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. 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? Unlike performing any of these tasks using other tools such as planes or saws, a router with the correct bit will give a 100% accurate and clean cut when used correctly. Glue joint bits assist joining two pieces of material by creating identical, adjoining tongues on the edge of both pieces. The notched cuts create plenty of surface area for gluing and form a tight-fitting joint that holds the pieces together while they’re being clamped. They’re available in two varieties: standard and mitered. The standard glue joint joins squared edges, while the mitered bit is made with a 45-degree angle to join two mitered edges. The depth of the cut is determined by the size of bearing fixed to the base of the bit and due to this, rabbet bits normally come with a selection of different sized bearings so that you can cut a range of different depth joints.

Flush trim bits are essentially straight bits with a pilot bearing that’s the same diameter as the flutes. The bearing at the tip guides the cutting arm perfectly around the edge of a surface, allowing you to trim overhanging material perfectly flush. You can use this for shelf edging, veneer trimming, or to smoothly join edges. They’re also great for duplicating curved patterns from a template. 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. One other very handy cut the straight cut bit can make is a plunge cut. This is when the bit is lowered down on to the surface and then starts to cut down in to it.

The worst base for this sort of work is actually the standard fixed base, which has a very small footprint and only takes Makita's own guide bush (which is 9.5 or 10mm from memory, AFAIK no other sizes available). It isn't difficult to make a larger (more stable) sub base from acrylic plastic (Perspex, Lucite, etc) or polycarbonate (Lexan, etc), in any shape you like, such as an egg shape with an offset handle. A better base for your purposes is the plunge base, which can be set up to allow repeatable depth cuts. It is more stable, too, because it has a bigger footprint than the fixed base, and has the advantage of being able to take Porter-Cable guide bushes when used with a commonly available adaptor. That gives you the ability to do template routing with a selection of guide bushes. The plunge base can also be used with the same micro adjustable side fence that is sold for the Makita RP1110 router (and is compatible with other fences from Bosch and DW) What I actually did as a test was to make multiple passes across the table saw blade at a height I thought was right for the extra 6mm or so... this didn't leave something as neat as I wanted and I needed to clean up with a chisel. Next time (this weekend) I'll probably try the 2 cuts on the table saw method.

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.

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Actually with a side fence and, say, a 20mm 2-flute straight cutter you could do straight rebate - the thing is you'd need to do it in incremental depth passes of 1 to 3mm (assuming in MDF or ply). This is at best tedious, but depending on the base you have in the router it may prove very difficult to get two cuts of the same depth. The rabbet cutting router bit is specifically designed for cutting rabbets, not the small cute furry ones found in most gardens but the rabbet joint or shoulder joint as it’s also known ( find out all bout rabbet or shoulder joints in our project here). They’re available in cut diameters ranging from 3/16-inch to 1½ inches and have either one or two ‘flutes’ (cutting arms) depending on how large or fine of a cut you need.

The purpose of the bearing is to allow you to easily guide your router bit along a piece of work so that your (normally) shaping or detailing work is kept straight and accurate.Another example of a specialist router bit is the biscuit cutting router bit used to cut biscuit joints in the absence of biscuit jointer. More info can be found on biscuit cutting router bits in our project here. The chamfer or bevel cutting bit is commonly used for shaping the edges of objects such as book shelves, work tops and table tops and any other object where a sharp 90° edge needs to be removed. However their main purpose is for creating decorative edges commonly used on tables, doors of various types, shelves and the similar. The edge cutting bit is again commonly used in cabinet and furniture making for cutting and creating decorative edges, sometimes known as beads in cabinet and table tops, chair and table legs and many other different objects and surfaces. Essentially the shank is the part of the bit that your router collet grips on to so that when the motor is running it allows the bit to rotate and do its work. Generally, router bit shanks are available in two different sizes; 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch.

As with all other bits that produce accurate cuts, the rounding bit also includes a bearing guide at the base that is also used to control the depth of cut. Due to this rounding bits also normally include a range of different sized bearings that can be swapped out depending on the depth of cut required. There are several different parts that make up a router bit and understanding each of these and what they do is integral to they’re use. The main router bit parts to note are the shank, the body, the cutting edge and if it has one the bearing guide. As you may have guessed from the shape of the bit in the image below, the core cutting bit cuts channels and shapes with a concave bottom.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! 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.