Routers 101: The Do-it-Yourselfer’s Top Tool

Woodworkers and do-it-yourselfers have been using electric routers for nearly 100 years. They are great for shaping edges in wood or plowing out mortises for hinge installation -- and many home improvement enthusiasts have purchased a router specifically for one of these purposes. Unfortunately, after that first job is done many routers end up in storage seldom to be used again.

The router is probably the most underutilized tool in the average home workshop, according to Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, a manufacturer and retailer of router tables and accessories. When attached to a router table, however, a router can become a do-it-yourselfer’s most versatile instrument.

“A router table lets you use a wider variety of router bits and dramatically increases your level of precision,” says Scott Baumeister, head of router merchandising for Rockler. “It literally opens up hundreds of new ways to leverage your router.”

Here are a few examples Baumeister suggests:

Working with long, narrow, or small stock.
Some pieces, like the thin boards used to make moldings and trim, are nearly impossible to work with a handheld router. “A router table frees up both hands so you can hold on to the work piece and manipulate stock of all shapes and sizes,” he says.

Creating customized decorative moldings.
Nothing finishes off a room like sharp looking molding. A table allows you to shape your own profiles with specialized router bits. “It’s a great way to save money and spruce up your decor.”

Squaring up boards for making wood panels.
With a table, a fence, and a few easy-to-find accessory shims, a router can actually take the place of a dedicated jointer. “This is especially useful in smaller shops where saving space is a top priority.”

Creating raised panel doors.
These popular doors, made up of a large center panel set within a four-piece frame, require a table to use the specialized rail-and-stile router bits that create the complex joints between the frame and panel. “Using a table is the only way to do it safely.”

Speeding up the joinery process.
Cutting grooves, slots, dovetails, and other joint-components is part of the router table’s stock in trade. “You would be amazed at how a decent table and a few bits can speed up some of the most fundamental woodworking operations.”

The list goes on to include everything from making custom handrails for stairwells to simulating the look of louvered doors for beautiful money-saving shutters. To learn more about what router tables can do, visit the education section of Rockler Woodworking and Hardware’s website, www.rockler.com.

Router tables come in a wide range of sizes, capabilities, and price levels. The most basic shop-made tables are little more than flat-topped boxes with wooden fences and a hole for the bit, while the most advanced are machined from ultra-durable composite materials or cast-iron and are precision engineered for absolute accuracy.

When looking for a table, be sure that it won’t sag under the weight of your router and that its surface is big and flat enough to suit your needs. Other key areas to note include: material durability, accessory compatibility, and resistance to vibration.

An easy-to-follow shopping guide is available at www.rockler.com, as is Rockler’s recently expanded selection of router tables and accessories.

Courtesy of ARAcontent