Since its invention during the First World War the portable electric router has made its presence felt in every aspect of woodworking. It is easy to see why: The router can cut rabbets, trim laminate, bevel edges, shape molding, and make dovetail joints. It can even surface small pieces of stock and follow a pre-cut template to cut intricate patterns. The sheer number of tasks it performs easily ranks the router with any other portable or stationary woodworking tool. It is as close to a universal tool as woodworking has.
Router motors are commonly available in the 1/2- to 3-horsepower range. The tool is a direct descendant of the hand-powered molding plane, which featured interchangeable cutters used for grooving, edge forming, and joinery. The router features a motor that spins a bit at very high speed-typically 20,000 to 26,000 revolutions per minute (rpm). Just as the molding plane drew on a range of standard and exotic cutters, the router can use a myriad number of interchangeable bits to create dozens of distinctive profiles, everything from chamfering cutters to beading bits.
Shaping the edge of a workpiece with a decorative profile is probably the task the router is most commonly called upon to perform. There are two ways of making the cut, depending on the type of bit used. A piloted bit features a pilot bearing that rides along the edge of the work, keeping penetration of the cutter constant. With a nonpiloted bit, cutting width is controlled by guiding the router along an edge guide clamped to the work.
The manner in which you cut a dado or groove depends on the type of router. A standard tool must be held above the surface of the workpiece before the motor is switched on. The entire tool is then lowered, plunging the bit into the wood. Wth a plunge router, the base plate can remain flat on the surface as the router is turned on and the bit is lowered into the work.
Any router can be mounted in a specially designed table that transforms it into a stationary tool, freeing your hands to feed stock into the bit. You can also install bits in a table-mounted router that cannot be used if the tool is handheld. If you have the time you can build your own customized table;few other accessories are as worthwhile.
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