Router Tips

Here are a few tips I found in my woodworking notes from yesteryear. Member Bob Fred covered the importance of taking initial shallow cuts, increasing the depth of the bit until the final depth. There's a little more to consider, some for the novice, and some just good engineering practices.

Since the router rotates clockwise (as viewed from above), the feed direction should be against the rotation of the bit. For outside edging, the router, when hand held, should travel CCW around the stock edges. It is recommended that the end grain portions be routed first, so any tear out at
the ends will be “cleaned up” by the subsequent passes made traveling in the grain's direction.  When making an interior route as a circle cutout for instance, the router should travel in a CW direction so the bit is cutting into the surface.

Feeding too slow will burnish (burn) the edges being routed, especially noticeable when routing cherry and maple. If the feed rate is too fast, torn wood fibers can result.  Cutting an interior dado across the grain does require a slightly slower feed rate than when routing with the grain.

In making a deeper cut or when using a larger router bit, the feed rate should be proportionally slowed.

When completing an edge routing operation, lift the router to remove the bit from the surface with the power still on...don't shut the power off with the bit still on the wood surface. Make sure that the edges to be routed are clean and smooth before expecting a pilot or bearing bit to ride that
edge or you will get a “telegraphed” uneven finished edge.  Make all edge forming cuts in light, multiple passes of varying depths, with the final pass being a shallow finish cut.

And finally, as far as speed (RPM's) of the router bit, if you have a variable speed router or an attached router speed controller, be advised that SLOWING the RPM's of the router is essentially the same as INCREASING the feed rate...and INCREASING the RPM's (speed) of the router does the same thing as SLOWING the FEED RATE. 

Pat Taylor

President, TWWWG