Those who started making a living from carpentry relatively recently can hardly imagine how just a couple of decades ago professionals managed to do without these handy tools. But today, cutters for a manual wood router have taken over most of the operations that in earlier times had to be performed on a stationary milling machine. Its manual counterpart turned out to be both more convenient and more productive in many respects. Not to mention that it is not comparable to its predecessor in terms of price and energy consumption. And some operations that are inaccessible to ordinary ones can easily be performed manually; they are very diverse and should be used correctly. Strictly for the intended purpose and in the appropriate mode. The choice of milling mode and the necessary tools largely depends on the type of wood being processed.
Cutters for a manual wood router. Their features
As a rule, this is a compact quick-release tool with several cutting edges. The cutting part is placed on a cylindrical rod 8 or 12 millimeters in diameter. You can use a transition collet from a smaller diameter to a larger one. Mills for a manual wood router have a narrow purpose. Each is designed for one specific operation. Their disadvantage is considered to be low durability. They wear out quickly and are difficult to sharpen. But this drawback is successfully compensated for by the relatively low price, which allows them to be changed frequently. The fact that hand-held milling tools are widely used speaks for itself - this technology is effective and in demand. She has a good future. The prospects for the use of hand-held milling tools increase sharply with the use of carbide materials for their manufacture.
General classification
According to the features of the technical process, cutters for a manual wood router can be divided into two large groups. Some carry out the milling process along a manual support guide, while others cut along a support bearing, which, in turn, can be located in the upper part or at the base of the cutting part. usually becomes unusable much faster than the cutter itself, and by replacing it you can significantly increase the service life of the tool. The advantage of the support bearing is the ability to perform milling along a curved contour.
Types of cutters for a hand router
According to their technological purpose, cutters can be divided into edge, groove and figurine. Sometimes combined types are found. are intended for making decorative elements, as well as for joining product blanks into quarters. Using groove cutters, as a rule, tenon grooves and recesses of any kind are made. Figurine cutters are used to make door and furniture panels, baguette frames and decorative interior elements. Often, cutters for a hand router are used in the most unexpected ways.
From this article you can find out what a cutting element such as a wood cutter for a hand router is. The text sets out a detailed classification of products: the main types and features of parts, their technical characteristics and practical use. The article contains useful recommendations that will help you decide on the choice of cutters for hand tools.
A hand router is a convenient and effective tool designed for processing lumber, including shaped, as well as flat surfaces. In addition, this device is suitable for forming various technological recesses, for example, grooves, ridges, recesses for installing hinges. To do this, it is enough to buy cutters of the appropriate configuration. Each such element has individual design features and is used to perform specific functions.
Purpose of a hand cutter for wood:
- Edge processing - involves the use of a cutter for merging wood for a manual router, when it is necessary to connect various workpieces together by connecting a tongue/groove.
- Insertion of hinges and other fittings.
- Decorating - in this case, cutters are used to form three-dimensional shapes on the surface of flat products, as well as for the production of wooden blanks with complex configurations.
Professionals know dozens of options for using cutters on a manual router. However, in order to correctly determine the choice of cutting parts for a tool, it is advisable to study the official classification of existing products. Once you understand what cutters are and the features of their use, it will be much easier to make a choice.
First of all, you need to pay attention to the unit of measurement for the diameter of the shank. This can be done in millimeters or inches. The unit of measurement depends on the type of collets that are included with the router. These components are designed to clamp the shank. If the size is calculated in millimeters, then the most common options will be products with a diameter of 6, 12 and 8 mm. If inches are taken as the unit of measurement, in this case it will be possible to buy cutters for a hand router in only two sizes - ½ and ¼.
Note! You cannot combine a millimeter shank and an inch collet and vice versa. This may cause the tool to break.
Types of cutters for a manual wood router: typesdesigns
There are dozens of product options on the market with different purposes and costs. If we consider the design features of cutting elements, we can distinguish the following types of wood cutters for a hand router:
- Prefabricated - have the form of blanks with welded cutting edges. These cutters are very easy to manufacture, which is why most products on the market have a similar design.
- With replaceable edges – products are equipped with replaceable cutting edges that have double-sided sharpening. When the knife becomes dull on one side, the cutter can be turned over and used further.
- Monolithic - cutters with cutting edges machined at the base. They rarely break, but after several sharpenings the part will have to be replaced.
Types of wood cutters: classification of products by blade type
Milling cutters can have vertical, spiral or inclined blades. Products with straight edges will cut pieces of wood from the workpiece, increasing the likelihood that chips will appear during the cutting process. As a result, the quality of milling is significantly reduced. This does not happen with angled blades.
Consumers can buy wood cutters with two types of blades:
- High-speed cutting (HM) - used on surfaces made of soft wood.
- Carbide (HSS) – used for machining hard surfaces.
Products with carbide blades have a higher temperature coefficient and have improved characteristics, which affects their cost.
Classification of cutters: overview of the main types of products
Milling cutters are rotating parts studded with teeth. These elements are available in various configurations. Milling cutters can be used for processing metal and plastic surfaces, but they are most often used for working with wood.
The following types of products are distinguished:
- end;
- end;
- cylindrical or slotted straight;
- shaped elements, which can be both groove and edge;
- disk, etc.
Helpful advice! If you periodically lubricate the support bearing, you can increase the life of the part.
Features of wood end mills for hand tools
Wood end mills for a hand router have cutting edges on the end side of the working part. Moreover, they work not only through the application of axial load. These cutters also use side edges, which makes it possible to move the rotating element in the plane of the support pad on the router. As a result of this, it is possible to obtain various selections and grooves in the wood. Such parts may have a different number of cutting edges, which affects the cleanliness of the processing.
In most cases, end mills have a monolithic design, but sometimes you can find composite ones, for example, hole saws, used as cutters for a wood drill. This option is used in cases where there is no manual router at hand.
- end;
- spiral;
- burrs;
- profile;
- conical;
- spherical.
Wood end mills are used to form grooves of various configurations and sizes. They are suitable not only for making wooden products, but also for creating tongue and groove joints. Therefore, end mills are often classified as slotted products.
Profile cutters represent a wide group of components for performing the following tasks:
- end processing;
- formation of grooves with a complex configuration;
- decorating the surface with ornaments.
Wood burrs have another name - cutters. They are designed for making holes with a specific configuration. Such cutters are used at the intermediate stage of processing. In addition, they can be used to finalize the configuration of some parts.
Classification of edge cutters for wood for a manual router
Edge cutters are the most common group, since hand tools are most often used for making edges on wood products. Even in large sets, the bulk of the parts are edge cutters. This option is more preferable for home craftsmen. It is easier to buy a set of wood cutters for a hand router than to select these elements one by one.
This group includes:
- profile - to give an intricate shape to the edges of the product;
- molded or shaped - to round the edge, thereby obtaining a convex shape of ¼ of the circle;
- conical – designed for chamfering at an angle, the most common option is 45 °;
- disk cutters for wood - for forming grooves in the edge part of the product;
- folded - designed for cutting out quarters in the edge part of the product;
- fillet - used to make grooves in the edge on ¼ of a circle;
- figurine - designed for making panel edges.
In most cases, edge cutters are equipped with a thrust bearing. This element limits the movement of the tool, preventing it from sinking into the wood. In this case, the cutting part of the part can be located above or below the bearing. By setting the tool support pad to a certain position, you can adjust the depth of the cutter overhang.
Helpful advice! If the cutter makes large cuts, it is advisable to carry out the processing process of the product in several stages, each time deepening it into the material until the support bearing operates.
In some cases, there is no bearing in the cutter design. To work with such a part, you will need a template and a copy sleeve or parallel stop. The size of molding cutters depends on the height of the cutting part. If the profile has several roundings, then the manufacturer indicates the dimensions of the largest diameter that can be obtained using such a part. Moreover, the distance between the cutting parts can be adjusted at your discretion.
Horizontal type figurine cutters have a large diameter and weight. Such elements require a lot of cutting force, for this reason they are manufactured exclusively with a 12 mm shank. These cutters are designed for a router with a stationary structure.
Related article:
TO accessories, operating instructions. Recommendations for choosing designs and a review of the best models.
Classification of groove cutters for wood for a manual router
The main purpose of a groove cutter for wood is to make grooves in wood - grooves.
There are several types of such cutters:
- fillets - these parts are designed for making semicircular grooves;
- conical - elements are used for applying threads to flat surfaces;
- spiral cutters for wood for a manual router - in many ways similar to end elements. However, they have a more pronounced cutting edge located on the outside. Essentially, the design of a spiral wood router is similar to a drill bit;
- T-shaped cutters for forming grooves of the appropriate shape;
- Dovetail elements;
- shaped;
- straight groove cutters for wood - cylindrical parts that form a groove with a rectangular cross-section;
- combined - cutters are used to connect large-sized wooden panels.
Combination elements include tenon/groove cutters. Most often, such elements have a monolithic design, but there are also options equipped with carbide cutting edges. They are used for joining workpieces.
Copy cutters or straight cutters are the smallest group of components for a manual router. Between themselves, these parts differ in the number of cutting edges, sizes, as well as the nature of the placement of thrust surfaces and bearings, which can be located both above and below. There are also options with double-sided placement in relation to the cutting part. During operation, the bearing moves according to a template, making it possible to obtain a part of the required configuration from a workpiece.
The head of fillet cutters has a rounded shape. The resulting groove in cross-section looks like the letter “U”. The walls of the recess can be rounded immediately at the surface or located at a right angle for some time. It depends on the depth of the cut.
Note! Although a fillet is considered a semicircular notch, cutters that form a V-shaped groove are also included in this category. If during the work you need to make grooves with different angles of inclination of the walls, it is advisable to have an appropriate set of wood cutters for a hand router, where there are cutting elements of different configurations.
Wood cutter for hand router: choosing the optimal set for the job
Buying the right woodworking tool is not a guarantee of excellent results. To ensure accurate and high-quality processing of the material, it is advisable to purchase good equipment. For these purposes, sets of wood cutters for a hand router are designed, which include a set of cutting parts suitable for performing specific jobs.
What are the best wood cutters to buy for a hand router?
When choosing equipment for a hand router, you need to pay attention to the main criteria:
- Workmanship.
- Thermal strength level.
- Type of connection between the cutting part and the shank.
- Solder material.
Before purchasing a set of wood cutters, you should pay attention to the quality of the soldering. It must be done so that during long-term operation the tool does not lose its longitudinal stability. This is especially true in cases where the work uses products made from hard wood, for example, pear, hornbeam, oak, etc.
The following grades of solder are considered high quality: PSr 37.5 and PS p40. They are characterized by a high content of copper and silver. If a material of a different brand is used for soldering the plates and shank, most likely it contains nickel, which does not provide the required level of strength of the joints. It is not allowed to use elements in sets of cutters for a hand router, in which the working cutting part is connected to the shank by welding. This kind of equipment is not the best option.
Monolithic cutters also need to be checked for the hardness of the material of manufacture. This operation can be performed at home. To do this, just go over the working part of the cutter with a calibrated file. If no visible marks remain on the surface, then the element is made of high-quality material. The optimal hardness is 58-62 HRC.
Note! The quality of work also depends on the availability of additional devices. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase a set of templates and stops.
A brief overview of the catalog of Enkor cutters for a manual router
Very often, manufacturers offer craftsmen to purchase a ready-made set designed to perform the same type of work. For example, some Encor wood cutters for a manual router are combined into kits that allow you to achieve a certain result. Such sets are used to make identical joints or wooden products. Moreover, in the second case, the cutters allow you to complete a full processing cycle.
In the catalog of Enkor cutters there are sets with different numbers of elements. For example, a set consisting of two combination frame cutters with a 12 mm shank can be used to create frame products. These elements are designed not only to form the inner edge. They can be used as corner joint cutters for a hand router.
Using this set, you can create not only frame products, for example, thin window frames, but also join wooden boards into large panels.
Of course, each of the cutters in this set can act as an independent element with which you can perform other operations on processing wooden products.
Consumers can buy a set of Enkor wood cutters for making lining. Using these elements, you can form the edge of wooden products, which can subsequently be used for interior finishing work. In addition, the manufacturer offers sets of decorative cutters, which can include from 4 to 12 elements with different configurations. The average price of sets ranges from 1370 to 8300 rubles.
Review of the catalog of wood cutters for the SMT manual router
The products of the Italian manufacturer SMT are in high demand among consumers. On sale are individual cutting elements and entire sets designed to perform various jobs.
The catalog contains the following types of SMT cutters for wood for a manual router:
- groove and end;
- overtaking;
- for furniture strapping and splicing;
- disk;
- T-shaped and Dovetail;
- paneled;
- edge molding;
- profile;
- jointing and chamfering.
The kits offered by the manufacturer are designed to perform certain types of work or to form specific connections. The buyer can purchase a ready-made kit designed for the manufacture of doors, furniture facades, lining, trim and various bindings. The cost of the sets varies between 5610-63000 rubles.
Buying hand cutters for wood: prices for popular types of products
Wood cutters are suitable not only for making products from solid wood. These elements can be used for processing lumber such as plywood, chipboard, veneer, fiberboard, etc.
Average prices for Enkor cutters:
| Type of cutters | Type | price, rub. |
| Grooved | V-shaped fillets | from 185 |
| Direct | from 189 | |
| Shaped | from 190 | |
| Structural T-shaped | from 202 | |
| Structural | from 206 | |
| Fillet | from 212 | |
| Edge | Direct | from 220 |
| Mouldings | from 287 | |
| Conical | from 352 | |
| Folded | from 405 | |
| Half-rod | from 519 | |
| Fillet | from 550 | |
| Curly | from 615 | |
| Adjustable moulders | from 1500 | |
| Multidisciplinary | from 1570 | |
| Combined | Universal | from 1130 |
| Framework | from 2160 |
The existing range of components for a hand router has several classification options. These products differ in design, tooth structure, and material of manufacture. By selecting a cutter with the necessary characteristics, you can create an edge, grooves, ledges, grooves and other elements of the desired size and configuration in a wooden workpiece. In addition, cutting parts are used to install various functional and structural elements. For example, hinges, locks, latches.
Helpful information
Milling cutters for a hand-held wood router are designed for processing various workpieces, parts and structures made of wood, as well as its derivative saw materials (chipboard, fibreboard, plywood, veneer, etc.) and are, in fact, working equipment for a hand-held on wood. In general, using such a tool, equipped with special equipment, it is possible to process the widest range of known materials. But here we will talk specifically about working with wood and saw materials.
Application
It is widespread and practiced when performing various construction, finishing, repair and installation works made of wood. This processing method makes it possible to create a wide variety of elements on wooden structures: grooves, ledges, edges, profiles, grooves, etc. This processing allows you to articulate wooden blanks and structures, ideally fitting the component parts to each other, and with the help of recessed cavities, various structural and functional elements (locks, latches, hinges, lamps, etc.) can be inserted into the wood.
Equipment classification
There are several classification options for this equipment, taking into account various characteristic features. They are divided by the structure of the teeth, the design of the body of the tool (solid, welded, brazed and prefabricated), as well as by the material from which they are made (hard alloys, high-speed steel, mineral ceramics and rarer new high-tech materials). Solid ones are made from the same material and are in this sense monolithic; in welded ones, the stronger cutting elements are directly welded to the body; in brazed ones, they are soldered on, and in prefabricated ones they are fastened using connecting elements.
In our online store you can always choose and purchase not only a single copy of the equipment, but also a set of wood cutters for the router.
If you quite often make various wooden products for your home, then sooner or later you will acquire a hand router. Of course, some types of manual milling work can be done using an electric drill, which is available in almost every home workshop.
You can read about different cutters for drills.
But the main difference between a router and a drill, besides the presence of an adjustable support platform, is its high speed (from 10,000 to 30,000 rpm), which even the most high-speed drill cannot boast of. But this is precisely what determines the level of quality of the result obtained. But, you will also need the right equipment - cutters, and a great variety of them are produced for this tool.
Helping you understand their varieties and types is the goal of this article.
What types of cutters are there for a hand router?
To get started, we suggest watching the video:
And according to the design of wood cutters there are:
- monolithic;
- compound;
- mounted.
Monolithic cutters do not need a detailed description.
But compound and mounted ones are often confused. Composite cutters are cutters in which two or more types of cutters are combined into a single unit on one shank. In them you can change the order of the cutters and the distance between them, insert intermediate bushings or bearings.
And the attachment ones have a large hole in the center and are mounted on the shaft of the milling machine.
A according to the nature and place of application of the cutter for manual milling cutters there are:
- end;
- edge;
- grooved;
- copying.
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This video will help you better understand their diversity and purpose:
Let's look at it in order.
Their main feature is the presence of cutting edges at the end of the working part.
This does not mean that they only work with axial loads. They can also have side edges that allow you to move the cutter in the plane of the router's support pad, making various grooves and cuts in the material. They may have a different number of cutting edges, and, accordingly, different cleanliness of material processing.
End mills are most often monolithic, but there are also composite ones. A striking example of this can be core cutters, more often used with a drill.
Edge cutters for wood
This is the most widely represented range of this tool, due to the most frequent use of hand routers specifically for forming various edges on wooden products.
Even in large sets of cutters, which it is preferable for a home craftsman to have rather than buying a large number of cutters randomly, the main part is edge cutters.
And their classification is much wider than that of other types of cutters. They are:
- profile– giving the processed edge an intricate figured shape;
- molding– rounding the edge with a convex shape to a quarter of a circle;
- conical– chamfering at an angle (more often it is at 45°);
- disk– for grooves in the edge;
- folded– selecting a quarter in the edge;
- fillets– making quarter-circle grooves in the edge;
- curvaceous– for forming the edges of panels.
As a rule, all edge cutters for wood have a thrust bearing that limits the penetration of the tool into solid wood. The depth of the cutter's reach is regulated by the position of the support platform of the router itself.
And the methods of working with such cutters are the same. If the cutter removes a large mass of wood at once, then it is better to carry out the processing in several passes, gradually deepening it into the wood until the thrust bearing starts working. You can watch the video:
Groove cutters for wood
Their main purpose is to form grooves, but most often they are used for carving wood using a hand router.
And there are quite a lot of varieties:
- spiral– similar to most end mills with a more formed external helical cutting edge, reminiscent of a drill;
- fillets– making semicircular grooves;
- conical– often they are used for carving on a plane;
- T-shaped;
- dovetail type;
- shaped;
- combined– used for gluing large wooden panels.
Groove cutters that work on the surface of wooden products are most often monolithic, but they also come with carbide cutting edges.
This is the smallest subgroup of cutters for a hand router. The main difference between such cutters is the overall dimensions, the number of cutting edges and the location of the thrust bearings or thrust surfaces: above, below or on both sides of the cutting part.
They are the ones that come into contact with the template, according to which the milling shape of the workpiece is copied. The principle of their operation will become clearer after watching a short video:
Functional sets of cutters and more
Quite often, manufacturers create sets of cutters designed to perform the same type of work, with a completed cycle of processing wooden products or producing the same type of joints.
This set of 2 cutters not only forms the inner edge of the frame product, but also makes the groove part of the corner joint in this frame. It is easy to understand that it can also be used to join boards into panels.
This set is used for making thin wooden window frames and other similar works.
But each of its cutters, of course, can act as an independent tool for performing a number of other types of wood processing.
The composite cutter shown in the following photo, depending on the sequence of assembly of its constituent elements, is used to form both edges of the wooden lining.
And by using a metal sleeve of the appropriate size instead of one of its components, this cutter can become either a moulder or a disk edge cutter.
Of course, as with other hand-held power tools, you can greatly expand the capabilities of a hand router by building a table for it.
By attaching movable stops to it, you will turn the hand tool into something like a milling machine. And with its help and a set of cutters, like the ones mentioned above, you can do very interesting things:
Dear readers, if you have any questions, please ask them using the form below. We will be glad to communicate with you;)
This review will be useful to anyone interested in carpentry and making furniture from wood. We will talk about the most common types of cutters for hand routers, their intended purpose and describe several typical examples of use.
Main sizes
Manual milling machines have become widespread due to their ease of use and the ability to perform delicate operations on large parts. However, they are not at all universal, mostly due to the limited size of the cutting element - the cutter.
The largest among cutters for manual processing can be called analogues of Forstner drills, used for making blind grooves for furniture hinges. Some linear dimensions may be higher, so some cutters are classified as disk or finger cutters. In general, the maximum depth can reach 80-90 mm, and the diameter - 60-70 mm. It is important to know this in order to determine in advance whether this or that type of processing can be performed with a manual milling machine.
This is not to say that absolutely all cutters are interchangeable. They vary in shank diameter and should exactly match the collet size of your tool. Milling cutters with seat sizes of 6, 8 and 12 mm are considered to be running. However, a set of replacement collets or adapter sleeves will eliminate the compatibility problem.
Milling cutters of different sizes have their own specific operation. While small cutters with a cutting depth of 10-15 mm can be operated relatively freely, deeper cutting will require a slow feed with little force. And if a high-hardness part is to be processed, a significant increase in speed will also be required.
Blade materials, replacement knives
Before moving on to the description of the cutters, one small nuance should be clarified. For most craftsmen, cutters for a hand router are consumables that cannot be sharpened or repaired. This is only partly true, because there are serviceable components used in small-scale production lines.
This type of cutter consists of a base and a set of knives. Such a design is necessary when a certain technological processing operation is carried out constantly, and a significant load is placed on the cutter. An option for such an application is the production of furniture overlays, lining or euro-window frames. The mechanical fastening of the knives allows for their fine calibration, so that all products from the batch will be identical, even if the cutter breaks during the manufacturing process. For sets of cutters that form mating parts of parts, this is especially important.
Both replaceable and soldered blades are made from the same types of steel. If you do not take into account special consumables for processing plastic, artificial stone and non-ferrous metals, wood cutters are divided into HSS (high-speed) and HM (carbide) based on the material of the knives. The latter have obtuse edge sharpening angles, which increases the working life when working with dense wood species. Quick cutters are sharpened at a sharper angle, so they are good for processing soft fibrous rocks.
Edge cutters
End or edge cutters are one of two main types, designed to give the edge of a workpiece a shaped profile. They can be either simple, forming a chamfer or fillet cut, or very complex in shape.
Edge cutters are often also called copy cutters due to the presence of a thrust bearing. In the simplest milling technique, the bearing simply rests against the machined edge of the workpiece, and the cutter takes the grip strictly to a certain depth. When copying, the bearing rests against a template applied flat to the workpiece, and thus the cutter sets not only the profile of the edge, but also the shape of the part itself. The bearing can be located at the very tip of the cutter or in its upper part near the shank. There are also cutters with two bearings.
In terms of profile shape, end mills have the highest variety among other types. In addition to decorative edges, wide slopes (curly cutter), end grooves (disc cutter), recesses (rebated cutter), and even double-sided figured chamfers can be formed. Note that not all edge cutters have a thrust bearing, but all cutters with bearings have edge cutters.
Finger and solid cutters for grooving
Milling cutters without bearings are usually called slotted cutters. Some of them have edges that close at the bottom end, some are equipped only with end knives, like a Forstner drill. With such cutters it is possible to enter with a vertical feed of the router, and therefore they are ideal for cutting out lugs and blind grooves.
Cutters with side edges make grooves and grooves only starting from the edge of the workpiece; sometimes they are used for copying according to an internal template and making carpentry joints. Most cutters of this class are monolithic; their shape can be:
- rectangular;
- trapezoidal;
- fillets;
- wedge-shaped;
- shaped with a more complex shape of cutting edges.
Spiral cutters are ideal for cutting blind grooves with a vertical entry, since their helical edges remove chips well, significantly increasing the speed of work. Spiral cutters are considered faster cutting than conventional cutters, but have a rather meager selection of profile shapes. However, fillet, trapezoidal and V-shaped grooves are cut much faster with their help.
A special type of groove cutters can be called rosette cutters, designed for cutting radial patterns of complex shapes. You can work with them either with a point immersion or according to a template, leaving a groove with equal-sized shaped sides. Also keep in mind that almost all types of end mills can be used for edge processing, either by trimming or to the end using a special stop.
Milling cutters for creating carpentry joints
Structural cutters are called cutters designed for cutting parts for carpentry joints. As a rule, these are not individual cutters, but sets with counter-mirror profiles. There are several main types of such cutters.
Microtenon cutters are used for trimming the ends of parts before glue splicing. With their help, you can form grooves and tenons of both rectangular and wedge-shaped shapes. The kit usually includes two cutters, in one of them the cutting edges are offset by half a tooth.
The set of tongue-and-groove cutters also consists of two parts: one for cutting the groove, the other for the protrusion on the counter part. As a rule, such cutters are used in the manufacture of tongue-and-groove floorboards or when joining furniture panels. Unlike conventional disk or slot cutters, which could be used for the same purpose, the tongue and groove set has optimal additive values and does not require careful height adjustment.
The cutters for corner joints are single, but the parts to be joined are passed in different positions. It is also possible to use such a cutter for flat splicing with glue. Please note that initially a cutter of this type was intended to work on a milling table, and it can only be used with a hand tool if there is a special stop and limiter.
A single trapezoidal finger cutter is used to cut the dovetail joint. However, to cut the desired profile at the end of the board, again, you will need a cross stop or a special template. The width of the tail can be arbitrary, but more often the groove for it is prepared in one pass of the cutter. This type of connection includes others that are similar in principle, but with a T-shaped or F-shaped groove. They also have their own paired sets of cutters.
Special and combined cutters
Many wood or MDF products today are made by hand milling using templates and specially designed cutters. These include door panels, furniture facades, wooden handrails, even finishing lining - the range of special cutters is wide enough for you to start your own production with just one hand cutter.
Even more possibilities are provided by the so-called shell cutters. They consist of a spindle and one or more mandrels with blades of various shapes. By rearranging the attachments in different orders, alternating them with bushings and bearings, you can achieve a high variety of profiles when processing edges. That is why such sets are so popular among furniture makers working with solid wood and MDF.
Standing apart are cork cutters, designed for drilling cylindrical dowels to strengthen carpentry joints and locally eliminate wood defects. Sets of narrow cutters for fine engraving are also common. Finally, if none of the thousands of samples meets your needs, there is always the opportunity to contact a specialized company and make a custom-made cutter.