Chipped router bit. Unsafe?

[4nthony]

I've got the same setup, and they're not small magnets.  They're already kind of a pain to change, because they're so strong.

No idea how they lifted.  But I'm willing to bet this isn't going to be a common problem.

It was a pretty violent kickback (?) and I was pretty rattled after it happened. You're right though, those magnets are pretty strong and it can be a pain to pop the inserts out. I didn't take a picture of the insert immediately after but this is the insert after I filed down the burrs. It was the insert with the 1" hole.

Lesson definitely learned.

 

[Cheese]

Thinking about this further I'm still unsure on how UNSAFE this bit is. It's solid carbide and carbide is very brittle so any crack in the bit would have already peeled away the damaged surface. It's not optimal and I'd certainly not use it for fine finishes but I'd still use it on plywood and other softwoods. I'd start by experimenting with decreasing the feed rate and placing the bit in the wood where the bit is not damaged.

After a little more thought, I'm wondering how many thousands of damaged/chipped router bits are out in the wild and still being used by operators that don't know they're damaged. It's happened to me.  [smile]

Then there are the thousands of carbide tipped saw blades that are still in use without anyone knowing they're damaged. Just food for thought.

 

[tsmi243]

Not a common problem, but a problem nonetheless.

Better sell ALL of your power tools, then.  Just to be safe. 

 

[acer66]

Glad that nothing happened to you OP.

If you end up contacting WS please keep us posted.

 

[Job and Knock]

I would toss it. Unquestionably. If that thing disintegrates while you are using it, it'll be like a very high speed bullet. Definitely not worth the risk.

In my experience they tend to just break off and drop away. That's from a couple of decades on and off using pin and CNC routers. IMHO the biggest dangers are where steel shank cutters aren't properly secured in the collet (they can bend and turn into a sub-base wrecker or a projectile - this can't happen with solid carbide) and where cutters are unbalanced (which can wreck your bearings)