How to Use a Router

There are two router styles. A fixed-base router locks the bit at one depth and stays there - perfect for edge profiles like roundovers and chamfers. A plunge-base router rides on spring-loaded posts, so the motor can drop the spinning bit into the wood mid-cut - that's what you want for grooves, dados, mortises, and any stopped cut.

For most beginners, a combo kit that comes with both bases is the smartest buy. You swap the motor between bases in about ten seconds and cover every job. Small trim routers (also called palm routers) like the Makita 1 HP are great for edge work but stop short of bigger jobs. Whatever you pick, get variable speed. You'll need to slow down for large bits.

A plunge router's depth stop is the system that keeps you from going too deep. Set the bit just kissing the surface of your wood, lock the depth-stop pin on the side, and turn the three-position turret to its highest setting. That's now your starting depth.

Each click of the turret drops you a quarter inch. So instead of plowing through in one pass, you take three shallow passes - top, middle, full depth - and the bit cuts cleaner, the wood doesn't tear out, and you don't bog the motor down. For micro-adjustments smaller than a quarter inch, use the flat-head screw on the depth rod to dial in the last sixteenth.

Unplug the router or pull the battery before you change a bit. Slide the bit into the collet leaving about a quarter to a half inch of shank exposed - don't bottom it out, that can damage the bit when it's tightened. Press the spindle-lock button (or hold the spindle with a second wrench) and tighten the collet nut with the supplied wrench until it's firmly snug. You don't need gorilla strength.

Router bits come in two shank sizes: 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch. Many combo kits like the DeWalt include interchangeable collets so you can run either. Whenever a router supports 1/2-inch bits, buy the 1/2-inch version - the bigger shank vibrates less, deflects less under load, and leaves a cleaner cut.

For roundovers and chamfers, height matters as much as direction. Most fixed-base routers adjust with a twisting ring at the base or a gear-driven thumb knob. Drop the bit too far past the base and you'll cut a flat shoulder into the edge. Don't drop it enough and the profile looks weak.

The rule: start with the bit sticking past the base, then dial it up until the flat reference shoulder of the bit is just below the wood's top surface. Lock it down, run a test pass on scrap, and check the edge. If you see a tiny ledge, raise the bit a hair. If the profile feels small, lower it. Five minutes of test cuts saves you from ruining the real piece.

Five bits will handle 90% of what you build in your first year of woodworking. A 45-degree chamfer bit cuts a clean angled edge. A 1/8-inch roundover softens a sharp edge to a barely-there break. A 3/8-inch roundover gives a much bigger curve - the kind you feel on a tray or cutting board.

A flush-trim bit (with the bearing on top of the cutter) rides against a template so you can copy a shape over and over - this is the bit that lets you make ten identical cutting boards or trace the curve of a radius jig. Add a straight bit for grooves, dados, and T-track slots, and a dovetail bit if you start building jigs or drawer joints. A solid starter set like the Whiteside 5-bit pack runs about $100.

A router bit cuts the same way a table saw blade cuts - by spinning into the wood as you feed the wood into the teeth. Look down at the router from above and the bit spins clockwise. That means the bit wants to push the router to the left as it cuts. Your job is to feed the router in the opposite direction so it pulls itself into the wood, not away from it.

The rule for the outside of any rectangular project (trays, cutting boards, picture frames): go counterclockwise around the piece. On the inside of an opening or pocket: go clockwise. Anything else is called a climb cut - the router runs away from you and the bit grabs the grain. It's intentional only in rare cases where you're rescuing tear-out on tricky figured wood, and even then with great care.

An edge guide is two rods that thread into the router base and ride against the side of the workpiece. It keeps the bit a fixed distance from the edge for the entire length of the cut - no clamping a fence to the board, no fighting to keep the router parallel. Most routers either include one or sell one as a $30 accessory. Get it. You'll use it every week.

Loosen the thumb screws, slide the guide so the bit sits exactly where you want the groove, snug it down, and run the cut. It's perfect for T-track channels, stopped grooves in a shelf side, hinge mortises in a door, and any time you'd otherwise clamp a straightedge to the work.

A router table flips the workflow upside down. You mount the router under a flat work surface, the bit sticks up through a hole, and you move the wood instead of moving the router. That's safer and more accurate for small parts like picture frames, narrow boards, trays, and edge profiles on cutting boards - anything where balancing a handheld router on a thin edge feels sketchy.

You also get a fence for grooves and dados, stop blocks for repeating the same cut on multiple pieces, and dramatically better dust collection than handheld routing. A basic combo like the Skil router-and-table kit runs around $200 and makes a beginner shop noticeably more capable. Whatever you're routing - on the bench or on a table - wear safety glasses and hearing protection every time. Routers are loud and they throw chips fast.