How To Use A Router Table – 10 Reason You Should Know

You will get finer designs and smoother finishes at the time of molding profiles on wood pieces. Understanding the answer to the question of “How to use a router table?” will help you with smother design and fine woodwork. Every router table has 3 basic components: the Guard, the fence, and the plate. To use the router table perfectly, you need to know the proper use of these components. In this article, you will get a clear view of the use of the router table.

Why Use A Router Table?

A router table is a crucial thing who are the professional woodworkers. You will feel convenient by designing small pieces of wood design and profiling edges. A router table lessens the hassles of collecting dust after finishing wood design. You can easily cut the bunch of rabbits with a good router table. As a router table has versatile usability, we should use router tables when heavy woodworking.

How To Use A Router Table?

The rookie woodworkers always ask, “how to use a router table? “ The proper usability of the router table slightly varies on the types of the router table. But a thorough understanding of the use of the following description will help you use any type of router table. So, let’s read the following guide by heart to know the proper use of the router table.

Step 01:

You can easily hold smaller pieces of wood with a starting pin or starting pivot. This will help you to add any patterns or shapes without any hassle. For better control in your woodworking, you should set wood against the starting pivot.

Step 02:

You should attach pivots around the router bit. The professionals suggest attaching a router at least two or three inches away from the bit. A medium-density fiberboard to cut pattern pieces is perfect for getting smoother woodwork. You should use the sender to smother the surface of the woodwork.

Step 03:

Now, you need to attach the pattern to wood pieces and start molding with a router table. To cut bigger wood, use a regular router with large pattern bits. If you can not fit the wood pieces onto the table saw to crosscut, you should use routers with a large type bit. You can also use a jigsaw to cut off the top for exact matching. You can use either plywood or fiberboard with adjacent edges to give a squire shape to the top of the wood pieces. To get the smoothest finish in your woodwork, you can use 1″ diameter pattern bits.

Step 04

At the time of cutting a wide distance, you should use the install base. Install the base plate accurately so that you can avoid any mistake with the screw holes. If you don’t become careful, screw holes will destroy your fine wood design. To get the maximum precision, you should set the cutting bit into the middle of the plate. Instead of locating the cutting bit in the middle, you can use a set of a specialized cone-pointed set screw.

Step 05

You can design your wood pieces accurately by using clamps. The rookies sometimes don’t want to use clamps because they feel uncomfortable to use. The experienced woodworkers use the clamps to ensure better precession in their woodwork. You should use a high-quality set of clamps at the time of working an important design and template. Using clamps prevent any mistake and save time and materials.

Step 06

You can easily produce two identical shapes using router tables. To design the same set of cupboards or cabinets, use pattern or template bits. If you want modification in identical pieces, you should add ramps to the templates. Putting a ramp across your workpiece will produce highly accurate work. It also enhances the overall quality of your work and ensures the pieces are professional-looking.

Step 07

If you use a router table, it becomes an easier task to mold a profile into a wood piece. Apply some pressure into the board at the time of cutting through a table router.

Step 08

You also should know the proper use of the router table fence. You should router table fence for smoothing your woodwork. Adjusting the fence, you can avoid a toll on the motor. At the time of doing precession work and to avoid the wrong direction, you should not pressure on the wood pieces. Proper placement and adjustment of the router table fence protect the damage of edge cutting.

Step 09

If you buy a budget-friendly router table and you don’t get your desired precession, you can add two feather boards. Using two feather boards will increase the precision and perfection in the templet design and other important works. It will be useful if you cut narrow moldings as smooth and straight cuts.

Step 10:

Using router table techniques in end-grain has 3 important benefits. So, to avoid the chipping and to rout slim and thin wood pieces, you should technically use a router table.

How To Choose A Router Table?

As router tables have many benefits, we need to select the right type of router table carefully. It is the most useful and versatile wood designing tool for the carpenter. I am describing a buying guide to facilitate your buying decision. Follow the following steps to choose the best router table for you.

Step 01: Choose router table tops

The tabletop is the most crucial part of the router table. The router table tops with flat, right, and free obstructions are suitable for getting maximum precision in woodworks. Cast Iron, Phenolic, and MDF are the most used materials for router tabletops. Most professional carpenter use cast iron for more stability, durability, and flatness

Step 02: Choosing router Mounting Plate

The quality and layout of the router mounting plate affect the woodworking. Machined aluminum and solid phenolic are suitable for getting perfect precession. Check the compatibility of the router top and base plate at the time of buying them separately.

Step 03: Choosing a router Fence

For getting straight cut in your design, you need to choose a good router fence. It should be rigid and straight. One-piece fence and split fence are two popular types of router fence available in the market.

Frequently Asked Question

Check out the step by step process to use a router table

Final Thought

We have answered the question of “How to use a router table?” and we hope that you have got a clear view of using a router table. Using the router table is not crucial for beginner level woodworkers, but it is important for the professional. To ensure the highest accuracy in woodworking, you must use the router tables when working.