# Rabetting bit VS Straight/Flush-trim



## Dimitris3 (Feb 5, 2020)

Hi everyone
I have a Triton MOF001 mounted inverted on a simple table and I have been working with straight and flush trim bits for the last year and half, building stuff and learning. 
Recently I bought a cheap set of stackable slot cutters and I was amazed with how easier they cut compared to my straight bits. 
So question is, should I always prefer rabbeting/slotter bits over straight bits for operations that can be completed with both types?
And if yes, should I also prefer a rabbeting bit+flush bearing (e.g. Freud 32-504) over an ordinary flush trim bit?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

hello Dimitris...
welcome to the forums...

for cutting rabbets I prefer to use a slot cutter even though it's a 2 pass cut.. (Freud 61-102)
less waste and I get a slat that has a bazillion uses as a by product..
rabbet bits are better at their jobs and more accurate than straight bits w/easier set up too...


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## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

Stick486 said:


> hello Dimitris...
> welcome to the forums...
> 
> for cutting rabbets I prefer to use a slot cutter even though it's a 2 pass cut.. (Freud 61-102)
> ...


Am I to assume you make the two cuts at right angles to one another - passes made with a horizontal (shallow pass) and vertical (deep pass) positioning of the workpiece, yielding said 'slat for a bazillion uses'? It would make a deeper rabbet more manageable (ie, less flying piece in the shop) - just want to confirm your process here, Stick. Please elaborate...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

deep horizontal cut on the edge...
then shallow cut on the face or take it to the TS...


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Welcome Dimitris! Always a pleasure to have people from around the world here.

You should use what ever cutters feel right to you. Straight bits are for fairly general use. Rabbets are more specialized and not as flexible but excel at the job they were made to do!

On rabbet vs straight trim. Two different uses. A bearing topped trim bit is excellent to make a flush edge. It's one of my top 2 or 3 bits. When I make boxes I use it to trim off the little bit of one side that overhangs another. Makes for a perfect joint.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi Dimitris and welcome. Like Phil said use whatever bit does the job for you. If a bit does the job you wanted it to do then it was the right bit.


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## Dimitris3 (Feb 5, 2020)

Thank you all for your answers!



PhilBa said:


> Welcome Dimitris! Always a pleasure to have people from around the world here.
> 
> On rabbet vs straight trim. Two different uses. A bearing topped trim bit is excellent for make a flush edge. It's one of my top 2 or 3 bits. When I make boxes I use it to trim off the little bit of one side that overhangs another. Makes for a perfect joint.


I mostly use the top-bearing trimmer (a small D:1/2",H:1") to trim 3/4" pine boards and plywood sheets. I do several passes around 1/16" to 1/8" deep and the bearing comes in the game only at the final pass (I don't have a table saw yet). What I was thinking is that with the rabbet bit+a flush bearing I could take fewer and deeper passes. Of course a trimmer bit is fine when there is not much material to remove.



Stick486 said:


> deep horizontal cut on the edge...
> then shallow cut on the face or take it to the TS...


That's a smart way. (at first you got me thinking how the slat comes from 61-102 - the 2nd post made it clear) 



Cherryville Chuck said:


> Hi Dimitris and welcome. Like Phil said use whatever bit does the job for you. If a bit does the job you wanted it to do then it was the right bit.


I think I had read somewhere that "you use a slotter/rabbet where you can't use a straight bit". After trying the slotter bit I thought that it should be the other way round...


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Welcome Dimitris to the forum. Great 1st question and as you can see there are usually several (many) ways to accomplish the same results in woodworking. I recently bought my first planner bit and then decided to use it to make my tenons now that I have a mortising machine. Setting the fence to proper depth on the router table, one of my favorite tools these days, and using a backer board made quick work of a very smooth and accurate tenon. For anything that required deep cuts, say over 3/16" I simple made height adjustments and did several passes. Of course I could use the band saw or table saw.


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## roxanne562001 (Feb 5, 2012)

Welcome to the forum!!


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Welcome to the Router Forums Dimitris.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Welcome to the fun place. Good first question and lots of good answers. As to table saws, you are lucky to live in Europe where Bosch sells their saw with the non-destructive safety stop. We're not allowed to over here because of restraint of trade by a competitor.


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## julian.jlc (Feb 18, 2020)

Dimitris3 said:


> Hi everyone
> I have a Triton MOF001 mounted inverted on a simple table and I have been working with straight and flush trim bits for the last year and half, building stuff and learning.
> Recently I bought a cheap set of stackable slot cutters and I was amazed with how easier they cut compared to my straight bits.
> So question is, should I always prefer rabbeting/slotter bits over straight bits for operations that can be completed with both types?
> And if yes, should I also prefer a rabbeting bit+flush bearing (e.g. Freud 32-504) over an ordinary flush trim bit?


Hello Dimitris

40 years ago while I was serving my woodworking apprenticeship, a mentor told me that whichever method or tool I was comfortable in using was the best tool for the job. At times I would ask him how to go about doing something and he would tell me to try out whatever method I felt was best. In later years, I found that I was often doing things differently to others in the same joinery workshop but often achieving better results.

It was helpful to me that I was surrounded by other joiners with differing capabilities and if this is not your circumstance, then my suggestion is to spend some time watching YouTube videos - decide for yourself who's collection you like, then sit back and watch.


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## Dimitris3 (Feb 5, 2020)

Thank you all for the warm welcome. Question #1 answered - I will come back for the rest 9,999 on the list...


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