Tool School: Universal Wood Router
Routers are considered the most versatile of woodworking power tools and are indispensable for any craftsman, from beginner to professional. Here’s what you need to know about how they work, what they do and how to buy them.
Weekend DIYers have no use for a router at home, but once you start crafting and building items that require a certain level of precision and craftsmanship, you’ll need to invest in a router.
What is a router?
No, we’re not talking about Wi-Fi here ! Woodworking milling machines are hand held power tools that consist of a motor that turns a spindle at a very high speed. A router bit is attached to the spindle, which then removes the wood very quickly. You operate the router with both hands, gripping the vertical handles on opposite sides of the device.
You can get a great new router like this one from SKIL for a little over $ 100. There are always good used routers on Craigslist that are even cheaper. Look for a fixed base router that is a better all-round tool than a flush router (one that makes plucks or up and down cuts). SKIL includes a removable base, so you can switch between the two bases if needed.
Steve Ramsey has a great video (shown above) that introduces aspiring carpenters to the router.
Special routers
Small hand-held milling machines are called pruning mills and are used for more delicate machining of small wood pieces. They are commonly used by carpenters for decoration and can be useful to hobbyists and model makers.
If you have the Dremel, you can buy a nozzle for immersion of the milling machine and attachment for cutting table, which provide some of the functionality of the router, but with much lower power consumption.
CNC milling machines are computer controlled cutting machines. Instead of operating the router by hand, the toolpaths are determined by numerical control (CNC) input. Popular CNC milling machines include Shopbot and X-Carve .
What routers do
Most of the cabinets and wooden furniture were cut and shaped with a milling machine. They are used for profiling, grooving, flat trimming wood, drilling holes, stitching in buttonholes, cutting seams and many other tasks.
You can also use attachments and attachments to further expand the use of your routers. Examples include a circle cutter, adado cutter, and a dovetail pattern .
A milling table is a stationary woodworking tool that flips your router and provides space for the spindle to protrude from the top of the table. Attached to the spindle is a cutter that rotates at a speed of 3000 to 24000 rpm. Router tables are great for cutting grooves, grooves, joinery and working with a small, narrow stock. Watch the video above to see the router table in action.
Choosing a router bit is almost more important than the router itself. Router cutters are the key to certain tasks such as joinery, edge shaping and straight cuts.
As your router prowess grows, so does your collection of router bits. This 24 bit router set costs $ 27 on Amazon and includes straight bits, rounding bits, and profiling bits.
How to use a router
Routers can be used by carpenters of all skill levels, but it is a powerful tool that should be used with caution every time.
Always wear protective equipment when using the router, including eye protection, a dust mask, and hearing protection. Pieces of wood and small particles will fly into the air even when using a vacuum system.
First select and set the router bit. Loosen the cutter collet (which is the sleeve that secures the cutter to the spindle when tightened) and insert the end of the cutter into it. The standard cutter and collet size is 1/4 inch.
Always grip the router firmly with both hands and press the base against the work piece.
The cutter moves clockwise, so only move from left to right on the workpiece. This will cause the sharp edge of the cutter to face the wood, which will naturally apply pressure to the wood. This also prevents the wood shavings from flying back towards you. You will know if you try to go in the wrong direction as the router will try to run away from you and you will end up with a face full of sawdust. The opposite is true if you are using a milling table, as you want to use a push block to push the wood along the milling cutter from right to left.
The video above has more details on loading router bits and installing a guardrail or fixture when using a router.
Woodworking routers are affordable and compact, so there is no reason they shouldn’t have room in your workshop.