If you have worked with wood past the point of a drill and saw, you may have heard about routers. There are many brands that offer a good quality variety of routes, ranging in price and function. We will be talking about some of these things as well as some other points of interest in this article. 

Hello, I’m Pia, an aspiring industrial designer currently under an internship with Nafees Creations in Pearland Texas. This week we have been using routers more often, so it feels like a good time to talk about them. There are some pointers I can give when it comes to working with these tools, both to keep you safe and to better use in your projects. 

What is a Router for?

Routers are primarily used to finish edges by cutting decorative ends or making joinery in the material. This is achieved with cutting bits, which exist in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Not all bits are created equal, so be sure to read the packaging when you buy a new bit. The packaging of your bit should give you some needed information, such as the materials it can actually cut and at what speeds. Be sure to be mindful of this or you may risk breaking your bit or not being able to use it on your project at all.

Not only may your bit limit what you are and aren’t able to do, but your machine as well. Depending on your router it may only be able to handle so much, so be aware of its limits. If you are forcing your tool then you’re overworking it, this is a rule of thumb I go by. So – Go steady and Be Careful! Routers are powerful tools and can easily injure you if you are not careful.

Ways to Use Routers

All that aside, routers are amazing tools to have in your workshop. They are incredibly useful to achieve cut paths and trim edges. There are two main ways to use a router, either handheld or mounted on a table. I got the chance to use the router in both ways so here is what I can say about it.

Right out off the bat, I can say table-mounted is my favorite. With a table-mounted router, you don’t need to support the tool weight yourself, making it easier to control how fast you go. I find it more useful for working on smaller pieces, as you can move the material against the router instead. It also feels much safer as a table-mounted router puts more space between you and the bit. You also have the benefit of tables having highlighted safety zones. The router has a painted ring around it, letting you know to keep your hands clear while pushing material.

Then we have handheld routers, the most common kind. Even if not my preferred type these are definitely useful. Hand-held routers are better at working with larger materials compared to table-mounted too. So depending on your project you may need to use a handheld router. They can also achieve virtually everything a table-mounted router can, although you may feel less in control due to the weight of the tool. Depending on what you are doing a handheld router may also be better if you are doing some work on the inside of the material instead of the outside edges. It will be easier to see what you are doing if you are holding the tool down onto the material rather than the other way around.

Today and Tomorrow

This week I used both routers, a table-mounted one to finish edges and a handheld to trim some edge material. I can say the table-mounted Is a lot less tiring, but handheld a little more exciting. I look forward to updating everyone on any other tools I get to use that may become useful to others too.

Until next time, we’ll see what else the workshop has to offer.