Hey all, I just stepped up and ordered my journeyman today. Order number 24633! I know I have a bit of a wait but I am trying to get my ducks in a row and get the needed accessories purchased before it gets here.
One of those things is bits.
I am unsure of what I should order and would love some advice by those who have done this already.
Option 1. Buy cheap on Amazon. Grab some recommended bits at whatever cheap price I can find.
Option 2. Starter bit set off SPE tools. Have a coupon for 15%. 88$ ballpark IIRC before coupon
Option 3. Skyone CNC starter bit set. Ive heard good things about these guys. Quality set at a reasonable price. ballpark 130$
Option 4. Step up and just buy the Amana starter set right out the door. I have a 10% coupon so can drop the cost down to around 170$.
Im good with spending a bit of cash, just want to make sure I spend it in the right place.
I think more importantly than source of your bits, is knowing what bits to get.
In my experience (also waiting on a Journeyman), I found that starter kits offer variety but for a $$$ and without a purpose.
So I took the approach of coming up with designs and cuts I intend to make, decide what bits I will need (after research) and just purchased those specific bits, rather than kits.
I personally bought from Amana due to their great documentation on feeds and speeds and general reviews.
Alright, I guess I’ll do a bit more digging into the kits and make sure that the bits included fit my needs. I know I’ll be doing some plywood cutouts and some hardwood catch all trays. Thanks!
Try mocking up some cuts in whatever software you plan to use.
See if the bits that come in the kit you’re looking to purchase work for you.
Basically, simulate the end-to-end.
I use Fusion360, so I did my mockups there.
It was very useful to be able to simulate the cuts and watch/learn about what works (or doesn’t).
The wait for the Journeyman is long, you have plenty of time
The kits all seem like a good idea, and they are a bit cheaper IF I was going to use all the bits. If there is one in a set I won’t use, the cost per bit now jumps over buying individual bits.
Here’s my starter “set” purchased individually that I am adding to as needed.
Whiteside 1” flattening (6210)
Whiteside 1/4” upcut (RU2100)
Whiteside 1/4” downcut (RD2100)
Whiteside 60° v bit (1550)
Whiteside 1/8” upcut (RU1600)
Those have done everything I’ve needed to do so far. I’ve added two spetool bits. .25mm tapered ball nose 5.2° If I get better at v carves or wear the spetool v bit out, I’ll get the Amana version. It was worth $16 to experiment with v carving. Everyone’s end grain cutting boards look so awesome! My problem is not so much the cnc side as the tedious design side of making a good looking v carve inlay. In the mean time my 60° is perfect for v cuts that get epoxy fills.
I also added a 1/8” extra long spetool bit. It is a cheap one to get an 1/8” that has a 1” cut length. The Whiteside is a much better bit but only has 1/2” cl so I use the spetool for full depth mdf cuts.
The bits I use the most are:
1/8 upcut
1/8 downcut
1/4 upcut
1/4 downcut
1/4 60v
1/4 90v
1/4 blank (for zero with touch probe and only like $5)
The next tier of usage is:
1/4 30v
1/4 .03125 tapered ball nose
1/8 compression
1/2 upcut
1/2 downcut
Last tier is:
1" surfacing bit (pretty much spoilboard only)
1/4 45v
1/8 straight round nose
1/4 straight round nose
1/16 endmills.
Most of what I have is SpeTool, Whiteside, or Kyocera from Drillman1 on ebay. My only Amana bits are the 30v’s. I bought 5 packs of all the 1/8 &1/16 bits for pretty cheap because I figured I’d break those learning the CNC. I haven’t broken a bit yet (knock on wood) and I’m still using the 1st bits from my 5 packs. The only bit I’ve actually ruined is one of the Amana 30v’s…because I dropped it and it landed on the tip.
I would say avoid the starter kits unless you know you will use all the bits. Don’t be afraid to buy cheaper bits of reputable quality (Kyocera, SpeTool, etc). I got 5 packs of the smaller bits for just over half of what one Amana cost. Worth it to me so far.
Last note is pay attention to cutting surface length, especially on the smaller bits. Make sure they’re long enough to cut whatever you wish to cut.
Perfect! This list is exactly what i was looking for. I ended up buying a set and a few others from from Skyone but still have a few gaps to fill. Thanks for the reply! Super helpful!
