What are the different types & sizes of rebate router bit?

Different types of rebate router cutter

Rebate router cutters

Rebate cutters are used to produce rebates for wooden joints, box lids, simple decorative edging and picture frames. They usually have a tip-mounted bearing guide, meaning they cannot be used for plunge routing. 

Various rebater cutters can be found in CraftPro, Trade, Professional TCT, and Replacement tip ranges, depedning on your needs.

Router strip recessers

Strip recessers do not have tip-mounted guides and are used to create recesses with a rebate on each side. They are available from the Professional TCT range as tonk strip rebaters, as well as the CraftPro range as recess rebaters.

These recesses are ideal for bookcase strips, and are shaped so that there is room for each shelf support to be slotted into the strip once it is mounted securely on the wall. These shelf strips are often called tonk strips.

What rebate router cutter sizes are available?

Rebate router cutters are most often sized according to the following dimensions:

Shank diameter of rebate router cutters

The shank diameter is measured across the centre of the shank from any point on its circumference.

Rebate cutters are available with ¼" (6.35mm), 8mm (5/16"), 12mm (½" approx.) and ½" (12.7mm) shank diameters.

Diameter of rebate router cutters

The diameter is the maximum width of the router cutter, and is measured from the outermost point of the cutting edges through the centre of the bit. 

Rebate router cutters have diameters ranging from 13mm (½" approx.) to 50.8mm (2" approx.)

Cutting edge length of rebate router cutters

This is the maximum length of the full cutting edge of the router cutter. It is measured from the top of the cutting edge to the bottom.

Rebate router cutting edge lengths range from 12mm (½" approx.) to 22.5mm (⅞")

Guide diameter of rebate router cutters

Rebate router cutters are supplied with a pin guide or ball bearing guide located beneath their cutting edges. 

Bearings

Bearings range from 9.5mm (⅜") to 22mm (⅞") in diameter. 

With most models, the guide bearing can be removed and replaced with a larger or smaller one in order to alter the cutting depth, and therefore, the width of the rebate. Some cutters come with a range of bearing, and bearings are also available as spares in a range of sizes. 

Pins

Rebate router cutters are available with pins ranging from 6.35 (¼") to 12.7mm (½") in diameter. 

Rebate width

With both bearing and pin-guided cutters, the distance between the outside edge of the guide and tip of the cutting edge will determine the maximum width of rebate that cutter will produce.

A larger guide in relation to the cutter will limit the cutting depth, creating a shallower rebate, while a smaller guide will expose more of the cutting edges, thus producing a wider rebate.

With pin-guided cutters, the rebate size will normally be listed. 

However, bearing-guided cutters often come with a selection of different sized bearings to vary the rebate size. The rebates produced by using each combination will sometimes be listed. 

If they aren't, you can work out the rebate width using the following calculation (this applies to pin-guided cutters as well): 

(Cutter diameter - guide diameter) ÷ 2 = rebate width

Rebate router cutters can produce rebates of between 1mm (3/64" approx.) and 19.1mm (¾" approx.).