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Q & A: Anti-Kickback Router Bits
Q:
I’ve noticed some router bits are available with an “anti-kickback”
feature. If this works, this seems like a great thing. Does it? What’s the
downside?
A:
Yes, anti-kickback
router bits are
safer, and they don’t
cost more.
We talked to Jim Brewer,Vice President
of operations for Freud,one company
that makes anti-kickback router
bits.He described the principle: “Basically,
the amount of bite that each flute
can take is limited to 1.1 millimeter.
This prohibits the operator from overfeeding
the material (or ‘hogging the
cut’), which in turn reduces the risk
of kickback.”The anti-kickback design
“doesn’t impose any access problems
during the sharpening process. It also
doesn’t impair the cutting ability of
the bit, and it doesn’t raise the cost of
the bit. There’s no reason not to use
these bits.”
We use anti-kickback bits routinely
in our shop.However, an anti-kickback
bit alone can’t produce a safe cut.Here
are some safety rules that help:
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
