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How to Get the Most from Your Router Table as an Experts

Router Table is one of the most basic tools that you can get for your woodworking session. If you ask whether it is necessary to have a router table or not, then we would say “Why Not?”!

A router machine helps with shaping or routing the wood or plastic surface through a specific path. You can use this tool for all the cabinetry stuff, for making boxes with drawers and a similar setup. There are basically two types of routers, one is hand-held and the other one is the power tool. The handheld one comes with a broad base and a narrow blade, while the power tool with an electrically run spindle is the more common type.

So, we teamed up with our expert team and have jotted down some tips on how to get the Best Out of your Router Table. They are explained as follows-

Set the Right Speed

Set the Right Speed

Setting the bit at the right speed is very important. As you keep on changing the bit size or if you are working on some different material, then you have to set the speed accordingly. When it comes to the size of the bit, as you go on increasing the bit size – the speed of the router needs to be reduced. There will be a speed chart included along with the router, refer it for better understanding.

If you are not setting the speed rightly, then you won’t get the actual output.

Select the Best Router for the job

Next thing to look upon is the Best Router for the purpose. First of all, you need to understand the types of routers available to you. An experienced woodworker will have 3-4 routers with different horsepowers or varying bases. For example, there are two types of router. One comes with a stationary base on it, while the other one has a plunge base.

Read more: Arlo Pro vs Arlo – Is there any difference?

In the stationary router, you need to set a depth and this remains fixed till the routing work completes. Whereas, in the plunge router, the machine will go till the required depth and the bit comes out of the stock after making the desired cut.

Know Different Bits and each of their purposes more closely.

Know Different Bits

There are almost 6 different types of bits, which includes straight bit, rabbeting bit, chamfer bit, and so on. You can make use of the straight bit for making the standard cuts or just for an inlay, dado, or for creating a basic groove on the workpiece. Also, many of the routers come with interchangeable collets of 1/4″ and 1/2″ bit shanks.

It is recommended to go with the 1/2″ shank as they offer better stability and also creates less vibration on routing.

Avoid the Quick Tearing of the Woods

You might have faced this situation before, where you accidentally got the wood tore while routing them. This is pretty common, and it can happen with any kind of bit profile. You won’t be able to completely avoid this issue, still, you can take certain precautions to avoid it.

Number one is to use the best quality bit for the job at a decent affordable price. All the expensive bits generally don’t perform the best, so there is no point in getting the costliest bit for the job. Still, you can go with a quality pick rather than a cheap bit.

Secondly, go along with the grain rather than going against the path. If you have to route the end-grains, then in that case you need to cut the ends first.

Keep a Starting Pivot for reference, during the freehand routing.

Keep a Starting Pivot for reference

If you are finding it difficult to get started with the routing, you can keep one pattern and a pivot set for the routing job. Here the pivot can be a pin or a stick or just a dowel kind of thing mounted on the table top. Don’t remove the pressure off the pivot till the routing completes or the bit is exchanged.

This will help you with getting the routing done easily. You can smooth out the edges in a similar way.

Other reads: 5 Ways to Ace Litterbox Maintenance and Keep Your Cat Happy

Purchase the bits only if you need them.

Yes, this is important. No need to purchase bits if you don’t need them. Purchase the bits only if you got some use of that, otherwise, they will go unused. Even leaving the bits unused for a long time will degrade their quality. So it is better to purchase the bits only when you need them for a particular routing work.

Go for the premium bits, as they last longer and is definitely better in quality than the economy bits.

Getting a Pro User for better understanding and use of a Router Table

This one is completely based on personal choice. It is always better to have someone accompanying you with complex jobs like routing. Especially when you are performing routing for the first time.

You can even find the Beingwoodworker.com published Kreg PRS2100 Review to know more about routers and their working.

These are some of the tips on How to Get the Most from Your Router Table in the first place itself. How many of these have you been following or performing while routing? Share your experience and other routing tips in the comment space below. You can find more similar posts and DIYs on our page.

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