A correct cutter care is essential in order to preserve cutter performance and prolong its life. Keeping in mind our advices will guarantee the maximum tool protection, increasing its productive efficiency.

Router cutter care

It is essential to always clean the cutters and the cutting edge, which is why we recommend, after each routing operation, to remove the cutter from the collet using protective gloves and to use a specific product for cleaning your router cutters, such as our fully biodegradable water-based detergent KleinCLEANUP, which will ensure excellent cleaning from rust, avoiding oxidation.

It is also important to keep the cutters and cutting edges clean at all times to limit overheating during routing operations and to avoid problems in finishing the material.

To do this, we suggest to apply on the tool surface KleinDRYUP, our lubricant for cutting tools, which by attaching itself to the metal microstructure is able to limit the accumulation of resin and other residues, forming a very strong micro-protective barrier that will reduce friction during machining up to 30%, thus increasing the life and productivity of your tools.

The surface of the socket should also be kept clean and smooth. If the shank is damaged or shows signs of corrosion, it is necessary to gently wipe it with a very fine steel wool.

After machining, all cutters and their components (bearings, screws, guides, etc.) should be cleaned using a protective lubricant, such as our KleinPROTECT before storing or putting them in the drawer. A special rust and antioxidant with excellent scouring properties that easily removes any accumulated resin and grease residue, protecting tools from moisture and corrosion.

When handling solvents or lubricants is recommended the use of rubber gloves to avoid skin irritation, and protective eyewear.

Note: The cutter should be cleaned more frequently when cutting solid wood, such as pine and fir, or other resin-rich wood materials.

Extend the life of the cutter by adjusting the cutting height

When working on a router table, modify and adapt the height of the cut in order to prevent the excessive wear of the cutter. In this way, the wear will spread along the cutter more evenly. The life of a flush trim router cutter can be extended up to 200% more by cutting only 3mm at a time.

Sharpening the cutter to maintain the efficiency of the cutting edges

Using router cutters not sharpened can lead to poor results, overheating and adding unnecessary pressure to the cutter. Therefore, the cutting edges must be kept sharp. When the router cutter does not appear sharp, it is recommended to make it re-sharpen professionally.

How to maintain the cutting edges: using a diamond sharpener

In order to maintain the cutter ready to use, it is recommended the usage of a diamond sharpening stone. This can be done by sharpening on the flat face of the tip only.

To carry out this operation, we suggest you to use one of our diamond sharpening stones, like our A4F or WS7F.

Router cutter re-sharpening

If the cutter appears blunt, chipped or not sharpen, it must be re-sharpened professionally. This procedure, however, will remove a good quantity of carbide and, consequentially, weaken it. In a few cases, the chips may be so deep that it would not be possible to sharpen because the tungsten carbide left would be too thin.

In many case with smaller and less expensive cutters it can result uneconomic to re-sharpen them. Using our industrial Klein router bits, in normal circumstances, is possible to carry out a professional re-sharpening up to 4 times. This characteristic turns our router bits into the best deal in the market in terms of duration for a given price.

Storing your router cutters

After using your cutters, it is essential that you store them in a way that the cutting edges do not touch. Therefore, avoid storing them together in a drawer or a box.

The best way is to perform holes, apart from each other, with a diameter of the size of your cutter’s shank, on a large piece of wood. In this way, your router cutters will not be touching and, also, will be easily recognizable. Alternatively, you can also use a specific router cutter holder.

Useful tips: adjust router bits speeds

In order to avoid a poor finishing is important that the router cutter is well sharpened. When the cutter edge consumes too rapidly, the cutter’s wear increases and, consequentially, his productivity diminishes. If this happens, try to reduce tool’s vibrations to the minimum and, increasing its feed speed, reduce also the rotation speed.

When your router cutter overheats, also turning the wood black (aka, burning the part), try to slow its rotation speed down, increasing, also in this case, its feed speed.