Handheld Router Basics

When people ask me, I'm getting started in woodworking what are the top tools I should buy? A router is always really close to the top of the list and there are a bunch of reasons for it. They're very, very versatile tools. We can use 'em handout, like we're gonna right now, you can also put a good router in a router table and use it that way for even more options. So, it's something that you add this to your arsenal of tools and there are so many things that we can do with it. But of course we wanna make sure that you're using it the way it should get used, so, let's go over some handheld router basics. Today we're using the BORA router and this would more specifically be a handheld, fixed base router. Handheld 'cause we currently have the base on it so we can do this, fixed base meaning that it's not a plunge router, it's a fixed base router. So, when I loosen the wing nut back here that allows me to make adjustments, that's on a screw thread, so that's raising or lowering the motor relative to the work bench. Then when I do that, it's in a fixed position, that's why it's called a fixed base router. One of the things I like looking for on a router is variable speed, so we'll plug in here, get some hearing protection going. With variable speed the thing you really have to pay attention to is as your bit diameter changes it's not unlikely that you also have to change speed. When you go to a larger diameter bit, you have to be able to slow this down. Additionally you'll find, if you mess with that variable speed that you can increase your cut quality by changing the speed at which you're running the router. So here's what we've got: on switch and then basically like a dimmer dial here, like you'd have on a light, and you'll hear the speed ramp up and down. So again, you gotta remember large diameter bit, lower RPM. Look at the speed chart that we've given you in the description that goes with the video, you gotta follow the rules of the road on that speed chart. Business end of the router. The shaft of the motor will accept what's called a router collet, and very commonly you can get these in 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch. You really wanna have both, you wanna have that option and whenever possible default to 1/2 inch shank bits. Some bits are not available in 1/2 inch shank, so that's why you wanna also have the 1/4 inch collet available. That's gonna snap into the collet nut. That's the collet, that's the collet nut. And then we're gonna do some edge forming first, so I'm gonna put in my edge forming bit. Of course, all this is done with the router unplugged to make sure that nothing can happen here. When you put the router bit in, this is really critical, you wanna not be in too far and you don't wanna be not in far enough. General rule of thumb is 2/3 of the shank should be in the collet, about there. Then we'll tighten this down and it doesn't take a come-along to get this tight enough. So here, little bit of a squeeze there and that's all the oomph you need to properly hold that bit in place. Then we talked about this earlier, this is on a screw thread so you can see as I do this I can get more or less router bit sticking out. The way to approach this depth of cut is it's better to do a number of light passes than to try to hog all your material off in one pass. So, what I would generally do is an initial pass to get some material off, maybe a second pass, on my final pass I want that to be the lowest percentage of material removal. So a way to think about it would be if I'm taking off 100%, I'm getting to the profile I want, I wanna do something like 45%, 45%, 10%, so that very last pass is really light and that's gonna really optimize my surface finish. What we're getting ready to do is do that edge forming on this board and one of the things you don't want is the board running away from you, router pads are indispensable for this. And the way that works, very simple, it's like a drawer line. The board will sit on there and then, now, when I have lateral pressure on it from the router it's not gonna be able to slide around the work bench on me. And I don't have to put a clamp on here that, as I work my way around, I have to move, so it's very, very convenient. Anytime you're routing all four edges, we wanna do end grain first, long grain, end grain, long grain. And the reason for that is that as we come across the end grain and we exit it's possible we get a little bit of a chip there, when we follow that with a long grain cut we're gonna clean that up automatically. Then we do end grain, if we get a little chip, then it'll automatically clean up when we do the long grain, so sequence is important. Handling is important. Don't turn the router on up here in space get the router on your work and there's a bearing on that router bit, the bearing is gonna ride against the edge of our material. That's what controls our lateral cut. So, here I'm finding the edge of the work with the bearing and then I'm gonna remove it from the work. I don't want the bearing touching the wood when I turn this on. Once the router is running, then I'll come against my material, move, move, move, move. Now the move. Direction of feed is really, really, really important. All routers spin clockwise. When we're using a tool we wanna feed against the direction of rotation, so on the outside of this piece, the router spins clockwise, we're gonna go around that counterclockwise. If it ever feels like a router is self-propelled you're going the wrong direction, you're going the same direction as the bit and that's pulling the router along. It's very unsafe. It's called climb-cutting. So again, we're gonna feed around this way, once the router's running, contact, move, work my way around. Hearing protection and safety glasses, routers are loud. With a bit this diameter we'll be able to run at full speed on this router. Turning up my speed, so just watch everything that we just talked about. Contact, loose contact. And now one thing to notice is I shut the router off, it's still there, so the router is on my work when I turn it on, it stays on my work until it comes to a complete stop, then I do this. Let's talk about what you just saw. So one, with the way a router is set up, if I come away from the edge just a little bit as I'm cutting, you might leave a little high spot. I've got one right there. No harm, no foul, all I have to do is start the router again come back to that spot, pass over it again and I can clean that up. So, with the bearing on the bit and the depth of cut on the router, you can't take off too much material. It's impossible. But it's possible, if it moves away from the edge, you've not taken enough. The other thing you may have noticed is that I talked about go counterclockwise all the way around and, or but, when I came here to this corner I backed up just a little bit and then I continued the cut. So the deal with that is that I come across the end grain and it's impossible to remain in contact, the ball bearing, with the edge and come around the corner. So, I come across the edge. I can feel the bearing loose contact with the material. I come back in, just a tiny bit in from that corner, back up a 1/4 inch, 3/8 of an inch, then engage that edge and go all the way across. And that's the best way to do that. So all I'd have to do is fire up the router, I could clean that up. Now, that's edge forming. I also want to show you dadoing with a router bit, so need to change my set-up just a little bit and then we'll look at dadoing. I've got a spot marked out on my board and I want a dado right there. This jig provides such a simple way to do dados, you gotta make one of these. Here's what we've got, the spine of the jig right here, the fence, is a piece that does need to be perfectly straight 'cause the base of the router is gonna follow that, it's gonna trace it. This is currently too big. It's just 1/4 inch plywood glued to the bottom of that 1 x 2. Now what's about to happen is I'm gonna clamp this to the edge of my bench and I'm gonna allow the base of the router to run here, that router bit is gonna cut through the base. All gonna make a lot more sense in just a second. Here's what that gives us, that edge was cut by that bit so it shows me exactly where the router bit is. Now that I have this line all I need to do is place the jig right on that line and that's where the dado's gonna get a cut. So, this is great for cutting dados and one of the benefits to it is we don't have to do a dado that's square to an edge, like this one, we could easily do an angled dado. We can also use this to trim an end. So, if you had a really long piece of something you couldn't handle on a miter saw, and a circ saw cut wouldn't be good enough, and your table saw is not gonna do it, we could cut to length using your router. So this, and this. Depth is already set. And that puts that dado right smack on the pencil line. Now I wanna show you one other thing that's really cool and I wanna point this out 'cause I know people run into this, this being, routers now unplugged, let's take that bit out. Now, right now that collet nut is loose but there's a good chance your router bit still doesn't wanna come out of there. This is a two stage deal, you gotta make both stages happen. This is called a self-releasing collet so when I continue to turn the nut it's gonna pull the collet free of the shaft of the motor. So right now that bit's still in there firmly but do this, this, give that another little. Now watch, comes right out, so take advantage of that self-releasing collet don't make work out of this. Like I said, the router is such a versatile tool: edge forming, joinery, cutting stuff to length, easy jig to make, great way to add lots of different, cool stuff to your woodworking.