Buyer’s Guide

A router with a 1 to 1.5 kW motor can do most jobs and will last a lifetime. Try handling some models in the store. Look for one that can be switched on and off while both hands hold the tool. Check for balance and weight by running it along the edge of a surface.

Router bits:
Consider investing in the more expensiaie carbide-tipped bits. Carbide-tipped bits can rout hardwoods and softwoods, plastic and manufactured wood panels; they stay sharp for hundreds of uses. Cheap machined-steel bits can’t be used an manufactured wood panels and require frequent resharpening.

Basic shapers:
The most commonly used router bits are a rebating or other edge-shaping bit which usually comes with a guide, called a pilot. The pilot of a machined-steel bit spins as fast as the bit and tends to burn the work. A carbide-tipped bit has a ball-bearing pilot that rotates much more slowly and will not harm the work. Bits that make an inner groove (straight V-shaped, corebox and dovetail) have no pilots.

To protect router bits from bumping into other tools and each other — and to store them so they are easy to find — line a small cardboard box or workbench drawer with rigid foam or foam rubber. Cut out recesses in the liner to create a resting place for each bit.

Setting up

Measure for straightedge guide:
A straightedge clamped in place on the work serves as a guide for cutting housings, channels or grooves and for trimming or squaring imperfect edges. The trick to setting the guide accurately is to measure from the edge of the cutter to the outside edge of the router base. Measure the same distance on your workpiece; clamp the straightedge tightly in place.

Get a grip:
When you insert a bit into the collet, push it in all the way. Then before you lighten the collet, withdraw the bit slightly, about 3 mm. This enables the collet to get a good grip on the bit and makes it easier to remove the bit.

Plan a path:
Before turning on the router, make sure its path is clear, with no small fasteners or nails lying around. To avoid tripping when working on a large piece, check that the area where you will work is unobstructed.

Router tables

Table talk:
A router becomes more versatile and easier to use when installed on a router table. Look for a bench-top model that accept nearly all routers, has a smooth working adjustable fence, and has a see-through blade guard.

Router table switch:
Even though a router table is very useful, reaching the switch under the table can sometimes be awkward. You can solve the problem by having an electrician install an approved foot control switch from a sewing machine on your router. That way both hands are free to handle the workpiece.

Quick guide:
Here’s an easy-to-adjust fence for all routing jobs (except edge routing). Loosely bolt an aluminum angle to one corner of the table. Clamp the other end to the table at the desired position. To adlust the fence, pivot it and reclamp.

Home-made mount:
Instead of buying a router table you can make one from a piece of 19 mm plywood and clamp it to your workbench.

1. Rout a 12 mm deep recess in one side of the plywood, using the router baseplate as a template. Then cut a hole for the bit in the middle of the recess. Next, unscrew the baseplate, place the router in the recess, and attach it to the plywood base with several countersunk screws.

2. Clamp the plywood firmly to the workbench. Make a straightedge fence for the table, cutting an opening to accept the bit. On narrow work, use a push stick to move the work safely past the bit. To make workpieces slide more smoothly, glue a piece of hardboard on top of the plywood.

Router rest:
After you switch off a router, it takes a while for the bit to stop turning. If placed on its side, a router can roll around. A better idea is to build a stand so you can rest the router upright. Cut V shapes into two 4″ x 2″ (100 x 50 mm) pieces of timber to make an opening for the bit: then glue the pieces together. Draw the outline of the baseplate on the stand and insert 2″ (50 mm) long dowels at an angle around the circumference line.

Toothbrush tip:
To remove resin buildup on a bit, spray it with oven cleaner, scrub it as needed with a toothbrush, and rinse it in water. Wear gloves and safety goggles.