Router Workshop

Notes from the Tool Time: Router (the other kind) Workshop - led by Stephen.
Sign up at Meetup.

Introduction

A router is a high-speed rotary tool for the shaping of materials, primarily wood, both radially and axially relative to the rotation of the tool.

• The router is one of the basics of all wood tools. CNC is a kind of router.
• Compared to the saw, which has a low speed. Used for cutting.
• Drill : 1000 rpm , Angle Grinder
• Dremmel: 25,000 rpm, use 1/8th bits

Router has a speed of between 8000 to 25,000 rpm.

Material

The harder the material, the slower you go

• Typically you use the router left to right (the way we read)
• Except for Router Table you go right to left because the router is turned upside down on that use-case
• Dense wood is different than the term between soft wood and hard wood
• Soft wood you speed up

--What is the difference between softwood and hardwood?

Answer: the type of tree that it is/comes from.

• Softwood - typically Conifers, Evergreens, Cedar, Redwood, Fir, Pine, etc
• Hardwood - Deciduous trees, Ebony, as well as Balsa! Oak, Maple, etc

Materials to use the Router on (things that cut radially):

• Can use it on all woods.
• Do not use the router on common metal, aluminum, or brass
• Acrylic - not used because the router will melt the acrylic. so take the speed down.
• ShopSmith can be used as a router - change the router bit for the add-on.

Ratio (radial cuts) & Axilae

• Use the fine control dial (triangle shape) on the hand router
• Compression bits
• Down bits → upcut bits
• Half inch more stable as quarter inch
• Hardwood - slower
• Softwood - go faster (harder the material slower you go)

Direction

• Clockwise for materials
• Counterclockwise for a hole
• Left to right
• The router table is right-to-left for reason stated above

Problems You Will Encounter

• Burn holes → Turn router speed down or move it faster
• Shatter → Opposite of a burn, you are going too fast
• Tear out → When the router bit exits the piece and tends to “tear out” chunk at the end, don’t usually get "tear-in" but it happens in the beginning
• Softwoods tend to have more resin
• Hardwoods usually have sap dried out so this is less of a problem

Safety

• Try not to lean into your work
• Handrail in front of the router table is critical
• Safety Goggles always on, because a lot of sawdust is coming from this (remember not like cutting wood, it is shaping the material leaving behind a lot of residual sawdust)

Practice Time (time to get hands on)

• Pick a bit and try to change the bits on Bosch hand router- use two wrenches for the hand router
• For big things it is better to use a hand router, smaller wood can use router table
• Stand straight and don’t lean in
• Have it go steady forward
• Size of the bit and how deeply you place it will determine what the end wood cut looks like
• Pretty loud, put earbuds in if sensitive
• Saw dust. Exhaust exists for the router table. Be mindful of those around you as you route.
• Play around with length of route, type of bit, whether it is a corner piece, inner part, etc.
• Practice makes perfect