Whiteside Router Bits

How These Bits Saved a $28k Fender Guitar from Becoming Firewood When the master luthier saw tear-out in the quilted maple guitar top, his vein pulsed like a live wire. Then the Whiteside RU2100 series stepped onto the bench. These carbide-tipped surgeons carved binding channels with zero blowout, saving the 200-hour build with cuts cleaner than a diamond splitter. For custom cabinetmakers and instrument artisans, this isn’t a bit set—it’s liquid-smooth insurance. Fine Woodworking’s Carnage Report (2024) 500-Cut Torture Test on Curly Maple & Laminated MDF: Test Whiteside RU2100 Diablo D1290 Yonico 19702 Edge Tear-Out Depth 0.002” ✅ 0.011” 🚫 0.031” 🚫 Laminated MDF Chipping 0% ✅ 38% 🚫 72% 🚫 Bit Life (linear feet) 10,000+ ✅ 6,200 3,800 🚫 Runout Variance 0.0003” ✅ 0.002” 🚫 0.005” 🚫 Precision Tech: Triple-ground carbide + anti-kickback geometry laughs at figured wood that shatters cheap bits. (Source: Fine Woodworking Magazine Bit Lab 2024) Specs That Humble Splinters Set: 15 pieces | Shank: ½" | Cuts: Rabbets, chamfers, roundovers Endurance King: Vacuum-brazed joints survive 30K RPM torture Tearout Terminator: Up-shear spiral design lifts fibers instead of tearing Disaster 1: Beverly Hills Built-In Catastrophe Nightmare: Machining birdseye maple panels for $130k entertainment wall Whiteside Win: Zero sanding fillers required Diablo Fail: Tear-out required 14 hours of epoxy repair Guitar Workshop Armageddon Heart Attack: Routing curly koa binding channels at 1.5mm depth Life Saver: Zero-runout tolerance → flawless 0.02” radius cuts Yonico Blowout: Destroyed $1,200 Hawaiian koa blank Brutal Truths & Workshop Fixes 1️⃣ Shock Therapy Price TagIssue: 2X cost of budget setsFix: Tax-deductible tool purchase → offsets 40% via contractor write-offs 2️⃣ Storage Nightmares*Issue: No included caseFix: Magnetic knife strips** → $15 wall-mounted armor 3️⃣ Anti-Kickback AggravationIssue: Requires precise feed rates*Fix: Router speed controller** → $28 perfect feed solution 4️⃣ Depth Gauge AbsenteeismIssue: No collar set included*Fix: Digital caliper setup** → $19 micrometer-precision Bit Deathmatch Arena Metric Whiteside Diablo D1290 Yonico 19702 Figured Maple Tear-Out 0.8% ✅ 29% 🚫 61% 🚫 Chip Load at 24K RPM 0.018” ✅ 0.007” 🚫 0.005” 🚫 Laminate Integrity 100% ✅ 88% 🚫 63% 🚫 5-Year Cost/Inch $0.003 ✅ $0.011 🚫 $0.029 🚫 Warranty Claims 0.1% ✅ 3.4% 🚫 11.2% 🚫 (Source: Woodworker’s Journal Router Bit Endurance Study 2023) Who Worships These Blades? ✅ Luthiers: Routing binding channels without tear-out✅ Custom Cabinetmakers: Flawless dados in figured wood✅ CNC Operators: Consistent results across 10,000 cuts🚫 Construction Framers: Overkill for basic plywood Sawdust-Crusted Pro Hacks Bit Resurrection: Soak in citric acid solution → removes pitch without scratching Runout Killer: Mark shanks with red Sharpie → identify wear before cutting Storage Savior: PVC pipe racks → garage-tested drop protection Verdict: Your Sandpaper Budget Just Retired At $299, this arsenal pays for itself when you save one figured maple slab from tear-out. When Diablo splinters fiddleback mahogany and Yonico shatters under load, Whiteside’s triple-ground assassins deliver surgical precision with shop-grade fixes. As the Fender master builder signed our shop wall: “These bits don’t cut wood—they cut shame.”