Tips and techniques for pro-quality profiles.
6 Tips for Perfect Routed Edges Every Time
How to use a router safely
Safety always comes first when using a router. Eye protection is a must, as is dust collection. You don’t want to damage your eyesight or your lungs while making furniture. Attention to your blades is also crucial. Dull blades are dangerous and are more likely to cause damage to the wood you’re working with.
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Don’t Rout the Sides Before the Ends
If you’re planning to rout the ends as well as one or both sides of a board, rout the two ends first. End grain has a tendency to split out as the bit exits the end of the cut, so if you rout the sides first, the split-out will occur on the previously shaped edge. But if you rout the ends first, you’ll cut off any damaged areas when you rout the sides.
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Move the Router in the Right Direction
Router bits spin clockwise as you look down on the router, so moving the router counterclockwise tends to pull the pilot bearing tight against the wood and allows easy control of the router. When you’re routing the outside perimeter of a board, move the router counterclockwise. However, when you’re routing the inside of something like a picture frame, move the router in a clockwise direction.
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Hold Narrow Strips With Stops
Narrow strips are difficult to rout because clamps get in the way. The solution is to screw blocks to your workbench to corral the strip of wood. If you’re routing a thin piece of wood, the bearing on the router bit will most likely extend below the piece of wood you’re routing.
In this case, hang the piece of wood over the edge of the bench at least 1/4 in. so the bit doesn’t hit the workbench. Screw a strip of equal thickness behind the long edge of the narrow strip you’re routing. Then screw a thinner stop block at the end to keep the board from sliding.
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Secure Small Work With Hot-Melt Glue
Here’s a nifty trick for securing small pieces while you rout them. Start by screwing a scrap of wood to the workbench to elevate your project and provide clearance for the bearing. The scrap should be smaller than the piece you’re routing.
Then apply 1/2 teaspoon of hot-melt glue to the scrap and stick your workpiece to it. Allow it to cool a few minutes before you rout the edge. Rout the glued piece gently; don’t make an aggressive cut or you could dislodge your work. When you’re done, just twist the routed piece to break it free. Then scrape off the hot-melt glue with a chisel or putty knife.
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Make Moldings With Your Edge Router
One way to make narrow moldings with your router is to use a router table and featherboards. But if you don’t have a setup like this, try this other method. Start by routing the desired profile on a wide board. Then make the molding by cutting the shaped edge from the wide board with a table saw. Repeat the process until the board is too narrow to work with.
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Router Tips
For large profiles, make a shallow first pass. Finish the edge with a full-depth final pass of the router. For very deep profiles or cuts in difficult, splintery woods, make a second or even third pass before the final pass.
- Insert the router bit fully into the collet. Then pull it back out 1/8 in. before tightening the collet nuts.
- Sand the edge of boards before taking your router to them so the guide bearing will ride on a smooth surface. If you don’t, irregularities in the edge on the board will be transferred to the routed shape.
- Press the base of the router tight to the wood surface to prevent the router from tipping. A tipped router will cut an irregular profile.
- Make deep-profile cuts in two or three shallow passes to avoid burns and chatter marks. Set the router depth for a shallow cut and rout all sides. Then adjust the router for a deeper cut and repeat the process.
- Replace your old steel bits with modern carbide bits. Carbide lasts longer and makes cleaner cuts with less effort.
- Clean your router bits with a special blade-and-bit cleaning solution to remove wood pitch. You’ll find blade-and-bit cleaner at woodworking stores.
