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What can a wood router do? Well, if you are new to woodworking then you should know that the router is one of the most versatile tools in the world. It can cut grooves, decorative flutings, profile edges, inlays, shape wood, trim it flat, drill holes, and cut a range of joints among many other functions – all with amazing ease. It is the most essential tool of a woodshop and should definitely be added to your collection. You can read more about wood routers here. Since there are a variety of wood routers available on the market, which one is the best wood router for your needs? With the help of these wood router reviews you will be able to select the best one.
Wood Router Buying Guide
Routers are wonderful devices at cutting a passage through a mass of wood and providing a stable base. They can also adjust the bit upwards or downwards and can install differently shaped and sized bits to provide a different cutting edge. This makes the potential for taking off material limitless, when done in a controlled way. It’s also ideal for cutting a dovetail joint’s tails, mortises, tongue and groove joints and tenons.
Types of wood routers
There are many kinds of wood routers, salient among them being the following:
Large routers
Routers used for large and heavy-duty projects have a horsepower of about 1.75 to 3.25. This makes them extremely powerful and just right for such projects. They are ideal for removing large tracts of material and can be used with a router table, thereby converting a router into a shaper.
Though a large router is capable of removing a lot of material accurately and efficiently without getting bogged down, yet a woodworker may find it difficult to hold for long periods due to its weight and size. However, woodworkers will appreciate that large routers can accommodate bits whose shanks are about ½” in diameter. They usually have replaceable collets which can be used along with ¼” diameter shanks.
Small routers
These routers are also called laminate or trim routers. Their motors range between 1 and 1.25 hp. It’s advantageous to use a small router because it is lightweight and easy to handle, especially when the work at hand is detailed. However, it does not have enough power to remove a lot of material. These routers can accept bits with shafts of ¼” diameter. Woodworkers should take care when using these routers as their bits could break if these devices are worked too hard.
Table mounted routers
A router can also be mounted upside down on a bench or router table. Its base plates is set to the table’s lower portion, with a hole that lets the bit protrude over the table top. This arrangement lets the work be passed above the router, rather than the router above the work. This works well when the woodworker is working on small projects and makes it some router functions safer to operate. For the work to be done safely and accurately, the woodworker may choose to fit the router table with fingerboards, a fence or any other accessories.
Stationery routers
To work these routers, the woodworker will have to set a particular depth which remains constant when the tool is used. The stationery router works better than other types particularly for routs that are on the edge of wood pieces. It’s also the best choice of router when the depth of the cut to be made has to be absolutely accurate. In fact, they are more accurate than plunge routers. However, they are not the ideal choice if a woodworker wants to fix his router on a router table.
Plunge routers
Plunge-based routers when used as an attachment or as an in-built feature are very common today. With a plunge base, you can cut out a hollow which extends to the inner edges of a wooden board.
Is one router sufficient?
It’s never enough to have one router–you always need at least two– a large and a small router. Logically, if you can have only one, you would choose the one that you would need for the maximum projects you handle.
What to look for in a wood router
A good wood router has several outstanding features, things you should look for before buying one. Here are the most salient of them all to help you buy just the right one for your needs:
Good horsepower
When selecting a wood router, its horsepower is its most important feature. Ensure that the one you’re looking at has a horsepower that suits your usage. This means that it should have a combination of high speed and low torque for giving you the smoothest incisions. Another benefit of good horsepower is that it would need minimal sanding. Of course, routers with such configurations cannot be used for continuous use nor for heavy-duty projects.
However, if you do use medium-sized routers with a speed ranging between 1.5 hp to 2.5 hp, you can use it to achieve deeper incisions in hardwood types if you put strain on the motor which will only end up reducing its life. If you’re into large projects and heavy jobs, you’d do well to have a large router of 3 hp. However, by and large, it’s best to go with a medium-sized router with ample power, while small jobs can be done with a lightweight trimmer which is easy to handle.
A soft-start motor with an electronic variable speed
This feature helps the woodworker as it enables him to work well, easily and safely. By having the soft-start feature, the woodworker needn’t use force on his wrist to make the wood router start, which can often twist the device out of one’s hands, if careless. By adding on the Electronic Variable Speed technology (EVS) feature to a router, it aids in providing the woodworker with electronic feedback that will help him to keep constant the cutting speed even at times when the load fluctuates.
Variable speed dial
With this feature, a woodworker can operate the router at a low speed when using particularly large bits. With the speed dial facility on the router, the relative speed can be read numerically.
Depth adjustment control knob in two stages
A good wood router will have a fast rough adjustment to which a micro-adjustment is added so that the router is easier to handle. It should have a scale that’s easy to read on the front or side of the router. One can tell a good wood router by the scales that can set the scale to zero when the point of the bit touches the work piece’s surface. The depth of the router can also be adjusted when the device is mounted on a table. If a wood router has a long knob for depth control, the woodworker will find it easy to use.
Two individual collets
It’s better to choose a wood router with two individual collets instead of one with an adapter. Both medium-sized and large routers are usually fitted with a half-inch and a quarter-inch collet, though only a few router types have an adapter with quarter-inch bits.
Smaller routers are designed with a quarter inch bit collet because they are meant for lightweight operations. If routers are designed with tempered steel and have good quality collets that can be self-released, they are worth buying. For a better grip, it’s ideal to have longer collets with several slits that keep it centrally positioned, even though its shank isn’t machined with precise definition.
Flat smooth top on the router’s framework
This feature makes it easier for the woodworker to place the router on a flat and smooth surface with its shaft facing upwards in order to change bits when necessary. Self-releasing collets (which grip the bit) and a convent spindle lock also make it easier, so you only need to use one wrench for bit changes (though some woodworkers prefer the two-wrench system).
Comfortable handles
It’s necessary to choose a wood router with comfortable handles so that a woodworker can have a good grip over the device, particularly when working for protracted periods. It should be so easy to use so that the woodworker should be able to reach for the switch without easing off the handles. To prevent saw dust from causing damage to the motor and wood chips from flying in the air and harming the woodworker, it’s beneficial to use a dust-covered power switch. Look out for a router that can be turned on and off while you use it on its own.
Large opening in the base
If the base of the wood router has a large mouth, it can take in bits ranging from medium size to large. For medium and large-sized routers, a four-inch hole is perfect, while for smaller routers, a three-inch hole is sufficient.
Good mounting holes with a clear foundation
With a clear base, designed perfectly with large mounting holes, a woodworker can see the work area clearly. The base needs to be flat and the circular edge should be equidistant from the bit from all points. This provision lets the bit be positioned at the center during operation. There are many accessories mounted on to the base of the router, so it becomes imperative to have many strong threaded holes fixed onto the base.
Guide bushings for pattern cutting
These accessories are metal sleeves that mesh into the router’s base to cut with a pattern. While choosing a wood router, it would help immensely to check for industry-accepted bushings.
Which is the best wood router for your needs?
If you are working on a small-scale routing, you’ll find that they have all the features to handle small projects, joinery milling and template routing. When you’re in the market to buy your first router, you’ll find the market overwhelming with its variety of routers. Of course, the way to zero in on what you want is to examine your needs and buy accordingly. Hopefully, what you buy will turn out to be the best router for your needs.
Router Accessories
To work the router, the woodworker would require certain accessories, e.g. some router bits that can cut the wood and make specific designs in it. Some other accessories that are equally important to a woodworker include fences, clamps, jigs, router tables, switches and speed controls.
Conclusion
It is widely acknowledged that routers are a carpenter’s most powerful electric device that can work wonderfully for him. If this device has the most appropriate bit or shape of the cutting edge, it can easily and smoothly cut anything ranging from a square groove to a complex edge in just one stroke. Routers come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from simple hand-held routers or trimmers for hobbyists to heavy duty models for professional woodworkers. They are very popular with people who do decorative work in wood as this machine is very good for edging and cutting through wood. The highlight of a good router is its bit. The router works through its bit which is responsible for this device’s output. If you’re looking for a specialty bit, ensure that the router under your consideration has it as this can make your woodwork extra special and entirely different from any other carpenter’s work.
When buying a router–whether elementary or heavy-duty, check all the wood router reviews and ensure that the one you are buying has all that you want in it and you can handle it easily without any compromise on grip, safety or accuracy of performance.
References:
http://www.rockler.com/how-to/ultimate-router-buyers-guide-choosing-router-shop/
