How To Use Wood Router?

Many of you might be hearing this name first time though you would have used it sometimes in your projects. So, we will first tell you what a wood router is and why it is used. A wood router is used as a hand tool or as a power tool. It is used to rout or hollow out some area from a strong material. In this case, the material is wood. It is mainly used in a woodworking field. So, now you might be thinking that how can we use it?

In this article, we will give you all the essential insights into how to use wood router. We will describe each step you need to follow to have a great experience with your wood router. Let’s dive into the article.

Contents

How To Use Wood Router –Step By Step Guide

Step 1: Edge Routing

This can be done easily by using a sharp bit. We have to run the router in an anticlockwise direction throughout the upper part of the workpiece. This will push the router towards you. Then you can easily control the router. Remember that anticlockwise rotation doesn’t always work. If we face any issues related to the router or edge going inside, we should use the clockwise cutting itself. Don’t continue the routing for a longer time at once. This will burn your workpiece so go slowly at a time. Remove little pieces at once and take a break of a second or two and then continue.

Step 2: Edge Routing Narrow Stock

Doing this process is a little trick. Whenever we try to do this, the clamp comes in the way of the router. It is hard to keep the base on the narrow surface. This can be solved by using a support board. We can use a screw to fix this board, and this board should be of the same thickness as the wooden workpiece.

After this, screw a stop to that bench to prevent it from sliding or slipping. Now, this stop will provide the required friction to prevent any sliding. This will help you to do the edge routing on a narrow stock without any complications. The advantage of this process is that it eliminates the use of clamps. We use stop and the support board in place of clamps here because clamps don’t work here.

Step 3: Using A Jig For Cutting Dadoes

Dadoes are also known as grooves. These are very strong and clean support shelves that are invisible. The easiest way to construct them is to use a wood router, a straight bit, and a simple jig. The jig may be homemade as well. The jig can be a simple T-Square. Now after having this necessary equipment, get a bit. The bit should be matched with the dado thickness. This will help you to cut in a single pass. Now clamp the jig on the wood test piece.

Using a straight bit 1/4^th inches deep, create a pass through the right-hand side of that T-Square and the wood. Now check that newly created dado using a square so that you can make sure that the jig is square. Now mark the dado location on your wooden workpiece.

Cut the right part of the jig and keep the router away from you, and you are done. If you do the same thing with the left side, then the router will be moving away from the jig, and it won’t work.

Step 4: Rabbet Cutting

The rabbets are also a kind of grooves. These are made using the cut into the back edge of any cabinet or any bookcase. These are used to conceal the bad look of the plywood edges. It helps us to show the edge much cleaner. We can use some special rabbets for the automatic cut of the required width. Now, first, we need to select a pilot bearing. This cuts the groove with the same thickness as that of the plywood edge. Then the plywood back and the cabinet back will be kept together. Now you can adjust the depth of your router to leave sufficient space for other purposes like fastening or pasting. Cut the workpiece anticlockwise.

Step 5: Cutting Perfect Patterns

Patterns here means to make many shapes using a router. This helps us in many fancy router projects. To make patterns with smooth edges, use ½ inches plywood and fiberboard because thinner materials don’t provide the required depth. Cut the required pattern using a band saw (get the top band saws) about 1/8 inches outside the boundary line. This extra place will help us in smoothening the workpiece without losing the actual material. Now attach your pattern with the stock. If both the edges are visible, then using thin brads keeps the pieces apart. Now move the flush trim bit around the pattern to smoothen it and create copies of them.

Things You Need

Clamps: We need this to hold the necessary things to prevent the shaking of the object. So, this helps us to keep the object much stiffer at a place.
Driver/Drill: This is required as a cordless device. This will help a lot in using a wood router, and we need this whenever we use a router.
Router: This is the primary device that we need in this process! Without this, we can’t imagine the process of routing our materials.

Tips

Always use a clamp that doesn’t have a loose connection.
Wear appropriate glasses to protect your eyes from unwanted particles.
Don’t wear gloves while working with the router. It may act as a hindrance to your work.
If you want to sharpen a router bit ( see top bits for router) then follow our previous article – ‘How to sharpen a step bit?’
Do not apply too much pressure on any device while working. It may result in the malfunctioning of the device.
Do not continue routing for a longer time. Removing a large part of the material at a time might burn your workpiece. So, give some time in between your process.

FAQs

1. Should we use the router in anticlockwise only for the edge routing?

Generally, we use the router in the anticlockwise or counterclockwise direction because it causes the router to move towards us. This helps us to be in a safer position, and we can control it easily. Sometimes, the edge comes inside with the anticlockwise direction so that we may prefer the clockwise direction in that case.

2. What if we try to finish our routing at once without any break?

As a responsible person, we need to look into our safety as well. If we try to finish the whole process at one go, then it may burn the workpiece due to the kinetic friction. So, we should provide adequate time in between the routing.

3. Can we cut the left-hand side of the jig in Dadoes preparation?

No, we should cut only the right part of the jig; otherwise, the router will go away from us. This will lead to an uncontrollable condition. It becomes difficult to control the router if it goes away from us.

4. Do we need to use clamps in preparing dadoes?

No, while constructing the dadoes, we use a support board with the stop bit. So, we don’t need the clamp in addition to these materials.

5. Can we sharpen the bit of a wood router?

You can sharpen your wood router bit using two devices, such as belt drive, etc. Whenever you find that your wood router’s bit is not working correctly and sharply, you should sharpen it. Otherwise, go for the new one.

Final Thoughts

In this article, you saw steps on how to use wood router. If you have a useful guide or process, then you can quickly start using your router first time. We tried to tell you all the necessary precautions that you need to take while performing the task mentioned above. If you have not used a wood router yet, even then, you can follow the given steps sequentially. There are no as such prerequisites to follow up with them!

I hope you find the article useful and now you have acquired a better knowledge of a wood router and its usage. We look forward to writing such articles if you find them useful. I wish you all the best for using your wood router first time.