Porter Cable Woodworking Routers

Router Table – How to Use

By Jim McCleary

Tips, Setup, Bits, Multiple Uses

Would you like to know how to use a Router Table? Here are tips to realize the most from your router table.

You do not need a miter channel. Normally, you slide your work along the fence. If using a miter channel, the fence must be square to the miter channel. Why go to that trouble? You can build a jig to glide along the Fence. This automatically aligns the wood for a square cut. You can make adjustment in profile and depth of cut. A shop-made Router Lift makes this easy.
A quality Router Table fence eases dust collection. Use your Router Table and Fence for simplicity and ease! You should never put your work between the fence and the router bit. That is just asking for trouble. Usually, you slide the wood from right to left (when looking at the fence from the front). That is called an anti-climb cut. You make practically all cuts this way.

If you are very careful, you can go a short distance in the opposite direction. But you must hold on tight to avoid kickback and/or injury. This climb cut gives cleaner edges, which you should attempt only after a lot of experience. Just do less than 15% of your cuts this way. You must use shallow or light cuts for the climb-cut. Do NOT take big cuts. Use this method when your hands are protected and away from the router bit.

How to use a Router Table to center edge-to-edge joints:
Have you ever wondered how to center edge-to-edge joints? You use this technique for making solid tabletops, wide panels, or even make edging to go around your router table top.
Let’s use an actual example of oak edging on a MDF Router Table Top. The top is 1 1/8″ thick. The oak edging is 1 1/8″ thick. How do we guarantee a centered edge? Decide on the tongue dimension. You have a 1/4″ slot cutter. You want the tongue thickness less than two times the cut. Hence, the tongue thickness is slightly less than 1/2″. We use a 1/4″ depth of cut in this example. We want a tongue that is less than 1/2″ in thickness. Therefore, we know that the rabbet on the Table Top is slightly more than 5/16″ on both sides of a 1 1/8″ thick piece.
Rabbet the top with a rabbet bit with a bearing to produce a 1/4″ rabbet. You don’t want to take a lot during your first pass. Therefore, the depth of cut is set for 1/8″ for your first pass. Set the fence so it is even with the bearing of the rabbet bit.

Cut both top and bottom of the router top. Take your time and go all the way around. Make sure the workpiece is flat on the Router Table Top. Or use the router on top of the workpiece.

Measure the thickness of the tongue. If it is larger than 1/2″, then adjust the depth of cut. A shop-made router lift makes this easy. Note: you rout both sides; therefore use one-half the adjustment for each side.

Make your adjustment, rout the top and bottom again. The tongue’s thickness is now slightly less than 1/2″.

Replace your rabbeting bit with your 1/4″ slot cutter.

I always disconnect the power source to the router before changing bits!

Sit the rabbeted piece on the router tabletop near the slot cutter. Raise the Router so the bottom of the slot cutter aligns with the bottom of the tongue. You may need support if the workpiece is large.
Set the depth of cut for the slot to around 3/16″ initially. Now slot your Oak edging. Turn it over and slot again. Test the slot on the tongue. Is it too tight? If so, remember that you make two passes with the slotter. Only lower your slot bit by 1/2 of the dimension needed. By the way, the Porter Cable 7518 Router makes this a snap.

Since the slot cut is 1/4″, the second pass is not using the entire cutter. You get an exactly center slot that fits on the tongue.

Once the slot (groove) fits on the tongue, you are ready to set your final depth of the groove. The final depth of cut is slightly more than 1/4″ to allow for glue.

Set your fence for this final depth. Remember – make two passes with the slotter. This gives you an exact fit.

You can use this method for any edge-to-edge joinery, such as tabletops, panels, large drawer fronts, and any time you want to join two-pieces. You get perfect alignment and a rock-solid joint.

About the Author: For more information on Using Your Router Table, including pictures and tips, please visit How to Use a Router Table Jim is a woodworker with over 36 years of experience. He helps many woodworkers increase their skills with techniques, tips, plans, and jigs. Helping woodworkers is Jim’s expertise. Visit his Specialty Site for loads of Proven Tips.

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Bench Dog Router Tables

Do You Have These Woodworking Tools?

By Leroy K. Calstard

It’s no big secret that woodworking has always fascinated man. From the years of the carpenter Jesus, to the years of men relaxing on the porch whittling away a tiny figure or masterpiece (in their eyes at least), it doesn’t like the trend is going anywhere. I think that we can easily assume that wood is going to be the medium in which we build things and create things such as furniture and housing for years and years to come.

It’s easy to assume that since your reading this article you have a passion for woodworking that others simply may not be able to understand. However, just look around to see that you’re obviously not alone.

You’re not the only one who craves to get into your workshop and start creating away. I know that you love the look and texture of wood, as well as the smell of a freshly cut 2 x 4. This is probably the reason that you can easily and frequently see woodworking tool shows, and woodworking tool discounts all over the place on any given day.

A familiar face in woodworking is Rockler Woodworking stores, which can be found all over the United States. A great thing about these stores, which you can also find at Home Depot at times as will is the fact that they offer “how to do it” classes many times for free. For example, at Rockler Woodworking school, attendees can sign up for learning to make a custom screw driver handle that will shine on any workbench.

To say the least, many consider woodworking an art and just as with any craft there are tools that make the task easier and give a unique expert appearance to the finished product. It’s a hobby with an entire line of tools to create masterpieces out of trees.

You’ll find the basic tools in the workshops of the world, which include but not limited to sanders, saws, jigs, clamps and an array of hand tools as well. When the woodworker needs to make cuts at angles that are difficult he’ll use a miter saw or a table saw. Also there’s the scroll saw, which gives you creativity and flexibility to perform intricate details.

When use jigs, you’re making your cutting job precise, because the jigs acts as a guide. This makes certain that your woodcuts will begin and end at exactly the right place, as well as help you follow an exact line.

Other hand tools frequently used by the woodworking enthusiast or professions are hammers of course, drivers, and drills. Along with these there are routers, which is a sawing machine, which acts as both saw and drill. It’s really a convenient tool to have.

So whether you’re a woodworking hobbyist or professional it’s vital to have the right tools for the job.

About the Author: Leroy Calstard routinely creates summaries on news associated to power tools and machinery. You can learn about his comments on woodworking over at http://www.insidewoodworking.com .

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You can also find a good tool information article here.

Selecting A Router Bit Set

By Dave Markel

The Router Bits every wood worker should own

The best way to get started with your router is to buy a basic set of bits. This will provide the basic bits that are most commonly used in the shop. The router bit set should have a variety of profiles so you can perform a wide range of cuts. Look for both profiling bits with a guide bearing such as a round over or chamfer bit. Also look for bits that can cut in the middle of the board, bits like a straight cutting bit and dovetail bit.

I recommend seven bits in a set. These are going to be the bits that allow you the most variety. As you learn and want to start building more complex projects you can buy bits to perform specific tasks. Below are descriptions of those seven bits and their basic functions.

Straight Cutting or Mortising Bit

This type of bit comes in several sizes starting around 1/2″ and ranging up to 1-1/4″. 3/4″ is very common and will work for most purposes. Use this router bit when mortising out hinges for doors or when cutting dados. A straight cutting bit leaves a smooth flat bottom which makes it a poor choice for plunge cutting. A spiral cutting bit is better suited for plunge cuts.

Dovetail Router Bit

Dovetail bits are primarily for cutting joints. Use with a dovetail jig to cut perfect dovetail corners for chests and drawers. This bit is available in several different angles and a variety of sizes.

Round Over Bit

This profiling bit cuts a rounded profile onto the edge of a piece of stock. Available in a number of sizes this router bit also has a bearing on the bottom to guide it around the perimeter of a board. This is a very common profile for table and desk tops.

Cove Bit

A cove bit does the opposite of a round over bit. It cuts a smooth concave cove into your stock. A cove bit also uses a bearing to follow the contours of the stock. Available in a variety of sizes, cove bits can add a nice decorative feature to desk tops and chair legs. When using larger size cove bits make successive passes gradually taking more wood off until the desired profile is reached.

Chamfering Bits

A chamfer is an angled profile. Chamfer bits are available in several angles with 45° being the most common. This profiling bits has a guide bearing to follow the edge of the piece being cut and is commonly used on laminate countertops and cabinets.

Ogee Bits

An ogee is a cove and a round over. This bit makes a wonderful decorative feature for a wide variety of projects. This bit has a guide bearing and can be used effectively freehand or with a router table.

Beading Bit

This bit cuts a bead with a small bevel above and below it. A beading bit take a bit of testing before making your final cut. Adjusting the height of the bit will help equal the size of the upper bevel with the lower bevel. This is an ideal router bit for shelves, casing and trim.

These seven router bits will do almost any cut you will need when starting out with a router.

It is better to try and get router bits with a 1/2″ shank rather than a 1/4″. If you are buying a larger bit that removes a lot of wood then a 1/2″ shank if almost mandatory. This larger shank size will provide more strength to the bit and reduce vibrations, this results in a smoother cut.

Always get router bits that have a carbide cutting surface. Carbide is much harder then the alternative, steel, and will hold its edge longer. Steel starts out cutting well but will loose their edge quicker then carbide.

About the Author: Router bits are what make your router perform. For more information about router bits and basic wood routers in general visit Accurate Woodworking for our complete router guide.

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You can find more router bit sets Here

Sharpening Router Bits

By Tony Scorch

All the time you see different products that come out to help the woodworker sharpen his or her tools in the shop. There is just about every contraption out there with a variety of prices and features. The one thing you never see is a good system for sharpening router bits. I am all for having super sharp chisels in my shop, but I just don’t use my chisel set all that much. Buying a $350 sharpener just does not do much for my enthusiasm. However I am constantly using my router bits since the router table is a big part of my workshop. Every time I sharpen a bit, it cost generally between 5 and 10 dollars. I like to use quality bits so sharpening them and keeping them sharp is in my best interest.

In the meantime, keeping the bits clean is probably one of the best things you can do to prolong the life of your router bit. I try to make a system so that the bits stay as clean as possible. This may work for you. I take a small piece of mdf and drill some ¼ and ½” holes in them. On one piece I write “clean” and the other I write “dirty” Having duplicate bits is the key to this system. When a bit gets gunked up, I take it and place it on the dirty holder. When I get enough of them to warrant a few minutes of cleaning, I get out my cleaners and brass brush and have at it. Always remove the bearings first so as to not damage them. I quick scrub removes some of the pitch that builds up on the cutting edges. If you do laminate work, you will notice that flush trim bits get very dirty very fast. Simply cleaning the bit in this instance makes a world of difference. At this time it’s a great idea to give the bits a few swipes on a diamond sharpener to touch up the edges. This helps keep the bit tuned up between sharpening. After I finish I move the bits to the “clean” bit holder and they are ready to go back to work.

Sharpening

I use the same system for cleaning as I do for sharpening. The two bit holder technique works well for keeping things organized. You can send bits and blades out to be sharpened with companies you find on the internet. This is becoming handier since the items are turned fairly quickly (a week or less) and the companies ships them right back to your doorstep. I like this option because I do not have to allocate any time in taking them and picking them up. I call that a “low value activity” Having duplicates allows me to keep working while the other bit is getting sharpened. I do like to go the extra mile and make a simple chart that keeps track of my sharpening. This way I know that I am using sharp tools which give me better cuts in my materials.

Today

So what exists out there today for the home user? Not much. I have always said that the person who invents the tool that helps automates this task will do very well for themselves. Investing time in some good quality stones would be a good alternative. However if you are a production shop, stopping and taking the time and learning curve to get good at this might not always be cost effective. Hobbyists might are more prone to taking the time to hand sharpen their bits, but there is a some kinks in that theory too. Many of the newer bits are very complex. Their shapes don’t lend themselves to easy sharpening and thus can kill the whole do it yourself theory. These bits are best sharpened by the professional. The next time you read through your favorite woodworking magazine, take note of all the sharpeners for sale and you will definitely notice what I am talking about. Take the time to organize a good cleaning and sharpening system and your wallet will thank you. It can make a big difference when you are working on that special project if you have nice clean and sharp router bits.

About the Author: More information Router Bit Sets, More Router Table Articles, and Your Router Table Headquarters.

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