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Contributing editor Steve Latta teaches cabinetmaking at Thaddeus Stevens College in Lancaster, Pa. The straight cutting router bit is arguably the most commonly used type of router bit. As the name suggests it’s used for cutting straight cuts with a flat base e.g. the channels at the side of drawers that the drawer bottom sits in and certain timber joints such as a lapped joint. But it’s just a rabbet!” my students sometimes complain. Why overthink it? After all, most folks follow the standard protocol: on the tablesaw with a dado head buried in a sacrificial fence. However, the first approach is not necessarily the best. While there’s no doubt the tablesaw works, there are factors that might encourage an alternative method. The key question is, what matters more: what’s removed, or what remains? Two ways to cut a rabbet
A rabbet is a recess cut into the edge of a workpiece. The piece that extrudes is called the tongue. A rabbet joint is the result of joining a rabbet to another piece of wood, typically to construct shelving and cabinet boxes. Rabbet joints are great for building drawers, cabinets, and lighter items like a picture frame. They can be cut with a table saw, table mounted router, or hand held router with a rabbet bit or straight bit. The above bits are fairly common in terms of use, most joinery workshops will have them, but there are some router bits that are only used for specific jobs, these are normally referred to as specialist bits. Most routers these days come with interchangeable 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch collets so you can swap between the different sizes if needed, however this isn’t always the case with the smaller palm routers as most only take the 1/4 inch shanks. Easy to disassemble: You can usually separate a rabbet joint by removing screws and pounding with a rubber mallet. Joints made with nails and dowels are usually easy to pry apart.
What are the Different Parts of a Router Bit?
Or I could use my new table saw to cut twice and get a rabbet like that... but I was wondering why I'm finding it difficult to source this - usually there's a reason, right? You can cut dadoes, grooves and rabbets in many different ways. In this article, however, we’re going to show you a simple, foolproof cutting method that requires only a router, a pattern bit and two straight guides.
A rabbet is like a dado that’s missing a side. It’s essentially a notch cut into the edge of a board or piece of plywood. The type of joint you choose will impact the finished look and the strength of the joint so consider where the cabinet or shelf will be installed and whether it will need to hold heavy duty or lightweight items. How to cut a rabbet in 4 steps Dadoes are square notches cut into the surface of a piece of lumber that hold the end of a mating board. Dadoes generally run across the grain. When cut with the grain, they’re referred to as grooves. Dadoes are a perfect when building shelving or cabinetry as a way to join shelves and partitions. For our bookcase project, we reinforced our dadoes with screws, although that added strength isn’t essential to the joint. Not only is it used for cutting channels it can also be used for creating decorative effects in wooden panels such as doors, table edges and other similar objects. Carbide bits are tougher than standard HSS bits so on the whole will last much longer and keep their sharpness for considerably longer, however they are brittle and can easily damage if dropped you need to take care of them!
How to Cut Perfect Rabbets
Dadoes and grooves are flat-bottomed recesses that strengthen supporting shelves and connecting panels. A dado runs perpendicular to the grain of the wood while a groove runs parallel to the grain. What is a Rabbet? For the router-table method to be both safe and successful, you must use the proper bit. Although a rabbeting bit seems logical, most are not designed for this application. On most rabbeting bits, the carbide cutter extends proud only on the top and has relief angles ground in the carbide to reduce burning. The bottom of the bit is often an afterthought, with the main body sometimes extending below the actual cutter. Some have a shear cut which, although beneficial when cutting from below, impedes the cut if used above since it directs chips to the base of the cut, which is exactly where you don’t want them to be. Also, many rabbeting bits do not have a long enough shank for the cutter to get to the proper height without seriously compromising how much of the bit is in the collet. Use slot-cutting bits When it comes to the business end of a router bit, the cutting edges or teeth, most bits these days should be made of at minimum high-speed steel (or HSS for short) but if you can always go with carbide-tipped bits. Due to this if the profiles are cut the same then essentially a rounded off joint will fit into a cove-cut joint. As the bit is also non-guided e.g. it does not feature a bearing it can also be used to great effect for hollowing out objects.
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