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Routers
Our first introduction to a router was as
a tool for making wood signs
with engraved
lettering, but a router has far
more versatility.
For example, we put in a 1/4"
rounding
bit to give our wood furniture
a uniformly
rounded edge. Here are some tips:
- Buy a "plunge" style router (or
at least one with a plunge base kit). This
allows you to start routing in the middle
of a piece of work rather than from an edge.
- Buy a good router table if you want to work
with molding or other long pieces -- it does
for a router what a table does for a circular
saw (you get the idea)
- A router is only as good as its bits, so
invest in good router bits
- Like most power tools, horsepower is particularly
important when you are working with dense
materials like oak and want to rout a wide
or deep channel. In this regard, buying a
router with a variable speed control is also
a big plus as it helps reduce burning.
- An attachment to a good dust collection system
is a nice option -- by design,
a router chews
the material into a fine dust.
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