Craftsman router bit identification

[KY Joe]

I am in the process of redoing my work shop. This afternoon while cleaning out the bottom shelf on one of my benches I found a plastic box full of old Craftsman router bits that belonged to my father-in-law ! Some of these bits have to be 30 years old! What I am trying to find is a listing of the function of router bits by their part numbers. Does anyone know where I can look up the part number and learn what the bits was used for? I checked at Craftsman.com and don't find any of these specific bits listed, some close numbers but none that I have! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[leehljp]

The best way is to look at the profile. Part numbers themselves do not designate a specific function. With Sears, you will have to go online to Sears Parts and enter each number individually.

A quicker way will be to go to a router bit company and compare the shapes. Round overs, coves, veining, dado, ogees, Roman ogees, etc.

This site might help:

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/routerbit.html

[LCHIEN]

Hank Lee pointed you right where I was going to point you, to MLCS's profile page.

IF you have a bunch of 30-yr. old bits, I'd check and see if they are carbide-tipped or just HSS steel. Carbide bits are now the norm but HSS bits were once prevalent (see excerpt below).

If they are just HSS steel like most of my old craftsman bits then they're kind of junk anyway.

you can tell by looking closely, the carbide bits have a carbide facing perhaps 1/16th thick brazed on the leading cutting edges (2 or three per bit) it will stick up just over the body. If you have a carbide and non-carbide next to each other you can easily tell the difference.

From a web page:

"Carbide vs. HSS bits
The vast majority of bits on the market today are carbide tipped. Carbide is an extremely hard material. Its density actually rivals that of a diamond! Carbide has a number of advantages; it’s very resistant to heat, and it keeps an edge (stays sharp) longer than steel. It does have a number of drawbacks; it’s very brittle, prone to chipping, and it’s very expensive. This is why most bits are carbide tipped and not made from solid carbide.

HSS bits (High Speed Steel) were the only type available for a number of years. They are still available from a number of hardware stores and catalogs. HSS bits are best suited for occasional work. A HSS bit is considerably less expensive than a comparable carbide bit. HSS bits tend to dull relatively quickly and need to be re-sharpened to keep from burning the wood’s surface. Some manufacturers coat their HSS bits with Titanium Nitride to help them stay sharper longer. Unfortunately, this coating eventually wears off. It will disappear quicker if you work with hardwoods. A carbide bit can last up to 20 times longer that a HSS bit - making it far cheaper in the long run.


Here's a pic of a roundover bit with carbide cutting face inserts. Note the protruding lip on the cutting edges (two). The "Face" deignation points to one of the carbide faces.


The entire making of a carbide router bit is show here - interesting...

http://www.southeasttool.com/Stages%20of%20a%20Router%20Bit.htm