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Now to have some fun in using it. The Freud Tongue & Groove Bit set arrived within two days of my order and were packed adequately to ensure no shipment damage. I'm very happy with the service and the product.
I'm out $10 for the cost of shipping the return. The item was shipped in a used box with no packing material - none whatsoever. As a consequence, the router bits were damaged (the carbide tip was chipped). I'm still waiting to see if either Turtletools or Amazon will step up and resolve the situation.
There should be a link on their site to report incidents like this. Not only do they not have a link, they don't even provide you with a telephone number to report problems. How can they maintain the public trust if there is no accountability for bad vendors. The most disappointing aspect of this whole ordeal is that Amazon does not actively seek feedback on rogue vendors.
I sent two emails, however, neither email received a response. So I made one up that included all pertinent information. The box was visibly and severely crumpled and the hard plastic packaging used by Freud to hold the router bits in place had come open. Although the Turtletools return policy states that a Return Goods Authorization (RGA) must be included, they don't tell you where you can find one.
As the return policy is 15 days from receipt of the item, I decided to return the item to Turtletools using the address on the original shipping box. I followed the procedure for the return policy, which provided an email directly to Turtle Tools. I also called the phone number, however, the voice mail box was full.
The other problem is that the thickness of the shims are not exact and are off by.2-.4 mm so I had to select the best combinations to closely match the chart for the correct width. I would like to drop the other bit in and know the tongue will match the groove. This my fifth Freud router bits and I agree with all the reviews about how clean and smooth the cuts are. This is also the only tongue and groove set I found that doesn't have slanted blades to make a more traditional door.Each router bit is a stack consisting of a bearing, shims, washers and 2 cutting blades. Right now I have to adjust my router up or down to get the groove and tongue to match. If you rout twice by flipping the wood over, the groove end up too large and/or the tongue is too thin. The shims are not labeled reguiring you to mic them to get the right combination of shims for an exact fit.
It makes measuring and cutting wooden frame needlessly more complicated.The only other improvement to this router set is to lengthen one shaft so when I drop either bit into my router, I don't have to readjust the height. It's 7/16".
If you use the adjustable stack router bits as it come from the factory, you get joints that are too loose and bias toward one side. Good thing I only have to do this once as I planned on grooving only 3/4" hardwood.The other problem is the depth of the groove or tongue is not exactly 1/2".
The quality of these bit is excellent. I had to do a lot of trial and error fitting.
Otherwise it is a very good purchase. The right combination of shims and washers determine the width of the groove or thickness of the tongue.
I had to use the exact combination of shims and washers so the width of the groove or tongue will be exactly 1/3 of the 3/4" hardwood stock.
I'd buy them again. I've used them a couple times to make doors. Very handy, easy to set up, and really convenient to be able to match panel thickness.
Freud has made some fantastic adjustable bits, if you are thinking about these they really work great. These bits are fantastic. the cuts fit together like a glove.
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