chapter one
routers
ROUTERS ARE AVAILABLE IN THREE styles: trimmer, fixed-base and plunge. Each type has talents and abilities the others don't. This chapter will give you an overview of each style and help you decide which one is best for your particular needs.
As stated earlier, the general look and operation of the router hasn't changed since it was invented, but lots of extras have been added that have given the router a new lease on life: interchangeable bases, tons of new cutters and better motors.
A router can last 20 to 30 years or more if properly maintained. It has few moving parts, and those that do move can be easily repaired or replaced. Now, on to the good stuff.
styles of routers
The trimmer router is small and can be controlled easily with one hand. It's great for cutting thin metal and high-pressure laminates and cutting mortises for small hinges.
The trimmer router is the smallest of the routers and the least powerful, but that's what makes it unique. It can be held and operated with one hand and easily guided when routing signs or patterns.
The main use of the trimmer is just that — for trimming high-pressure laminates, thin sheets of nonferrous metals and wood veneers. After high-pressure laminate has been put onto a substrate, it needs to be trimmed flush to the edges of the substrate. A straight- or bevel-cutting bit with a guide bearing is used to do the trimming. The thickness of the laminate or veneer is usually 1/8″ or less, so not a lot of power is needed for these cutting operations.
I had occasion to install a sign on a storefront in a mall. The sign's letters were made of wood that I attached to the store-front about 15 feet off the ground. Then the letters had to be laminated with thin sheets of polished brass. The brass needed to be trimmed after it had been applied, and that's when the trimmer router paid for itself. I was balancing on a ladder and holding the router above my head, trimming off the extra metal. The router was light enough that I could have a hand free to steady myself and still get the job done before the mall opened for the day.
Trimmer routers are great for making signage and cutting grooves for inlays. If fitted with a fence on the base and a 1/8″ diameter straight-cutting bit, the trimmer can rout a
″-deep groove around the edges of Federal-style table legs or the edges of the top. Strips of wood veneer inlays can be set into these perfectly cut grooves.
Another good use of the trimmer router is cutting mortises for butt hinges. The base of the router is small enough to fit into a template so guide bushings aren't needed. The base of the router can ride right on the work and remain stable.
The base of a trimmer router can be fitted with guide bushings that will follow templates, or they can be used freehand to create designs. Woodcarvers use them to remove large amounts of material so they can then use their chisels to do the fine work.
A fixed-base router has a base that can be moved up and down the body of the router, but only when the router is not running. Fixed-base routers range from ½ horsepower (hp) up to 3½ hp. The bases will accept guide bushings and usually come with a custom-fitted adjustable fence.
A combination of a fixed-base and plunger router is available. A single router motor can have either base installed on it in seconds.
The fixed-base router is the standard for routers. The base can be adjusted for cutting depth, and a variety of attachments and jigs can be attached to the base.
A plunge router can be moved up and down inside the base by releasing a finger-operated lever. This can be done while the router is running, which makes it easy to cut mortises, for example. The router is put into position over the workpiece and can then be pushed or plunged into the work. Plunge routers are 1 ½ hp up to 3 ½ hp.
router bits
This is a good starter set of router bits. Left to right, straight-cutting with guide bearing on the shank, straight-cutting, dovetail, straight-cutting with guide bearing, cove cutter, roundover and bevel. Get the best router bits you can afford. Just like most things, if it seems like a “good deal,” it probably isn't in the long run. It could have inferior carbide steel in the cutters, possibly weaker steel in the shanks, and shoddy guide bearings. This can be dangerous if one or all of these components fail under usage.
In the last 10 years, bit and cutter manufacturers have gone all out to serve router users — commercial and home wood-workers. We now have an almost unlimited choice of size, shape, profile and style of router bits. These include bits that cut square grooves, round-bottomed grooves, V-shaped grooves, edge roundovers, coves, ogees, bevels, cope-and-stick joints, raised panels, finger joints, scarf joints, dovetails, combinations of coves and roundovers, small crown moulding, base trim, chair rail, door and window casing, mullions, rabbets, undercut picture-hanging grooves, T-shaped slots, full-bullnose profiles, and the list goes on. Every time I go to my local woodworking supplies store, I see a new style of router bit.
Most router bits come with guide bearings, which means the bit can be guided along the edge of a workpiece or can follow a template. These bearings are located on the ends or up on the shafts of the bits. The bits with the bearings mounted on their shafts can be used with plunge routers and guided by a template to cut virtually any shape you desire. I use them when I cut the kidney-shaped cavities on the backs of the solid-body guitars that I build.
All router bits are available with carbide steel cutters. Carbide steel has proven itself to stay sharper and cooler under high-speed usage than any other type of cutter steel, which makes it perfect for router bits. For the home woodworker, this means a router bit can be used for years without needing sharpening. Even commercial woodworkers can get miles and miles out of one sharpening.
Router bits are made with ¼″- and ½″-diameter shanks. Whenever possible, buy the ½″-diameter shanked bits. They are much stronger and will run a little cooler. During the writing of this book, I broke a ¼″-diameter router bit. They just can't take the pressure!
Changing Router Bits
SAFETY FIRST
Changing Router Bits
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Always unplug the router before you change router bits.
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Before plugging the router in, make sure the switch is in the off position.
Changing router bits is easy. Using two wrenches in one hand, it's a quick matter of squeezing the wrenches together. This photo shows the configuration of the wrenches for tightening the collet nut. When you feel the nut snug up, squeeze a little more and you're done. Don't over-tighten the nut. If the collet won't hold the bit after you've tightened the nut, replace the collet.
To loosen the collet nut, reverse the wrenches as shown in this photo.
replacing motor brushes
Unless a router is dropped on the floor or falls in a lake, not much is likely to go wrong with it. Routers have motors that require brushes to rub against their armatures so they can get electric power to turn the motor. Inspect the brushes often to see how they look. To remove and replace the brushes (there are two, one opposite the other), remove the plastic cap that holds the brush in place.
This brush, the gray thing with the wire and spring attached to it, is in good shape. If it's less than ¼″ long, it should be replaced. You can order these brushes from any tool repair shop. Simply put the new brush in the slot and reinstall the plastic cap.
SAFETY FIRST
Corded Power Tools
When you're finished using a corded power tool, set it on a surface out of your walking area and coil up the cord. Many times I've seen power tools go crashing to the floor when someone's foot caught on the power cord hanging off the work-table. This can ruin a tool beyond repair if it lands just the wrong way — and they always do.
Routers are awesome power tools, but they are noisy and create tons of dust. Protect your hearing with earmuffs or earplugs. Earmuffs are good when you're in a situation where you don't need constant hearing protection. They're quick to put on and take off. Earplugs offer great protection and can be worn all day long if you're working with or around tools that run constantly. The dust mask shown here is one of the best I've ever used. It has filters that can be easily replaced. A valve lets you breathe in through the filters only. When you exhale, the valve reverses to let that air out unfiltered. Don't bother with dust masks like doctors wear. They don't seal around your face, and they aren't made to filter out fine dust particles. If your lungs and ears are important to you, use the proper protective gear.
SAFETY FIRST
Feeding Stock Past a Router Bit
Never, ever, feed stock between a router bit and a fence. If the fence is mounted on a router table or a router base, it doesn't matter. The router isn't like the table saw. On a table saw, it's essential for the work to be cut to width between the blade and fence. The rotation of a router bit is horizontal to the cut being made and this rotation will pull the workpiece into the router bit. This will throw the work across the shop and pull your fingers into the cutter. This is not to be taken lightly. I've seen otherwise tough guys turn white when this has happened to them. I had one boss that would fire any employee on the spot if they violated this rule. It can endanger you and anyone else that might be in the shop.
Here's yet another use for duct tape. A plastic attachment for a standard vacuum cleaner can be taped to the base of your router. When you use the router, simply plug the business end of your shop vacuum to this attachment. You might need to use a reducing attachment on the hose of the shop vacuum to plug into the attachment on the router base.
The stock is between the router bit and the fence.
This is a very dangerous setup and is not to be done under any circumstances!