Freud 99-518 3-1/2-inch (Dia.) Raised Panel Bit with 1/2-inch Shank

I ordered the Freud 99-518 3-1/2-Inch Raised Panel Bit on October 13, 2013 and it arrived at my doorstep on October 25, 2013. Upon arrival I opened the Amazon boxed package to see my purchase and was very disappointed by the packaging, although it was packaged by Amazon with plastic balloon bags to keep the case with the bit firmly in place the problem is within the storage case that holds the bit. If you look at the ending video I uploaded with my review you'll notice the storage case and the little booklet is badly damaged by the Router bit because it came out of the slot in the base of the storage case and moved around pretty violently during transportation. However that was not really a concern to me, the real problem was if my Router bit cutting edges had been chipped then it would've been some major problem. I say major because I live in Trinidad, West Indies and to send back my Router bit would really be a big problem for me. It would've been very costly for me to send it back, so think of my dilemma! I have to blame the Freud company and not Amazon because if an item like this is moving from destination to destination then I think they had better get their act together and place some sort of Styrofoam or some type of proper packaging material within the storage compartment to prevent these type of expensive bits from falling out of its slot where the bit is placed. This bit cost me $658.00 TTD after tax clearance and freight charges included and to pay that sum of money I think they can do better than that. That said the Freud Router bit was in great condition (Thank God for that) and I'm really impressed by Freud with their cutting edge technology, CUTTING EDGE being the emphasis. If you noticed in the video, as I had said in a previous review with a similar Freud 99-515 3-1/2-Inch 2+2 Raised Panel Bit . Although my Bench Dog 40-123 ProPlate Large Group1 has a very large opening I could not get any of my wrenches in the opening to tighten or loosen the bit. I must also say thank you Amazon for your great prices and AWESOME on time delivery, just 12 days time I received my item from your online store shipped to Miami then to Trinidad.

I am very satisfied with the quality and function of this very large router bit. It is recommended to take 3 progressively deeper cuts to make a full raised panel - and that is especially tru with harder woods. Smooth and burn-free final cut that needs minimal sanding.

Three years ago, my company closed so I took a 30-year long hobby of woodworking to the streets. One of the things I learned early in this process is that having tools which consistently perform well is essential for meeting the quality and production standards of fussy customers. Lately, I have been busy making built-ins, and that means lots of custom raised panel doors. Simply said, this bit cuts with little effort, and does indeed produce a smooth finish along the end grain of the panel. I've used it on poplar (cuts that like butter) and maple so far, and the results are spectacular. I'm slowly working up to industrial grade equipment, so some of my tools are still hobby grade. I'm using a Dewalt 619 plunge router on a home made router table with a simple drop-in mounting plate. Since I don't have an adjustable lift, my only beef with this bit, and many others, is that the shaft is about 1/2:" shorter than I would like. Not really the bit's fault, but for some of you hobbyists out there, this may be an important consideration.

Igual o mejor que las originales

For anyone that does woodworking, this is the perfect panel bit for your router. It makes life very easy to make a raised panel door in any size. One pass is all you need. As a woodworker it makes life easy.

Excellent router bit

Another great router bit from Freud. I had to make some raised panel doors to match existing doors for an addition. I was able to run this on my Ryobi router table with the biggest router at Home Depot. Fast shipping, Great product

Purchased in November, 2013, I have used this bit to make raised panels in walnut, with a JessEm Excel table and a Porter-Cable 7518 motor. The bit is exceptionally sharp and produced lacy shavings; there was no noticeable tear-out even when cutting against the grain. This is a big, heavy, very substantial bit. Even with the speed turned down to 10,000 rpm, the tips on a bit of this size are traveling in excess of 100 mph. Make sure your work is well secured (I used a carriage with vacuum clamping to hold 8" x 8" elliptical blanks) and make a series of light cuts!

A little pricy but it did the job.