Rabbeting: Table Saw v. Router Table

[Andrew Kertesz]

I am thinking about buying a bit set for rabbeting on the router table. Are they worth the expense or should I just use a straight bit or do it on the table saw? If you have a set which one and would you recommend it? The one from Sommerfeld loos like a nice set. Any thoughts?

[Metod Alif]

I 'vote' for a rabbeting set - one with different size bearings. Over the years I have used it often, always with good results. Most of the time I do not use them with a router table - as long as I can clamp the work.
Best wishes,
Metod

[Bill Huber]

I have a set, I am not sure what brand it is but it has all the bearings but I don't use them that much. I just set the router table fence up and use it and not the bearings.

If I have something really long or big like a cabinet side I will use the bearings and a handheld router.

So bottom line I like it..

[Steve Baumgartner]

I use either a dado head in the table saw or a rabbet bit in the router depending, I guess, on what fancy grabs me at the moment. They both work. The table saw will hog off a large amount with seemingly less strain, whereas using the router I usually have to make several progressively deeper passes. It takes more fussing to get the table saw set up precisely (adjustments for both blade depth and fence offset are cruder than on the router table).

The dedicated rabbet bits are definitely better for this than a straight bit. They have a larger radius and usually have a shearing cut. Infinity and Whiteside both make nice rabbet bit sets.

If I use the bit with bearing attached in the router table, I have to be very careful to make sure the fence is exactly even with the bearing. If it is back a little, I can get snipe as the end of the board moves from the bearing to the fence (same as you can get using hand-held if you go around the corner by mistake).

For me it is the usual tradeoff of size: if the board is large and unwieldy, I use the bit in a handheld because it's easier and safer to move the router than to move the board. But for smaller stuff I use the router table.

Steve

[Bill Huber]

If I use the bit with bearing attached in the router table, I have to be very careful to make sure the fence is exactly even with the bearing. If it is back a little, I can get snipe as the end of the board moves from the bearing to the fence (same as you can get using hand-held if you go around the corner by mistake).

Steve

That is why I don't use the bearing in the router table, I just set the fence to the depth of the rabbet I need and don't have to worry about get the fence and the bearing set up.

[Jeff Duncan]

I use both depending on what I'm trying to do. There are some things I just can't do on the table saw b/c of size limitations, so the router is the go to. Other things that are small and handled easily may be better off on the table saw. Of course if you have a shaper it makes life even easier;)

good luck,
Jeffd

[Rod Sheridan]

I use the shaper for rebating so I'll vote router table.

I don't have a suitable guard for the tablesaw for rebating so I don't use it for that purpose........Rod.

[Peter Quinn]

I do it any which way but loose. Table saw with a straight blade and two cuts, table saw with a dado, router table, rabbit set on freehand router with bearings, and last but absolutely my favorite method......shaper with power feed. I make rabbits for lots of reasons, some times it's easier to machine the rabbit into the parts pre assembly, sometimes its easier to add them post glue up and sanding. Sometimes I'm making just one so I'm after minimal set up time, other times I'm make multiples that must match and its quicker to power feed. The method may also be dictated by the location of the rabbit in the assembly. So I vote get a rabbit bit but use your most sensible option to accomplish the work at hand.

[Greg Peterson]

As a hobbyist, I like the flexibility of determining which setup is the most efficient at that moment. Switching over to a dado blade and rebating fence costs time and is disruptive to the work flow. And of course no sooner than setting everything I will realize I need to make one more rip or cross cut.

Setup time is a real issue in the hobbyist shop. Production shops will usually have machines setup for specific tasks and have those machines laid out in a manner that enhances the production schedule.

In summary, there is no right or wrong, best or worst. For me, it's a matter of what gives me the most flexibility so that the time I have in the shop is spent making things rather than setting up things.

[Mike Henderson]

For rabbets, I'll almost always use a rabbeting bit (with a bearing to control how big the rabbet will be). I use the router table of handheld, depending on which is easier.

Handheld has certain advantages. If the panel has any distortion (and all panels have a little bit) you can get a more accurate cut with a handheld because it rides over the wood and any ups and downs. With the router table, you have to make sure you push down hard as the panel goes through the cutter. Same on the table saw.

Mike

[Roy Harding]

I like the rabbeting bits for rabbeting the inside of picture frames. They work well on the router table, and there's no worry about snipe.

For other rabbets, I use either the table saw, or a bearing less bit on the router table, with the fences set as Bill Huber outlined above.

[Mike Goetzke]

A router rabbet set is useful for many projects. Like stated depends what you are doing. When I built a full set of kitchen cabinets a little while back I used the TS and dado for all the rabbets and dados. I had to do them in batches due to space. I found a Wixey digital TS guage and height guage invaluable for this. I made a chart with the measurements and duplicated the cuts perfectly.

Mike

[Rich Engelhardt]

Either/or - but - I prefer the table saw - mostly because it's more accessible.
My router table is usually all covered up with junk.
Quite a bit of the junk covering it, matter of fact, came from the pile of junk covering the table saw that I just cleared off so I could use it!

[pat warner]

Your fence (RT) is straight and square to the table surface, right?
Then I'd rout, not saw.
Get the biggest rabbet bit (1/2" ?), remove the bearing and set the fence for the east/west cut at full depth.
If the cut is too big for one slice, raise the work up (on a 1/4" piece of MDF, e.g.)
The radial design of the rabbet bit renders its cut like a saw blade, very efficient.
I would not use a straight bit in this application.
(Routes nearly everyday.)

[Dave Kirby]

I like rabbeting on the router table (mainly just because it takes less setup than the table saw). I initially set the fence to the full final depth of cut and then place a clamp or clamps behind the fence as a stop block. Then move the fence up to make a few shallow passes to take off some material; gradually moving the fence back until it contacts the stop blocks again for your final pass. I typically use the bearing just for a faster reference to initially set the fence but this technique would work just as well without a bearing. It has served me pretty well. I got a Rabbet set from CMT that I love! It comes with a wide range of bearings in different sizes. Good luck!

[Barry Richardson]

Always more that one way to skin a cat. If your making a lot of straight rabbits, the table saw is much faster, If they are curved, or inside a frame or already assembled piece, a router must be used, so IMO, you need the capability for both. For occasional use, MCLS sets are fine, but best is Whiteside, Freud, CMT, Amana, etc...

[glenn bradley]

I use both. The handheld router is better for sheet goods which are often not flat as the small router base follows the deviation better than trying to force a panel to behave across a tablesaw or router table. This is true for dados as well. That being said I have a few rabbeting router bit sets and consider them one of the fundamental bits any woodworker (who uses a tailed router) should have. I have a 1/4" shaft set for the Colt which handles many rabbeting jobs quickly and easily. I have a 1/2" set for heavier work in the table or full sized router. I have a cheap set that I keep for particle board and other work that doesn't require a fine finish. I generally have to touch this set up before use as the last thing I used it on beat it up :o.

I'm happy that I have them all and would recommend getting a set. I favor Whiteside due to their inexpensive sharpening and the fact that I can have the bit sharpened by the same folks who made it. Freud and Amana come in second in my book and my beater set is one I picked up during the holiday sales from Woodcraft for something like $12. I will say that a poor rabbet set will sour you on them so keep that in mind if your first set is a (insert any budget bit maker's name here).

[Loren Woirhaye]

I usually cut rabbets in curved parts or in already-assembled frames, so I use a router bit with a bearing. I also have a pin router I've used a bit. In a pinch I'll cut rabbets in two passes on the table saw, which is pretty quick and not too messy. They can be worked cleaner with a router if needed. You can also cut rabbets on many jointers.