Using a Router

With a little bit of knowledge and a few simple techniques you can use your router for so much more than simple edging.

 

The most important thing to remember when using a router for any project is to use a sharp bit and only run router in a counter-clockwise direction around the top of the work piece. By running in this direction you are pushing the bit towards you rather than pulling it away, which means that the router is much easier to control.

Sometimes, however, when running in a counter-clockwise direction corners sometimes "chip out", but this problem can be solved by cutting clockwise for a couple of centimeters at the end of the grain.

Feel the burn
It's always wise to test your cuts beforehand on a similar scrap of wood to confirm proper cutting depth. Sometimes the wood has a tendency to burn and this can be resolved by making three consecutively deeper cuts. By removing a little wood at a time you will prevent burning.

Tips for smooth profiles
There's an easy trick to use when it comes to routing a smooth profile on narrow edges - screw a support board that's the same thickness as the work piece to the workbench and then screw a stop to the bench at the end of the board to keep it from slipping. That gives the router a wider surface to rest on, eliminating any rocking, and forces the workpiece against the support board and the stop, so it doesn't need clamps.

Routing dadoes
If you're building cabinets or shelves, dadoes (or grooves) are the cleanest and strongest way to support shelves. The easy way to make dadoes is by using a router with a simple homemade jig. You jig doesn't need to be anything more than a T-square made from a straight half-a-metre length of timber (25 x 50mm) screwed to a straight length of timber (25 x 150mm). Make the long length approximately 10 cm longer than the wood you're routing. Screw the jig together with wood screws.

 

To cut the grooves you will need a router bit that matches the desired dado width so you can make the cut in one pass. Clamp your homemade jig (front and back) on a test piece of wood, then set the straight bit approximately 5mm deep and make a pass through the right side of the 'T' part of the jig and into the wood.

Check the new dado with a square to make sure the jig is square and you're ready for the real thing. Plan and mark the dado locations on the workpiece, then line up the jig's groove with your layout marks, clamp the jig to the wood and you're ready to go!