The Micro Jig MATCHFIT 14-Degree Reversed Dovetail Router Bit with 1/4-in. shank (model MB-025-R1438) cuts an inverted 14-degree dovetail groove into the top of your stock. This is a dovetail router bit designed for template routing, workholding with MATCHFIT dovetail clamps, and simple sliding joinery, in a router table or handheld router.

A standard MATCHFIT dovetail groove is cut into the underside of a board and needs about 3/4 in. of material. The reversed bit flips that profile upside down and cuts it from the top at the same 3/8-in. depth, using the same MATCHFIT Setup Gauge as the standard dovetail bit. That means templates can be as thin as 3/8 in. (9.5 mm), and MATCHFIT clamp heads sit completely below the surface. Flush-trim bits, routers and sanders pass right over the clamps with nothing to steer around.

For template routing, you cut the template shape and its grooves together, then let MATCHFIT clamps hold the template below the stock at the router table or clamp template and workpiece to a bench for handheld routing. The template becomes its own clamping system. It's CNC-friendly too: rout the shape and grooves in the same session, or make each groove in one straight pass against a router table fence.

The same groove turns any shop-built board into a clampable work surface. Cut a groove across the top of a board and you can clamp it to a table, countertop or sawhorse with MATCHFIT clamps, with no dovetail on the underside and no need for thicker material. It works in wood, acrylic and polycarbonate; at 3/8-in. thickness the bit will cut through, so use stopped cuts.

Mate mirrored cuts and the bit also makes sliding joints for wooden drawer slides, trays, sliding lids and drop-leaf supports. MicroJig's Radius Flair at the top of the carbide cutter leaves clean edges with virtually no tearout. Buy this if you already use MATCHFIT clamps and want thinner templates and flush, out-of-the-way clamping.

Micro Jig MATCHFIT 14-Degree Reversed Dovetail Router Bit: Flip the Groove, Lose the Bulk

The Micro Jig MATCHFIT Reversed Dovetail Bit gets MATCHFIT clamping into material half as thick, with the clamps out of the router's way.

• Who it's for: MATCHFIT clamp owners who build templates and jigs, especially on a CNC.
• Why it stands out: Flush, below-surface clamping on 3/8-in. templates plus sliding joinery from the same bit.
• Worth knowing: It's only useful with MATCHFIT dovetail clamps, which are sold separately.

• How thin can my templates be? 3/8 in. (9.5 mm), half the thickness a standard dovetail bit needs.
• Will the clamps get in the way of my router? No. The clamp heads sit completely below the surface, so routers, flush-trim bits and sanders pass over them.
• Does it work on acrylic or polycarbonate? Yes, even at 3/8 in. thick. At that thickness the bit cuts through, so use stopped cuts.
• Router table or handheld? Both. It cuts at the same 3/8-in. depth as the standard MATCHFIT dovetail bit and uses the same setup gauge.