Ball Bearing Router Bits

really good stuff, strong, easy to used it, thank you very much Stewart mc D

These are very nice.... at first. They dull very fast. They are hard to find, like most luthier related tools, anywhere but through a specialty supplier like StewMac. Also, if you buy them get at least 4 or more additional bearings. Make very shallow passes on hardwoods. Let them cool frequently. I wish they made them in carbide.

Work perfectly with templates!!!

High Quality!!!!

Most people who attempt this kind of thing have some previous skills. In my humble opinion, negative reviews come from semi-skilled operators. These routers (the pair) together with the pickup template, if used correctly, are the perfect tools for the job. I routed a Jazz bridge pickup cavity on my P-bass in about 15-20 minutes, start to finish, everything perfect, cavity, template, and router bits, raring to go again.

The first router bits I ever bought were from StewMac and came with the bearings as a set. Upon needing new/different bits, I tried some sets from a major retailer of of tools and household items. The bearings that came with those bits fragged in short order, sometimes causing damage to the work piece. For the trouble of hunting around and/or unknown quality, it's well worth continuing to order these bearings.

I really love these router bits!! Hi quality and perfect for making pickguards, routing for pickups and such... would like to see longer versions of thes to rout body edges and smaller versions to fit in a dremel too !!

I used these to rout a third pickup cavity on a Les Paul for Kenny Chesney. These are great bits!

These router bits are delicately shaped, yet very robust. Their geometry ensures low heat buildup and fast material extraction. Their top smoothes
out perfect surfaces (like the bottoms of neck pockets and pickup cavities). As stated in the manual, the big one (1/2") withstands heavy jobs,
for long times, many passes and hardwood. The smaller (3/8"), albeit having the same quality, uses a much slimmer ball bearing, and should be used for corners and finish ups only. It is advisable to keep some spare 3/8" bearings, because they can become gritty and overheat, leading to burnt wood our ruined acrylic templates. These bits cut better and longer than other brands I use like makita, amana and bosch.

After I got it I realized that the 3/8 is really wimpy wimpy wimpy! You need the 1/2 especially if you are cutting Mahogany or Maple.