Question for the wood workers.

[LagerHead]

About 3 years ago I bought a router and I have finally gotten around to taking it out of the box and trying it out. While it is easier to make a cut than I suspected, it's every bit as hard as I thought it would be to make one straight. So what's the trick? Should I just bite the bullet and buy a router table? Is that the secret. Any other tips would be appreciated as I would like to build some shelves in my closet in the not too distant future, but I need quite a bit of practice. Thanks in advance.

[Guest Jamie]

You can buy a router table, or you can just clamp down a straight edge with C-clamps.

I used to build quite a bit of stuff, and never used more than the basics... drill, skill saw, router, etc.

You can produce some nice looking stuff with just those, if you put your mind to it and get creative.

[DaveTN]

So what's the trick? Should I just bite the bullet and buy a router table? Is that the secret.

Or buy a table saw. The router bolts to the bottom of the table and you can use the fence for straight cuts.

[jtluttrell]

Jamie is right. Though it depends on what exactly you wanna do. If you are cutting dados for shelves, then a jig would help. Any edge detail bits should come with bearings.

[LagerHead]

Jamie is right. Though it depends on what exactly you wanna do. If you are cutting dados for shelves, then a jig would help. Any edge detail bits should come with bearings.

Bearings? Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis? What are they and what do the do for me?

[jtluttrell]

Bearings? Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis? What are they and what do the do for me?

The bearing rides on the edge of the wood. The bearings can be changed to change depth of cut.

[Murgatroy]

You can buy a router table, or you can just clamp down a straight edge with C-clamps.

I used to build quite a bit of stuff, and never used more than the basics... drill, skill saw, router, etc.

You can produce some nice looking stuff with just those, if you put your mind to it and get creative.

That was my first thought, use some c-clamps to create a straight edge. Learned that is shop back in school.

[Farman]

Check out this guys site. Taught us how to make raised panel doors. They came out great.

Viewer Projects | The Wood Whisperer

[9teeneleven]

I build guitars in my spare time and do 90% of the work with routers. Routing without some sort of table, bearing, fence or edge guide is bad juju and a really quick way to end up in the ER. All the above listed methods are fine for controlling lines. My preference is to use templates and pattern routing bits with bearings.

[jtluttrell]

I build guitars in my spare time........

Would love to see pictures.

[LagerHead]

Hey guys, thanks to everyone who responded so quickly. I've used the straight edge technique with a circular saw, just never thought about using it with a router. I will also look into using bearings/edge guides. I've definitely got enough to get me through the "for dummies" phase.

[gregintenn]

Would love to see pictures.

Might even want to be a customer.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Yes any power tool will hurt you, but an out of control router is right up there with the best. Not quite in the same league as a table saw or chainsaw though.

There are pictures of jigs in books and on the internet. Some of the books at home depot or lowes seemed worth the money to me. For starters, one of the huge a-little-about-everything books. There is one called "Big Book of Home How-To" that I found useful for many things from cabinets to concrete. Another Stanley introductory book that was useful was "Complete Built-Ins". But there are so many books out there.

You can just use a clamped-down straight edge for "free" straight router cuts. I made router jig for cutting cabinet shelf dadoes by glue-nail a 1 X 2 piece of pine on the edge of a 1/4" plywood sheet. Mine is about 4 feet long. I cut the plywood strip a little wider than the cut width of the router, plus the 1.5" width of the 1 X 2 board.

After tacking the 1 X 2 on the thin plywood strip and letting the glue set, I put a 1/4" straight bit in the router, clamped the jig to the edge of the workbench, and ran the router down the jig (riding the edge of the 1 X 2 board). That cut the edge of the jig the exact width of the router cut (with a 1/4" straight bit).

With the jig, when cutting 1/4" slots, I just draw a cut line on the workpiece and put the edge of the jig right on the cut-line and clamp down the jig. Just using a straight edge, I would have to measure the cut-offset of the router and position the straight edge exactly that amount away from my cut lines. And I'd have to do it near-perfect every time to make sure the slots get cut the right place. I ain't that precise.

So with the jig I don't have to subtract the cut width of the router from the cut-line in placing the straight-edge. Just lay the edge of the jig on the cut line and it works great as long as I don't let the router wander off the jig.

edit: You can also buy edge guides for many routers. Edge guides are great for cutting a fixed amount away from a straight edge, at least within a few inches of the edge. I use edge guides cutting slots for cabinet sliding doors sometimes. Other times I just cut sliding door slots with the router table.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Lester Weevils

[VERO1]

You will be amazed at how much a quality set of router bits will cost you!

[9teeneleven]

Would love to see pictures.

Luthiery

[Guest PapaB]

This site includes video from a Canadian show called the Router Workshop. Well worth looking at for techniques and tips, plus, it's free.

The Woodworking Channel Video Library.

[Dolomite_supafly]

This is what happened if a router drags your thumb into your work piece. RPM's weren't high enough for what I was doing and the piece of wood wasn't as secure as it needed to be.

Safety is always the priority now where before I was worried about getting the job done. That was one of the more painful things I had to deal with short term, almost felt like a hammer smash on the thumb. It took months to heal right. Even today I have problems with the thumb because the skin grew back weird.

Dolomite

[jtluttrell]

Luthiery

WOW. Very nice, sir!

You will be amazed at how much a quality set of router bits will cost you!

MLCS Woodworking

This is what happened if a router drags your thumb into your work piece. RPM's weren't high enough for what I was doing and the piece of wood wasn't as secure as it needed to be.

Dolomite

Could have done without that one.

[analog_kidd]

Tips I've discovered: Go slow. Have a steady hand. Keep the router level or it will gouge the workpiece. My router works better in one direction than the other, can't remember if it's left to right, or right to left, but try it out on some scrap and see if one way works better for you. I made a mounting bracket and attached it to my tablesaw. I have a router table that was given to me and my router won't fit it. If you come to Oak Ridge some time, I'll pass it on to you.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

The router needs to move so the rotating blade edge is moving into the cut. If the router moves the other direction, the rotating blade will keep trying to bounce the bit away from the work piece.

Cutting slots is a special case, where the material is being cut on both sides of the bit. In that case you need a really good grip and keep the router firmly against a straight edge to keep the router from wandering off the cut line. It helps to move the router in the direction that makes the router want to drift into the straight edge, rather than move the router in the direction that makes the router want to drift away from the straight edge.

My spatial perception is poor, so have to think about it every time doing a manual cut, to make sure I remember which way to cut.

My routers turn clockwise if "looking down" from the back of the router. Counter-clockwise if the router is upside-down in a router table.

So on the router table, the workpiece is usually fed from the right to the left.

If handheld cutting an edge and the router is between me and the workpiece, the router should move left-to-right. If cutting an edge and the workpiece is between me and the router, the router should move right-to-left.

If I ran the router every day it would become automatic, but I usually have to think about it every time to remember the correct direction.

The rate of feed takes practice. Too slow and it burns the wood. Too fast and it can mess up several different ways. Doing a long cut, if you have to walk along the length of the cut or change grip on a long board going thru the router table, it is easy to briefly let the feed stop or slow down while you change grip or take a step. Leaving a burn mark on the wood.

The burn must go pretty deep because it can be difficult/impossible to completely sand out the black marks.

[DaveTN]

In machining we call it “Climb Milling†vs. “Conventional Millingâ€.

Here is a story on a woodworking site that describes it. My quote is just the opening of the article. Click on the link to read the whole thing.

Climb Cutting With A Router - NewWoodworker.com LLC

Safety: Climb cutting always has been and always will be one of the more dangerous operations that can be done with a router. While there are procedures that can reduce the danger, climb cuts should never be taken lightly.

I present this story because I know regardless of how many times I say not to try climb cuts, many will anyway. This is a safer, not totally safe, way to do climb cuts.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Thanks, Dave. Interesting article.