I went to Lowes and Harbor Freight over the weekend and bought a few router bits. The best of the collection is the Bosch 1/4″ x 1″ Downspiral Straight Bit ($17.97). It’s long enough that, with multiple passes, it could reach a depth of 1.5″. I also bought a RotoZip chuck adapter, with a 1/8″ straight bit. We tried one of these bits in a ShopBot at the MIT Fab Lab last October, and it performed poorly, dragging behind the tool and eventually breaking. I’m hoping it will perform passably with shallow cuts and at low speeds. More important is the 1/8″ adapter, which will allow me to use other 1/8″ endmills that I already own. I also bought a 1/16″ Dremel Carbide Grout Removal Bit ($9.97). Its maximum depth is 1/4″. Of course, it’s made for grout, so we’ll see. It’s the only 1/16″ bit I was able to find.

Finally, I picked up a 5 Piece 1/4″ Shank High Speed Steel Start Set from Harbor Freight. It’s the finest router bit set $8 can buy. Router bits are so expensive, I figured I’d experiment with these before ruining anything nice. Another advantage is that they’re steel, so they won’t fly apart like I’ve heard of cheap carbide bits doing. Once I know what I’m doing, I’ll probably purchase some mid-rangs bits from MLCS.

The next day I went to an auction and bought a tool chest full of end mills for not much more than what the Bosch bit alone cost me:

Of course, most of them have 3/8″ shafts, which I don’t have a collet for.