1 & 1/8" is pretty much a perfect fit for Happ/iL with some wiggling to get it in
are these the Diablo ones you were talking about? The difference I can tell is that the Diablos are made from better quality Carbide that should stay sharp longer.
Up to you really, I doubt the carbide will make a huge difference for you unless you are working with some really crazy materials or building tons of cabinets. Then again the “normal” carbide one comes with only 2 extra bits, are you going to have a use for those bits? So either way you go you’ll probably get something that’s not really a huge leap over the other. What do you prefer?
I only use 5 router bits in my everyday stick building.
Flush Trim
Straight
Chamfer
Round over
Rabbit
The others in any set are more for cabinet making and moldings. You would be better off getting good bits for the work you are going to do and get the specialty bits as you find a need for them. I still have bits in a starter set that I have never used. The ones I did use got dull in a hurry and I replaced them with better quality bits.
Now with these better quality bits I can take them in and get them sharpened cheaper than buying a new one of the same quality. This is why I recommend Whiteside or any other professional grade bits. Especially for bits that you will be using all the time. You do pay more for them up front but over the life of the bit you can get it professionally sharpened several times. This brings the lifetime cost of the bit down to the same level or cheaper than the bits you can buy in most home centers. Look in your local directory for a professional tool supplier. They should be able to sharpen your bits and blades for a nominal fee.
Hey Micheal…thanks for that post! I had been using Freud/Diablo bits all this time and never really gave it a second thought until now. Ignorance may be bliss, but it’s expensive too…lol. I went to Whiteside’s site and found this:
Thanks for the link. If you want to get Whiteside bits instead of the Lee Valley ones try this site. http://woodworkersworld.net/ They have Whiteside bits cheaper than anywhere else and any order over $29 gets free shipping. The free shipping may not work for you though. Since you have a Lee Valley store near you I am guessing you are in Canada.
I am… just a couple of hours away from Crazed (Ottawa-ish). Thanks for the link - will have to check it out. Would be nice to do without the usual US-Canada shipping issues:).
V.
PS (status update): Another coat drying. I hear if you talk to your paint, and play Mozart, it dries faster:yawn:.
If you do a lot of painting you can get a heatlamp. It cuts down on drying times A LOT. We had some at school, just keep them a bit further away from wood so that it doesn’t heat up too much.
For basecoats I dunno, we never let it dry fully, we would clean our guns and then put the clear on right after the basecoat. After the clear was baking time
Thanks Crazed…that’d make a HUGE difference…noted for future reference:). Unfortunately, it won’t do much for my current situation as I opted for oil-based (blackest black I could find…lol). Since stability really isn’t an issue with MDF, oil seemed to be the better option for what I wanted (although “expert” opinions on oil vs. water differ greatly).
It is pretty awesome. I need to pick one up I haven’t painted in awhile but plan on starting now.
You’ll always find people who disagree on things like that Same as solvent vs water based paint systems for cars. You’ll find just as many people who prefer one as the other. I’m a water-based guy myself since it doesn’t poison my family
Yeah, oil-based is pretty nasty. Whether oil or water,I confine my finishing to one room in the basement, and pretty much it’s limited to the seasons I can keep windows open. Not only does it provide for better ventillation, ever try sanding in -35C? :bgrin: I SUCK at winter…lol.
Thank you Michael and VMA for the discussion on router bits and the links provided. Now I think I know what to buy next time after my diablo bits are de-comissioned. I am tempted to buy one now however, I don’t do any mass producing or anything…
In fact this sunday will be the end of my 2 week vacation - won’t have much time for sticks and still doing the drum roll for VMA to come out with his s3cksy controller with pictures on this thread.
For rest of the week, I’m just trying to build some templates for joystick building so that in the future, I will able to build joysticks efficiently in the little time that is available. I built my first SANWA JLF mounting plate template today and failed at it two times…
Came out nice… however it a bit too big and the mounting plate did not fit snug. Later on I found out the pencil is too thick and I would recommend to whoever is building their template to use a lead pencil to be precise. Also need to be precise in the measurements because the JLF width and height after adding the router guide length will measure in between the tick marks - even when using metrics. So mark your templates carefully…
Horse shit! Diablo bits are fucking awesome dude! I have CMT, Roman Carbide, Bosch, Skil, and Ryobi bits, the Diablo bits school on the other ones. The CMT are probably my second choice.
I haven’t tried whiteside bits, they may be good. But I haven’t ever had any problems with my diablo bits.
Looking at the chart that VMA provided, the diablo bit scored very well for MDF - which I’m using my diablo straight bit for cutting out the MDF for JLF template. Works very well. I’m very happy with it.
Ecks, do you also have craftman bits? I was wondering how that compare to other manufacturers. When I bought my craftsman router, I also bought a craftsman router bit bundle being the noob that I am. I do regret it because I only use like 4 bits for joystick building.
Just a question of preference, really:). I have found though that it helps minimize tear-out when chiseling near the limits of a recess. The real downside of course is that you can’t “undo” a line once you’ve marked it :D.
I have gone through 3 routers. I have a rigid now, and it’s the best so far, I really like it. I don’t know a lot about Sears craftsman stuff. Some of the stuff I use is Craftsman but it’s literally from the 80’s dude.
anyone know where to get veneer just like the ones used for x-arcade?
I built the 2player CP for SF4 and friends coming over time to time however I would like to build a single player HAPP controller for MAME’ing on my PC for myself. I dunno where to get the veneer or T-moldings. ROFL.
