Sources for 8mm shank router bits

R

rmhinden

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2017
Messages
719
Based on the long thread one different Festool routes, I wanted to start a thread on sources for 8mm shank router bits.  I have an OF 1010 and like using 8mm bits, but they are hard to find in North America.

So far the 8mm shank bits have found are:

Leigh Tools

They have through dovetail bits 1/4", 5/6", 3/8", 7/16" and 1/2" dovetail bits, and half-blind dovetail bits in 1/2" diameter with 3/4", 5/8", 1/2" 7/16", and 3/8" cutting depths.

Straight bits 5/16" diameter in straight, spiral uncut in steel and carbide.

Festool, not surprisingly sells 8mm shank router bits, for example at:

Amazon Festool Router bits

They have a variety (more than straight and dovetail), many with replaceable cutters, and most quite expensive.  They also have some sets (not sold directly in the US as far as I can tell, for example, here is an eBay listing:

Ebay Festool Router bit set

So far I have some of the Leigh bits and some Festool that I purchased on a trip to Europe and from Mario in the classified section in the FOG.  I would like to get some more.

If you have found other sources of 8mm shank, please add to this thread.

Thanks,
Bob

 
Your local (USA) CMT dealer has the ability to order 8mm bits from the master catalog.  You might have to educate them on this and have the part numbers you want from the Worldwide section.  Haven't done this is a few years so no guarantees.

Amana carries a few 8mm bits in their catalog.

Trend has a good selection , but not easily available to USA.

Whiteside will make you whatever you want as long as you're willing to wait and pay.

JVL- Europe has a big catalog and will ship to USA

The two biggest USA sources for 8mm shank are:

Lee Valley - quite extensive selection.  Rob is a member here, easy ordering, and if he doesn't have it - you probably don't really need it.

eBay - selection seems unlimited and prices are dirt cheap for the asian import stuff that will do you a project or two.  You'll have to plan ahead as most stuff will take a couple of weeks to reach you, but prices can't be beat.  You'll also find top flight stuff every once in a while.

 
rmhinden said:
Based on the long thread one different Festool routes, I wanted to start a thread on sources for 8mm shank router bits.  I have an OF 1010 and like using 8mm bits, but they are hard to find in North America.
Click to expand...

I share your sentiments, but strangely enough, they are sometimes hard to find in Europe too! I'm in Italy (home of CMT), yet have to resort to buying online because my local DIY shops/sheds tend to stock only 6mm, 6.35mm (1/4"), and 12.7 (1/2"). 12mm are pretty rare on the ground too.

I ended up buying a 1/4" collet, as sometimes it's just too hard to get what I want in 8mm. I still use the 8mm where I can -- it's bound to be more stable, after all -- but I had to give up on being purist about it in the end.
 
I ordered a ton of Festool branded 8mm shank router bits from German and UK Amazon at some point.  I know, I know, I took advantage of listing errors and Festool has territorial borders in their contracts.  Boo hoo, they don’t sell them in the USA.  Fair play.  Great router bits.
 
Note - I have zero affiliation with any of the folks referenced below.

This importer, located in Washington, North Carolina (there is only one other passing reference to them on this forum, here), stocks "european-made" 8mm shank brad point router bits in both RH and LH rotation versions:
https://europeantooling.com/

I was searching to see what else might available in addition to the Festool-branded (and it appears Leitz-made) 8mm shank bits and stumbled upon their very reasonably priced offerings.

Here's an example:
https://www.eoasaw.com/shop/7200-080-00/

I need an 8mm brad point router bit in order to plunge the mounting holes in cabinet doors for the Blum Inserta-style hinges (the latter of which rely on 8mm diameter mounting holes on the door-side; in contrast, on the carcass-side, the Inserta-style hinge mounting plate relies on the standard 5mm diameter mounting holes).

When I started looking, however, I quickly found that, with a single exception (at least that I could locate - that exception being Leitz), everyone else relies on 10mm shanks when it comes to producing these type of bits in metric sizing. Seeking to avoid the expense of adding the 10mm collet to my collection of OF1400 accessories (I have the 8mm collet that comes with the router and there don't appear to be metric sized bits out there relying on a 1/4" shank or a 1/2" shank, which makes complete sense) and not wanting to attempt to use a 5/16" diameter bit (who knows what the nominal diameter of such a bit is?) I thought I'd look around.

Literally the only option I could find beyond the Festool-branded bit is the one sold by European Tooling Systems.

I called them and they were super cagey about the origins of their 8mm shank bits ("that's proprietary information"). But I did manage to get the person I spoke with to admit that their bits are HSS and TCT and "produced in Europe". My initial guess, whenever I hear that latter catch phrase, is that the origins of the product in question is one of the former Eastern-bloc countries (often referred to as the "China of Europe") but it could be Germany for all I know.

Anyways, just curious is anyone has any experience with this particular bit (or their 5mm version or any of the other diameter versions they sell - see chart below).

View attachment 1   

[Source - you need to scroll down to find the "8MM SHANK DOWEL BITS" section]

The guy I spoke with seemed to think their bit was a comparable product to Festool's but since I don't know if he's just guessing I thought I'd ask for outside input. As I alluded to earlier, for all I know, their "no-name" bit could come out of Leitz's Unterschneidheim plant (just like Festool's apparently does).
 

Attachments

  • European Tooling Systems Dowel Bits.png
    European Tooling Systems Dowel Bits.png
    198 KB · Views: 22
TinyShop said:
I need an 8mm brad point router bit in order to plunge the mounting holes in cabinet doors
Click to expand...
Apologies for opening a parenthesis:

May I ask why you need a brad point router bit, rather than using a brad point drill bit? Or conversely, if you have lots of holes to make, maybe make a jig and use a bushing with another size bit? Or just fix the router base in place and plunge with a non-brad-point 8mm bit?

This is a genuine question: I have one of these bits myself — because it came in the Festool set — but I have never used it and have always wondered when I would ever need to.
 
https://www.trend-uk.com/products/router-cutter-ranges

The 8mm range is huge, but UK company TRT (Trend Routing Technology) sadly don't seem to be well-represented in NA. So if anyone wishes to list their Trend product codes and send GBP + shipping to me via Paypal, I'd be more than happy to fix you up and ship the cutters to you. I've done this for other FOG members before - and on some big-ticket items, too. If you need some reassurance, PM me and I'll share the name of the last member who I 'collaborated' with. I'm not going to make his name public on this post as a matter of professional courtesy.

Kevin

Edit - I just noticed that this is an ancient thread. The offer still stands, though.
 
[member=64013]ElectricFeet[/member] - Apologies if it wasn't clear but I'm performing all the blind hole drilling using the LR32, a hole'y rail and my OF1400.
 
OK, I went ahead and ordered the 8mm bit that I referenced above (Item#: 7200-080-00) from Edge of Arlington. I'll post with my brief thumbs up/down review after it arrives and I've tried it out. I won't be building doors for a little while yet but wanted the bit in hand so I don't have to think about it anymore.

As a brief aside, I also just took delivery of a Fastcap Little Lipper (the box arrived while I typing this) so I'm looking forward to trying that out as well. I'm edge banding the domestic birch cabinet panels (frameless) with reclaimed solid maple (using Eagle America's edge banding router bit set #190-2045) and learned after banding the first carcass pieces that the way to go (in terms of trimming the banding) is a spiral flush trim bit - the Little Lipper will facilitate that technique in conjunction with my use of my OF 1400, hopefully speeding up the process and improving the results.   
 
TinyShop said:
Apologies if it wasn't clear but I'm performing all the blind hole drilling using the LR32, a hole'y rail and my OF1400.
Click to expand...

Ah! Of course [doh] That makes sense.
 
TinyShop said:
OK, I went ahead and ordered the 8mm bit that I referenced above (Item#: 7200-080-00) from Edge of Arlington. I'll post with my brief thumbs up/down review after it arrives and I've tried it out. I won't be building doors for a little while yet but wanted the bit in hand so I don't have to think about it anymore.

As a brief aside, I also just took delivery of a Fastcap Little Lipper (the box arrived while I typing this) so I'm looking forward to trying that out as well. I'm edge banding the domestic birch cabinet panels (frameless) with reclaimed solid maple (using Eagle America's edge banding router bit set #190-2045) and learned after banding the first carcass pieces that the way to go (in terms of trimming the banding) is a spiral flush trim bit - the Little Lipper will facilitate that technique in conjunction with my use of my OF 1400, hopefully speeding up the process and improving the results. 
Click to expand...
The Little Lipper seems like it would work, but the dust collection is zero, so it can be a bit of a problem.
They are intended to be fairly universal, but since you already have a Festool router, there is an attachment for them to do the same thing with dust extraction at the same time.
I don't happen to have a pic of it installed, but you can see it on the shelf behind the Systainer. It bolts to the mounting boss on the base, where the guide rail foot attaches.
A spiral bit is indeed best for trimming hardwood edge banding, since it slices rather than chopping.
A down-cut spiral is even better because it will eliminate the chip-out potential of up-cut. The disadvantage of the down-cut is that the cutting action is throwing all of the chunks straight at the bearing.
 

Attachments

  • OF1010accessories.jpg
    OF1010accessories.jpg
    230.6 KB · Views: 71
[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] - I'm well aware of the two accessories (or three for those willing to perform a small modification) which can be assembled to allow the OF1400 to be used as a flush trim router. I opted against the +US$160 cost to purchase those and instead opted for the US$45 Little Lipper which, contrary to to what you stated, does at least allow the use of the stock dust collection shroud at the throat of the router and also may allow the use of the stock snap-in chip catcher (i'm curious to see if this can be made to work. Either way, my plan is to use a full face shield when accomplishing the flush trimming given how the chips will be thrown straight up in my face (everything the dust collection doesn't capture).

From my research, it appears that the assembly/set up of the two Festool accessories is really finicky and requires a lot of trial and error. Contrast that to the brilliant simplicity of the Little Lipper and I was sold. I've got a monster double ball bearing Whiteside spiral flush cut bit that should plow through the maple with ease. Anything will be better than the time it took me to use a table saw then block plane then sander to remove the excess material and should provide a much more uniform and consistent end result.         
 
I have ordered a variety of 8mm router bits from Amazon Germany (amazon.de). Sometimes the shipping costs a bit more, but I have been able to find pretty much any bit that I have been looking for on the site.
 
Unless things have changed recently Mobil Tecnica in Italy caries the full range of CMT bits and ships worldwide for very reasonable prices. I regularly order there and never had any trouble with them. You might take a look at their website:
https://www.mobiltecnica.com/en

[Not affiliated with them in any way, just a happy customer]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Crazyraceguy
Woodpeckers router bit?
Replies
19
Views
1K
jeffinsgf
J
derekcohen
Router bits: 1/4" vs 8mm
2 3 4
Replies
68
Views
3K
woodferret
W
N
8mm -> 1/4” Router Bit Shank Sleeve/Adapter for Systainer Insert?
Replies
16
Views
1K
Coen
C
J
New 8mm Shank Bits from Woodpeckers
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
rmwarren
rmwarren
B
OF 1400 - Festool router bits
Replies
14
Views
1K
rst
R
Back
Top