Timber joints have been around for thousands of years. Western joinery often focussed on concealment, yet Eastern joinery was often seen as decorative. Today, whether you’re looking for flair or simplicity from our wide range of joining bits, by understanding how and why they’re used you’ll feel confident you’re choosing the right bit.
Joining bits are a subcategory of router bits used specifically for joining so you can create strong, tight-fitting joins every time.
Whether you’re crafting a set of drawers, cabinet, door or beehive, the right joining bits will give you the cleanest professional finish and sturdiest construction.
How They Work
Joining bits are used in a router, one of the most versatile portable power tools that can shape decorative edge, trim laminates and veneers, and cut a variety of woodworking joints.
When choosing a joining bit you’ll notice they often come in two shank sizes — ¼ inch and ½ inch. We recommend the larger size shanks for greater stability and less chatter. Make sure you check your router to see if it takes both sizes. High-quality joining bits will create a smoother finish that will last for years, though this isn’t the only aspect that will affect the end result.
When gluing together your wood after using the joining routers, Woodreview offers tips for better glue-ups. It’s important to alternate the clamps under and over the workpiece to balance the clamping pressure. Let it sit on a flat surface for no less than half an hour before removing the glue squeeze out for an exceptional result.
There’s a variety of joining bits to choose from, let’s take a look at what four of the most popular bits are used for.
Finger Joint Bits
As you can imagine, these produce a very strong joint due to the extended glue line and increased connecting surface area.
Finger joint bits are often used to connect one piece of wood to another in order to lengthen it. This joint is also perfect for floorboards and door construction which both need to hold strong. Our finger joint bits are supplied with five finger slot cutters which are removable, allowing for a range of joint thickness.
Good for:
- Floorboards
- Door construction
- Lengthening wood
Tongue and Groove Bits
A professional, hard to detect finish is the signature of tongue and groove joint bits. Each piece has a protruding tongue and receiving groove side that fit together.
The best news? Only one bit is required. Simply flip the second piece of timber for matching joints and voila! A seamless and strong finish.
Good for:
- Floorboards
- Wall panels
- Edging
- Cabinet backs
Drawer Joint Bits
Drawer joint bits are very easy to use for quick joining. They speed up the alignment of 90-degree angle joints by improving their strength and ease of assembly.
This makes drawer frame construction so much easier, with the option of creating plain or rebated drawers.
Good for:
- Drawers, of course
- Beehives
Wavy Joint Bit
The wavy joint bit can’t be beaten for cutting wavy joining grooves in your material.
It creates an appealing aesthetic while the waves offer more surface area for the glue and therefore a stronger, tighter joint.
Good for:
- When you want to avoid marring stock
- Aesthetic appeal
- Solid surface materials
Why Use Ours?
Choosing the right type of router joining bit will depend on your project and desired finish. Yet the quality of the bit you choose will greatly affect the outcome.
All of our joining bits are Carbide-tipped, allowing them to stay sharper for longer. Renowned custom furniture maker Christian Cole let us know that our router bits are “better cutters and last longer”. Especially when you consider Christian uses our joining bits on particularly hard Australian timber, this is an impressive feat.
Even when considering the cost of sharpening, it’s worth investing in a longer-lasting and higher quality product that you can sharpen time and time again, rather than needing to buy a whole new set of joining bits more often.
Almost always, investing in higher quality from the get-go saves money in the long run. That’s why we greatly value innovation, design and delivering the best value for a top-quality product.
Manufactured to exceedingly tight tolerances, these joining router bits are uniquely designed for ease of use and expedite the particular challenge of making seamless joints at a professional level.
Browse our catalogue for an in-depth look at all our router bits.