10 Router Bit Profiles Every Woodworker Should Know

By James Fitzgerald. This carpentry power tool provides a versatility that few other tools offer, good for mortising door hardware, custom-engraving, joinery, and a whole host of other essential functions. Read on to discover the 10 router bits every DIYer can benefit from in the course of a woodworking project. Straight bits are perhaps the most frequently used type of router bit since they can be used in a wide variety of applications.

While in a class of their own, straight bits are usually used for cutting different types of square-shaped grooves.

All of these cuts are often used for joining two pieces of material. For example, the router round over bit sizes using and tenon joint is a very popular and sturdy joining technique that can be easily made with a straight bit.

Aside from joinery, straight bits can also be used for mortising in door hardwareor for grooving a channel where a decorative inlay can be inserted. They can even be used in place of more specialized bits Using A Router Round Over Bit Table like rabetting, described belowwhich contributes to their impressive versatility.

As the name implies, V-groove bits groove out a V-shaped profile in a piece of material, often to produce a decorative effect. These bits come in a variety of diameters and V-groove angles that determine the width and depth of the groove.

Some bits also have flat bottoms instead of sharp tips that limit the depth of the cut. Best For: Making signs, fluted columns, and a bead-board appearance on panels.

The next three bits are primarily used for cutting adjoining notches to give two pieces of material strong, durable joints. Each bit doing so in its own unique way. Rabbeting bits are designed to form an L-shaped shoulder or dado square groove that runs against the grain on the edge of a piece of material to form a rabbet joint. This occurs in cabinetry construction to make drawers and cabinet backs as well as to join the tops of cabinets to cabinet sides.

As a result, the width of the cut is determined by the size of the bearing, with a smaller bearing producing a wider cut. Glue joint bits assist joining two pieces of material by creating identical, adjoining tongues on the edge of both pieces. The standard glue joint joins squared edges, router round over bit sizes using the mitered bit is made with a degree angle to join two mitered edges.

Before you begin using router round over bit sizes using router bit types, know that they are meant to be used exclusively in a router table. Using glue joint bits in a hand-held router can result in uneven profiles or, worse, injury in the event that it binds up and kicks back on you. Best For: Creating two adjoining joints that have a higher surface area for gluing. The bearing at the tip guides the cutting arm perfectly around the edge of a surface, allowing router round over bit sizes using to trim overhanging material perfectly flush.

You can use this for shelf edging, veneer trimming, or to smoothly join edges. For trimming purposes, these bits can be used in a hand-held router, but a table-mounted router is best used when replicating patterns with a template. Router bits are designed to serve three primary functions: To create wood joints, to plunge into the center of a piece for grooves or inlays, and to shape the edges of wood.

The remaining five router bit types are all designed for the single purpose of shaping the sharp edges of lumber in different ways and for different purposes. They create a rounded profile to ease the sharp, degree edge of a piece of wood. This gives the material a smoother, finished look. The eased edge can also help preserve paint and stain, since these finishes are more prone to chipping off sharp edges. Rounded-over edges are also smoother to the touch and less likely to cause injury to those that come into contact with it.

These bits come in two forms: single and double. Single rounding-overs create their profile on a single edge, producing a quarter-round effect. The double rounding-overs bits cut the bottom and top edge simultaneously, making a full half-round profile. The chamfer bit is designed to produce a bevel cut on the edge of wood to serve either form or function—or both! The chamfer can provide an attractive edge profile and a professionally finished look on any project with flat edges, like counters and table tops.

The beveling power can also be used to make perfect miter cuts on long, bulky, or curved material. Ripping perfectly straight miters on long boards with a table saw free from ugly saw marks or burns can be tricky, but using a chamfer bit in a router table can make exceptionally clean cuts.

This is particularly router round over bit sizes using when the angle of your miter needs to be spot-on, like when making multi-sided boxes.

When you need to chamfer a curved edge, installing the bit onto a hand-held router allows the pilot bearing to seamlessly track the curved shape—a feat no saw can perform. This wide size and angle range are capable of creating miter joint angles from Best For: Making decorative edges and joining two pieces of mitered material.

As opposed to the rounding-over, router round over bit sizes using quarter-circle of the cove is an indentation in, instead of an easing of, the degree edge. Along with decoration, it can also be used with a router round over bit sizes using rounding-over bit to make adjoining edges for a rule joint—a popular technique for making a folding leaf for a table.

Best For: Creating a quarter-circle indentation in the edge of a piece for decoration or joinery. Fittingly, the Roman Ogee bit creates a decorative S-shaped profile for molding, furniture, signs, or under any other circumstance when a beautiful S-shape is desired. Ogee bits often incorporate straight edges at the top and bottom of the pattern with a convex curve in between. Both classical and double ogee designs are available, with the latter containing two ogee patterns often separated by a squared transition.

Like other edge forming bits, the tips are equipped with a pilot bearing to guide the cutting arms along the outside edge of the material. Best For: Making decorative S-shaped profiles in the edges of the material. Router round over bit sizes using bits integrate various edge-forming profiles to serve a single purpose: make molding.

While several other types of router bits like the cove and roman ogee are capable of making edge cuts for molding, molding bits save time and generate superior results. There are several style options available, from classical to contemporary, to master any home remodel project. Disclosure: BobVila. You agree that BobVila. All rights reserved. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY.

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Apr 12,  · Topic tags/keywords: roundover router bits Let’s say I buy a set of roundover bits that contains sizes 1/8”, 3/16”, 1/4”, 5/16”, Using A Router Round Over Bit Zero 3/8”, 1/2”, 3/4”. For a roundover edge profile, would I normally pick the size that is around half of my stock thickness? The Proper Router Speed for Any Bit Woodworking router bits come in a variety of sizes. To ensure safety and the best possible results from your routing, you must adjust the speed of the router to suit the diameter of the router bit. The general rule is the larger the .

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