Freud 99-036: 1-3/4" (Dia.) Adjustable Tongue & Groove Bit Set

The Freud 99-036 adjustable tongue & groove bit set is absolutely fantastic. Each bit is razor-sharp and cuts clean, precise joints with minimal tear-out. The adjustability makes it incredibly versatile, and the build quality is top-notch — solid, balanced, and built to last. I’ve used it on several projects with hardwood and plywood, and the results are consistently professional-looking. If you do any tongue-and-groove joinery, this set is worth every penny. Truly a must-have for serious woodworking.

I bought this to make some cabinet panel doors. It worked just fine and two bits (one for the tongue and the other for the groove) are much easier to use than a single bit that converts to both cuts. And it's beautifully made - it looked like it came from a jewelry store. Not cheap but I guess you get what you pay for!

I took a while to write this review, I wanted to see how many different ways a woodworker could use these- I have 30+ years of "Heirloom Quality" custom woodworking for my background, I used this set 1st with some Zebra wood, next to Bugina (on both sides) some Purpleheart and finished the outsides with Bloodwood- It made a very "busy" tabletop, the different species had NO tearout, I thought the Zebra wood may, because of the hard & soft mixed grain- The next project I did was put Country Maple on some particle board for a counter top base (I did rabbit the 1/2 inside edge 1/16" flush w/ the particle board for the formica) it came out perfect, the T & G gives so much glue contact area, it works much better than standard "V- groove". I have used this set for many other projects and never had any problem (I may sharpen them this year) I paid $72.00 for the set, grab them now before they go up- keep them clean, turpentine works well, don't allow them to get hot, I use them in my JessEm mast r lift w/ a 3 1/4 H.P, Porter Cable 7518 , mounted to a "WoodPeckers 43" x 24" top on an Incra base(I wanted the BEST router table I could build- Amazon had all the different pieces- Freud makes the best router bits, these have held their settings every time- Thanks to all the woodworkers who review the tooling we use, thanks to Amazon for always keeping myself very happy and the availability to buy the BEST woodworking equipment from way out here in the Black Hills of Wyoming- Happy wood shavings

I never thought I’d say this, but these router bits are so beautiful, I almost don’t want to use them. Before this purchase, I bought sets of 20 or more for nearly the same price as these two pieces. Never having owned professional-grade tools, I couldn’t imagine what justified the extra cost. Boy, was I wrong. First, the packaging makes you feel like you’ve won an award for craftsmanship. It’s like opening a trophy case. Then, I was surprised by the sheer weight of the package—I was curious how router bits could have the density of a dying sun. When I finally opened it, I realized the bulk wasn’t the packaging. These bits are massive. Imagine an anvil and a shipping container had a baby—yeah, that’s how sturdy they feel. Sharp? Let’s just say they could give an eagle’s eyes a run for their money. I’m grateful I read a review that warned me not to cut myself while unboxing. If I hadn’t, I might be typing this review one-thumbed. I usually store all my router bits in foam, but these? They stay in their own display case like trophies in my workshop—because they are! The quality is undeniable, and after a few cuts, I know I won’t be going back to the bulk sets. If you’re on the fence about investing in high-quality bits, take the leap. You’ll wonder how you ever worked without them.

Recently I had to do porch repair and the options were to purchase PVC planking or to use a standard exterior grade wood porch plank. The PVC planking was very high priced and the sizes it came in would amount to inexcusable waste. I decided (needed) to use 5/4 exterior grade 1x6 and do the tongue and groove myself. After further exploration the Freud bits seemed like the best choice. I did the standard U-tube research and looked at the various ways people can do a tongue and groove using various techniques other than a tongue and groove bit set. I decided to buy the set. This bit set is good but for a DIY'er practice is needed. I made a few nominal mistakes along the way. In hindsight it would have been best to route all 20 pieces at one time, i.e, doing the groove and then the tongue as one logical unit. Instead, I did enough at a time for a days work and came back to it the next day. The result was that the consistency was slightly off. This did not affect the outcome , but it would have been preferably to make all the cuts first and get more precise uniformity across the board. The bits are good but as an amateur my technique was on a learning curve. Subsequently I chipped a bit just a little, my bad. Overall the job turned out great and I was very happy in the end with this purchase although I'm not really looking forward to anymore porch repair.

These bits are very sharp and very accurate. Shims are included on both bits which allow for fine tuning the height of the tongue and the groove. There is a chart on the packaging that details the different thickness settings and what shims are needed to dial them in. I find it easier to cut accurate and tight-fitting tongue & groove assemblies on the router table as opposed to the table saw. I have used these bits to make frame-and-panel cabinet doors and for glue-ups. Adjusting the fence on the router table allows for fine-tuning the depth of the cuts. This could also be achieved by using larger bearings on the bits themselves, but you'd probably still want to use a fence... and I'm not sure how many people have the extra bearings floating around. The package housing the bits was filled with packing peanuts, which was likely done to mitigate any damage caused by the bits dislodging and bouncing around inside the package during shipping. I'm pretty sure the shipper did this, as none of the Freud bits that I see at my local Woodcraft have these peanuts inside the packaging. I appreciate this extra effort. I normally try to stick with Whiteside for my router bits, but I am pleased with these Freud bits. I could not find a Whiteside offering that was adjustable and competitively priced. I have no regrets though!

I'm extremely happy with these router bits they have really helped us make shaker style cabinet doors and the blades stay very sharp

The negative reviews mention shipping damage from loose bits, carbide damage, and tear out in wood while using these. The shipping containers have been updated, I have 2 iterations of these updated containers, one was really tight rubber grips, I had to cut out of the container, not ideal, but no damage. The last set I received was the best because they were zip tied in, so no shipping damage, but also easy to pull out after cutting ties. The first set I got, one of the cutters chipped after some practice cuts, but I reached out to Freud and they replaced the damaged piece right away. I've actually experienced this with higher end carbide more than cheaper ones, I have to assume it's from harder carbide being used, but they took care of it for me. The upside is they should stay sharper much longer. Finally, the blow out. This always happens for me on deep router cuts with any bits I've ever used. The best way to deal with this is to oversize your piece width, router them (you will get chips), then take off about 1/16" on the face with the chips on a joiner or table saw to get rid of the chips, then do another pass on the router to get the depth again. There's much more expensive and complex bits with more blades that claim to stop this, but it's more about the grain than the cutter imo. The adjustability is nice and simple to set, they work great, and the company stands by their products.

Bought this set to turn a bunch of old hardwood floorboards into panelling. As with other Freud tools I’ve bought it did the job safely and easily.

Precisa e robusta, vale cada centavo.

Tiene buen filo, buen embalaje no se maltrata nada en envío.

The cutters must be of good quality, for my part I had to buy a 1/2 collar or 12.7mm tail diameter to adapt to my machine. Freud is and will remain a brand that has nothing to prove

Excellent quality & Super sharp. Many shims available to facilitate many size cuts. Best to have accurate calibers to measure each shim carefully many times before installing. None are labelled for sizing and there are many to go through. Small inconvenience for sure.