Bits for routing melamine

[b375rgt]

Are there any bits available that are suitable for routing melamine without chipping the board or is that just wishful thinking? I haven't tried it yet, it was just a forethought.

[papadan]

What type of routing are you wanting to do?

[b375rgt]

Pretty much just joining, I'm making enclosures to hold small tortoises and other reptiles in. I wanted to keep a clean appearance and didn't want to have chipped edges.

[BadgerDave]

Melamine will dull the bits much quicker than wood will so as I see it you have two choices. You could either purchase high quality bits like Whiteside, Amana or CMT and have them resharpened for future projects or buy some inexpensive bits and trash them when your project is finished. Because the lesser quality bits will dull faster, you may also run the risk of getting some chipping or chatter with them.

[b375rgt]

That's what I was afraid of. In the past I have just screwed the pieces together and put corner molding on my edges but I was now wanting to get a little fancier with my new router. Melamine is such a great product to use for reptile tanks because it cleans up easy and it won't harbor bacteria like woods will. Looks like I'll have to invest in some really good bits. Thanks for the input.

[woodslayer]

I have routed a chamfered edge on a melamine surface before and it worked fine, no chip-out at all, it was using either a Whiteside or Infinity bit, since I own that profile in both brands I can’t be sure which one I used.

Woodslayer