![]() ![]() Some router bits have a steel bearing on the axis, this bearing allows the bit to ride up along your work and use it as a reference. To make things easy on myself, I just stick with one size of router bit shank, but your needs may vary. The shank of the router bits that fit into the collet are usually in either 1/4" or 1/2", so know the size of your collet before buying a router bit (or buy a secondary collet so you can switch). The most common (and helpful) bits are the rabbit, flush trim, roundover, and straight cut. It helps to have a variety of router bits on hand so you have options, like with a router bit set. There are hundreds of types of router bits designed to give you any profile you could want The fence distance can be set with a thumb screw. Either measure the distance from the edge of the router bit to the inside edge of the fence, or set the fence distance by hand by placing the fence over the piece you wish to cut. The edge guide travels over your work piece and along a straight edge, this will guide the router bit to trim a straight edge on the opposite side of the work. Edge guides are able to be attached to the router base by a hand screw and will allow you to set the distance of the guide to act as a fence. Some routers come with attachments that serve a function to help you with your work, such as a straight edge guide. The measurement notches are measured from the collet and are meant to be an estimate, since the height of the collet can vary slightly based on how tight your bit is screwed in, and how much of your router bit shank is revealed. This simple router doesn't have a plunge feature but does allow you to set your bit depth by unbuckling the hasp and setting the depth of the fixed base. Some routers have a plunge feature, which allows the router to be dipped into the work piece and will spring back to a preset distance. The angle of the tilting router base can be set with a thumb screw on the side, which will also have an angle indicator so you can set it to the correct degrees. There's an option to have a removable router base that can be tilted, meaning you have have your router bit placed at an angle to the piece you are working on. Using two wrenches one wrench will fit into the keyway on the threaded neck and another fit onto the hex nut, twisting counterclockwise the nut and collet will come undone from the threaded neck.Īll hand routers (palm and plunge) will come with a base that fits onto the router body and will have a base that is perpendicular to the router bit. ![]() Changing router bits is easy, but should only be attempted when the router is unplugged. Routers have a threaded neck close to the router body that the collet and nut fit onto, the way the bits are are inserted the nut will tighten onto the threaded bolt when it's spinning. ![]() Removing the base will allow you easier access to the collet to change the router bit, and allow you to change the fixed base for a tilting one (as seen below). Let's take a look at the anatomy of a handheld router in detail:Īll handheld routers will have method to set the router depth, continuing to extend the router beyond the minimum depth of the tip will allow the base to slide off completely. Whichever router you have will require wrenches to undo the collet that holds the router bit, will have a flat surface to rest the router on and reference your work on, and be able to set the depth of the router bit. Whether you have a palm router (shown on the left), or a plunge router (shown on the right), or a big table router, they all work the same and will have many of the same features. Always exercise caution when using the router and never put your hands anywhere near the blade during operation. Whereas some power tools can take a finger off, the router basically chews up whatever it touches and can leave you with nothing to reattach. Sharp router bits spinning at very high speeds can pose a very serious safety risk if you're not careful. This is doubly so with a tool like the router. For a lot of woodworking projects a simple handheld router is perfect, I use a 1hp Bosch palm router which is more than enough for the average woodworker.Īs with all tools, safety is very important. A router's power is measured in horsepower, with more horsepower allowing faster work as the motor can power through jobs without getting bogged down. In this lesson we'll be covering all those uses as well as breaking down the router to understand just how handy this humble tool can be.įirst we need to understand what a good router looks like. More than just a way to bevel an edge, a router can create all kinds of edge profiles, be used to square wood edges, and even used as a thickness planer to level uneven wood. A hand router is one of the most versatile tools in woodworking. ![]()
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