Router bits are one of the most versatile tools you will use in your woodshop. However, due to the range of bits being so wide, you may experience problems picking the right tool for your project, especially when you are new to woodworking.
So let's just have a look at the 5 crucial router bits with a 8 mm shank that every woodworker uses on a daily basis.
Straight bits are very versatile tools you will use with almost every project that requires a router. As the name suggests, you will find them useful for straight or round grooves, precise mortising or clean cuts, rabbets, joints or trimming operations along a template. When you do not want to invest in a series of bits, I recommend focusing on a straight cutter with a bearing on the shank. That way, you can increase the utility of this bit for precise routing with a template or for copying and serial production of more identical workpieces.
The winner of the most versatile bit then falls to the IGM Fachmann M112-16081 Router Bit.
Our second pick for the most handy tool is a Trimming Router Bit with a bearing on the lower part of the bit. This allows precise and stable trimming with a template. The design of the bearing thread allows you to use various smaller bearing sizes as well as smaller cutter sizes. That way, you can access deeper and narrower grooves or inner corners.
The most popular trimming router bit is the IGM Fachmann M107-12781, with its small diameter of 12,7 mm and spiral set edges, its ideal for quick trimming with a fine finish without chipping.
Edges of your workpiece definitely should not be sharp, mainly because sharp means dangerous. So you will probably need to round your edges for design and styling purposes as well as safety. Rounding of edges is one of the most used methods exactly for this purpose, this can be achieved by sanding or by using a router bit. The latter is especially handy for its speed and accuracy. Using a Roundover Router bit with a bearing ensures equal and fine rounding of edges in a couple of minutes.
For these purposes, we recommend our best-selling router bit IGM M138-06381with a 6,3 mm radius. Ideal for interior furniture, outdoor benches or a porch.
Rounding is not the only way to alter edges on your workpiece, you can also use a Chamfer Bit.
It simply chamfers the edges to a certain angle, usually 45°. Another way of using this bit is for jointing two or more pieces. Cutting both jointed pieces at 45° allows for a precise and invisible joint of 90° ideal for boxes, frames or columns reinforced with biscuits. This way saves a lot of material as well as the weight of the final product.
As mentioned above, the most widely used angle is 45°, making the M109-04581 IGM Chamfer Bit an ideal tool you should definitely add to your everyday set.
Finally, we can close this article off with a Rabbeting Router Bit. This tool, usually ignored by beginners, is a must for a modern woodshop. This Rabbeting Bit is ideal for precise rabbeting, groove and tongue joints, window and door rabbets or grooves for backs of cupboards. All these bits have replaceable bearings for copying with a template. You can also achieve various rabbets of different depths by replacing the bearing on the cutter with a different diameter.
Rabbeting Router Bits come in various diameters and lengths for various rabbet sizes, as an all-around tool, however, we recommend the IGM M135-35081 Rabbeting Router Bit.