudinal stability. This is especially true in cases where products made from hardwoods, such as pear, hornbeam, oak, etc., are used in the work.

Solders of the following grades are considered to be of high quality: Psr 37.5 and PS p40. They are characterized by a high content of copper and silver. If a material of a different brand is used to solder the inserts and shank, it is likely that nickel is present in its composition, which does not provide the required level of strength of the joints. It is not allowed to use elements in cutter sets for a manual router, in which the working cutting part is welded to the shank. This equipment is not the best option.

Solid cutters also need to be checked for the hardness of the material of manufacture. This operation can be performed at home. To do this, it is enough to walk along the working part of the cutter with a calibrated file. If no visible marks remain on the surface, then the element is made of quality material. The optimum hardness is 58-62 HRC.

Note! The quality of work also depends on the availability of additional devices. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase a set of templates and stops.

A brief overview of the Enkor milling cutters catalog for a manual router

Very often, manufacturers offer craftsmen to purchase a ready-made kit designed to perform the same type of work. For example, some Enkor wood router bits for a hand router are combined into kits that allow you to get definite result. Such sets are used to make identical joints or wooden products. Moreover, in the second case, the cutters allow you to complete a full processing cycle.

In the catalog of cutters Enkor there are sets with a different number of elements. For example, a set of two combination frame cutters with a 12 mm shank can be used to create frame products. These elements are designed not only for the formation of the inner edge. They can be used as corner splicing cutters for a hand router.

Using this set, you can create not only frame products, for example, thin window covers, but also splice wooden planks into large shields.

Of course, each of the cutters in this set can act as independent element, with which you can perform other operations on the processing of wood products.

Consumers can buy a set of cutters for Enkor wood for making lining. With the help of these elements, it is possible to form the edge of wooden products, which can later be used for interior finishing work. In addition, the manufacturer offers sets of decorative cutters, which can include from 4 to 12 elements with different configurations. The average price of sets is in the range from 1370 to 8300 rubles.

Overview of the catalog of wood cutters for a manual router SMT

The products of the Italian manufacturer SMT are in high demand among consumers. On sale are individual cutting elements and entire sets designed to perform various jobs.

The catalog contains the following types of CMT cutters for wood for a manual router:

slot and end;
overrunning;
for furniture strapping and splicing;
disk;
T-shaped and "Dovetail";
paneled;
edge molding;
profile;
jointer and chamfer.

The kits offered by the manufacturer are designed to perform certain types of work or to form specific connections. The buyer can purchase a ready-made kit designed for the manufacture of doors, furniture facades, lining, strapping and various bindings. The cost of sets varies between 5610-63000 rubles.

Buying hand mills for wood: the price of popular types of products

Wood cutters are suitable not only for the manufacture of solid wood products. These elements can be used to process lumber such as plywood, chipboard, veneer, fiberboard, etc.

Average prices for cutters Enkor:

Type of cutters	Type	price, rub.
Slotted	Fillet V-shaped	from 185
	Direct	from 189
	Shaped	from 190
	Structural T-shaped	from 202
	Structural	from 206
	Fillet	from 212
edging	Direct	from 220
	Moulder	from 287
	Cone	from 352
	Folded	from 405
	Half rod	from 519
	Fillet	from 550
	curly	from 615
	Mold adjustable	from 1500
	Multiprofile	from 1570
Combined	Universal	from 1130
Combined	Framework	from 2160

The existing range of accessories for a manual milling cutter has several classification options. These products differ in design, structure of the teeth, as well as the material of manufacture. By choosing a cutter with the necessary characteristics, you can create an edge, grooves, ledges, grooves and other elements of the desired size and configuration in a wooden blank. In addition, cutting parts are used to install various functional and structural elements. For example, hinges, locks, latches.