Router Bits & Their Uses

Straight Router Bits

• Straight router bits are used to make cuts that go straight into the wood. This action forms a groove or makes a hollow area for receiving mortise or inlay. The straight router bit is one of the most commonly used router bits, and is also used to flatten or shape panels and shape and duplicate parts. Straight router bits generally range in size from 3/16 to 1 ½ inches, and come in a variety of lengths.

Rabbeting Router Bits

• You use rabbeting router bits to create a straight vertical and horizontal cut. The rabbeting router bit is designed to cut a rabbet, also known as a notch, in the edges of the material with which you are working. Rabbeting router bits generally come in sets that include different diameters that allow for a single rabbeting router bit to produce a variety of dimensions. The rabbeting router bit is commonly referred to as a pilot bit, as the top of the bit has the ability to guide the bit along the edge of the material being used.

Flush Trim Router Bits

• A flush trim router bit is primarily used to trim the edge of one material flush with the edge of another material. Flush trim router bits have a pilot bearing that is either on the top of the bit, at the base of the bit or sometimes on both. This pilot bearing is capable of guiding the bit. This type of bit can be used in trimming veneered surfaces or with using patterns to create identical shapes.

Chamfer Routing Bit

• Chamfer routing bits are often used to carve a 45-degree angle along the edges of materials. The chamfer routing bits serve a number of purposes and come in various depths and sizes. Some chamfer routing bits include a ball bearing guide that can improve the overall accuracy of the bit. Chamfer router bits are also useful for decorating material edges and for creating bevels for joinery.

Edge Forming Router Bits

• Edge forming router bits are used primarily to cut decorative edges into materials. There are several varieties of edge forming router bits. The round-over bit is used to cut a rounded edge. The ogee bit is used to create an “S” shape. The edge-beading bit is used to cut a quarter or half circle into a corner or edge, and a cove router bit can be used to create a concave quarter circle. Some edge forming bits include a pilot bearing.

Stile and Rail Bits

• Stile and rail bits are commonly used in the construction of frames and panels construction and for cabinet and passage doors. The stile and rail bits can also cut decorative profiles into the edges of door frames as well as a corresponding cut in the end of the material where the horizontal member or rail of the frame meets the frames stile or vertical member. Stile and rail bits can come as a set of matched bits or singularly.