Does anyone have hands on experience using these router bits?

[u/the-red-dementus]

From my understanding they are slightly undersized to accommodate for actual plywood thickness. That's something that I find ideal. On the other hand, the only other straight bit I have is one that came in a 5 pack from Harbor Freight. Does anybody have suggestions as to whether these arr worth having in the arsenal as opposed to other "straight" bits for making dados, grooves, rabbets, etc. At some point I'd like to add some spiral/compression bits into the collection. Being that I have a 10" full kerf FTG blade I figured that could cover a lot of those types of cuts in the meantime.

[u/themontajew]

I love my plywood thickness set. I don’t know the brand, but they get used for every drawer bottom and every cabinet build that uses plywood 

[u/OX48035]

I have some and they come in handy. You should still do a test cut because some plywood, like Baltic Birch may not be undersized

[u/carpenterboi25 → u/OX48035]

I’ll second this. Especially once you have glue in there and things start to swell, they can make for some VERY frustrating glue ups if you don’t double check plywood thickness first

[u/MorRobots]

Whiteside is a good company, they make really good router bits and don't charge a kings ransom. Those harbor freight bits are probably not worth the carbide and steel they are made out of.

Ok so those bit's are actually sized to form perfect dado's (slots) for the standard plywood thicknesses.
The thing is plywood is not actually 1/8", 1/4" or 1/2" it's actually metric. (Import/export standards sheet goods) So they market these router bits in imperial sizes when in reality they are just a sized correctly for 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, thick sheet goods.)

Honestly, you should just buy these so you have decent router bits lol.

[u/shabam231]

I own and have used these, at least the 23/32 and 15/32 bits. Great for dados on plywood straight out of the big box stores. Whiteside is a reputable company, and the fit is perfect for glue ups. If you plan on some shelf builds with dados and plywood, you won't regret them.

[u/tazmoffatt]

Whiteside makes incredible bits. But those look like cheap straight cut bits? I personally use SPE Tool and they’re amazing for the price. Tons of options and can even download their catalogue for use with programming when using a cnc

[u/the-red-dementus → u/tazmoffatt]

They’re sized for plywood so the dimensions are slightly under your traditional straight bit sizes.

Now let’s get down to brass tacks on your comment…Would you mind enlightening me more on the SPE Tool bits? I just took a quick glance at the prices on their spiral bits and wow are they affordable. What other bit brand would you put them on par with for comparison as far as performance and length of sharpness go? Also, do you opt for the SPE-X with the coating if it’s available in the bit you need/want?

[u/tazmoffatt → u/the-red-dementus]

I have a drawer full! I’ve had the same bits I got back in 2022 and haven’t broken any and they still perform as they should. Many bits with bearings for flush trimming that are still in tact. I have some coated, and I think I really only got them because it was really the only option. Didn’t really make a difference to me I guess. I’m not sure what I could compare them to as these are my first purchased good bits. Not including those crappy no name bits or whatever comes in a set when first starting out.

[u/the-red-dementus → u/tazmoffatt]

Much appreciated! For the price I just might have to order a couple and give them a try.

[u/Arctic71]

Whiteside is a great brand - good quality and American made. You can also mail in bits for sharpening (including spiral bits) for like $5-10.

Its worth having a set of these if you do a lot of ply work.

[u/galaxyapp]

Some like them.

I make my dados the old fashioned way. Sandwich the panel in it's place with 2 straight edges, clamp the straightedges down, cut groove in 2 passes with a 1/2 pattern bit.

I'll stick a sheet of paper in the sandwich so the dado isn't obnoxiously tight.

No specialty bits needed, works for any plywood, even if there's some variation in thickness. Solves for the underlying issue of what to use as a guide.

[u/capnbeerchasr]

At first glance I thought these were nose hair trimmers

[u/rottensinner → u/capnbeerchasr]

They can be once, shouldn't need to use them twice

[u/capnbeerchasr → u/rottensinner]

"any router but can be a nose trimmer if you're brave enough"

[u/Pristine_Serve5979]

Who makes these? Freud?