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Choosing the Router of Your Dreams
By Steve Maxwell
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For anyone who ever doubts that competition ultimately benefits consumers, I keep a small plywood box in my workshop. It contains the first router I ever bought, a 3/4 hp fixed-base model that cost several hundred dollars back in 1978.
I never use this tool any more. It’s weak, loud, has a broken collet lock and makes strange bearing noises, all despite low mileage. I offer all this as one example of how today’s woodworking tools in general -- and routers in particular -- are better than ever. The only downside is the need to wade through all the great offerings to find a tool that’s right for you. It’s confusing, and that’s where this three-tip buyer’s guide can help.
Tip#1: Buy High
It took me five years to realize I was selecting tools based on two non-issues: price and current needs. If you’re a beginner, buy more router than you think you’ll ever need. Aim ahead of the target and you’ll be right on the bullseye as your skills grow. If you’re experienced, perhaps with a router or two in the shop already, focus on specialized models, and only in response to genuine need. Resist advertising and struggle a bit with a router that’s less than ideal before you buy another.
Tip#2: Look at Your Work
Routers are one of the best tools for creating the deep, enclosed recesses that form half of the legendary mortise and tenon joint. Routers are also unbeatable for milling interlocking tongue and groove edges on boards. They’re ideal for making top-notch mouldings, preparing corner joints for window and door frames, and making beautiful interlocking finger and dovetail joints on boxes, drawers and storage chests. Too few people realize that routers are also powerful copying tools for replicating curved parts precisely, with no need for edge sanding.
The first model in your tool collection should be a general-purpose machine that draws between 10 and 15 amps of electricity. It should include variable speed control and come with something called a plunge base. This allows you to raise and lower the position of the router’s bit relative to the work surface with the flick of a lever during a cut. You can’t beat a medium or large-size plunge router for versatility.
Another consideration is collet size. This refers to the diameter of router bit shaft that can be held by the router. When you make your selection, you’ll be faced with machines that accept 1/4-inch diameter router bit shanks only, 1/2-inch shanks only, or both 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch shanked bits. Even though most of the bits you’ll want to use are available with either 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch shanks, there’s a surprising advantage to owning 1/2-inch hardware. During a heavy cut, some 1/4-inch bits can flex slightly under load, causing visible ripples in the routed surface. Half-inch bits, on the other hand, are rock solid and never break, even when the going gets tough.
Tip#3: Get a Table
Routers are primarily hand-held power tools, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also be used as stationary equipment. In fact, to get the most out of any mid-size or large router, you’ll eventually need a router table. This holds the router upside down in a waist-high position, with the bit sticking up through the table top. You can now slide your work piece over the router bit, instead of the other way around. Whenever you’re routing small pieces of wood, making moulding or duplicating parts, a router table is a must.
It used to be that the only way to get a good router table was to build one yourself. But during the last few years, all kinds of ready-made router tables of excellent quality have appeared on the market. Take a look before you build, and watch for one thing in particular. The shape of the router table top is key. Ideally, every top should be flat, but many aren’t. A slight crown in the shape of the router table top is acceptable, but a dished profile isn’t because it distorts routed shapes on long work pieces.
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Choosing the Router of Your Dreams
By Steve Maxwell
|
|
|
For anyone who ever doubts that competition ultimately benefits consumers, I keep a small plywood box in my workshop. It contains the first router I ever bought, a 3/4 hp fixed-base model that cost several hundred dollars back in 1978.
I never use this tool any more. It’s weak, loud, has a broken collet lock and makes strange bearing noises, all despite low mileage. I offer all this as one example of how today’s woodworking tools in general -- and routers in particular -- are better than ever. The only downside is the need to wade through all the great offerings to find a tool that’s right for you. It’s confusing, and that’s where this three-tip buyer’s guide can help.
Tip#1: Buy High
It took me five years to realize I was selecting tools based on two non-issues: price and current needs. If you’re a beginner, buy more router than you think you’ll ever need. Aim ahead of the target and you’ll be right on the bullseye as your skills grow. If you’re experienced, perhaps with a router or two in the shop already, focus on specialized models, and only in response to genuine need. Resist advertising and struggle a bit with a router that’s less than ideal before you buy another.
Tip#2: Look at Your Work
Routers are one of the best tools for creating the deep, enclosed recesses that form half of the legendary mortise and tenon joint. Routers are also unbeatable for milling interlocking tongue and groove edges on boards. They’re ideal for making top-notch mouldings, preparing corner joints for window and door frames, and making beautiful interlocking finger and dovetail joints on boxes, drawers and storage chests. Too few people realize that routers are also powerful copying tools for replicating curved parts precisely, with no need for edge sanding.
The first model in your tool collection should be a general-purpose machine that draws between 10 and 15 amps of electricity. It should include variable speed control and come with something called a plunge base. This allows you to raise and lower the position of the router’s bit relative to the work surface with the flick of a lever during a cut. You can’t beat a medium or large-size plunge router for versatility.
Another consideration is collet size. This refers to the diameter of router bit shaft that can be held by the router. When you make your selection, you’ll be faced with machines that accept 1/4-inch diameter router bit shanks only, 1/2-inch shanks only, or both 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch shanked bits. Even though most of the bits you’ll want to use are available with either 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch shanks, there’s a surprising advantage to owning 1/2-inch hardware. During a heavy cut, some 1/4-inch bits can flex slightly under load, causing visible ripples in the routed surface. Half-inch bits, on the other hand, are rock solid and never break, even when the going gets tough.
Tip#3: Get a Table
Routers are primarily hand-held power tools, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also be used as stationary equipment. In fact, to get the most out of any mid-size or large router, you’ll eventually need a router table. This holds the router upside down in a waist-high position, with the bit sticking up through the table top. You can now slide your work piece over the router bit, instead of the other way around. Whenever you’re routing small pieces of wood, making moulding or duplicating parts, a router table is a must.
It used to be that the only way to get a good router table was to build one yourself. But during the last few years, all kinds of ready-made router tables of excellent quality have appeared on the market. Take a look before you build, and watch for one thing in particular. The shape of the router table top is key. Ideally, every top should be flat, but many aren’t. A slight crown in the shape of the router table top is acceptable, but a dished profile isn’t because it distorts routed shapes on long work pieces. |
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