How To Use A Router | Ultimate Beginners Tutorial

okay almost got it oh well yes congratulations it's a it's a router wait when do we cut the cord [Music] all right though seriously folks this baby is my Porter cable router that everybody has on these models the standard port cable router and we're gonna show you some things about it today for beginners using the router [Music] so this video is for all the new folks out there that may be just getting into woodworking we're gonna give you some basics on using a router it's a very useful tool in the shop and on the jobsite so let's get started one of the reasons that new woodworkers may be intimidated or scared by this small tool is because it's super loud and it spins super fast we're talking twenty seven thousand rpm on this bit and I'd like to invite you in for a closer look at this one it would do a lot more than just trim your fingernails if you got too close okay I'm gonna take out this crazy-looking molding bit so that we can talk about the most basic bits and their uses most routers can be equipped with a 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch size calling that is the diameter of the shank of your bit here is the half inch shank and here's the quarter inch shank be certain that when you're buying a bit you get the right size shank for the collet that you're going to use let's go ahead and install one bit into the collet now you just slide it in and I always like to leave a little bit of the machined part of the shank exposed I would not ever want to install the bit all the way up against the paint because it can't grip on that part very well and it curves up toward the bit so you always want to leave a little bit of the shaft showing make sure there's no dust or debris around the tapered part of the collet make sure that there's no dust or debris inside the router and you simply screw it on finger tight at first and then take your wrenches and give it a good snug alright all the newbies you need all the help you can get right so I'm gonna give you a pro tip right now when putting bits in and taking them out with these wrenches here's what I do when I want to tighten it that last little bit I'll get the wrenches lined up so that I can just squeeze the two wrenches see and that's how I get my final tightness you really make it hard on yourself when you get the wrench this far apart like this and you're trying to flex and tighten them like that much easier just to put them close together squeeze let me mention the router that we're demonstrating with is a fixed speed router there are variable speed routers though this one right here that goes between 10,000 and 23,000 rpm and the reason you would do that is because a much larger bid that you could use in this one has a higher rim speed and you would want to slow it down the base I'm all about that base I believe this is the most common router base in the world okay here's how you put it on it's got these little spiral grooves inside can you see that now check out the motor you see these little nubs right here okay it's like a giant screw you just put them together twist it and it is on there by twisting the base you adjust how much of the bit is exposed so you can get exactly how much you want I almost always just sight across the base and lock it down when I see that it's flush with the corner let's take a look at these two flush trim bits first they are very handy this one is more like a templating bit where you would be routing through a template which would ride along the bearing guide and this would go into your piece of stock and it would cut it out the exact same shape as your template [Music] if flush trim bit for something like cutting off laminate edges it would be mounted in this orientation in the machine this would ride against your wood on the edge and if you had something hanging over the edge it would cut it perfectly flush with the lower part of your stock [Music] the next bit here is a straight cutting bit this is a carbide tipped quarter inch straight cutting bit which is useful for plunge cutting into stock like maybe you're going to make a sign and you want to have letters on it you could draw the letters or any shape that you like and just follow the lines with this bit cutting out the maturity if you want to use this to make a straight cut you would need to use a fence up against the base of your router or maybe even a collar that could be fitted into the base that can follow a template we're gonna cut out something we get what should we cut out all right I'm gonna jump in on this one since I do the business into things everybody knows when you start a woodworking business you need a sign with a hammer emblem on it so we're gonna go ahead and do that right now I'm gonna trace this hammer under this piece of wood real quick and very like oh this is gonna look really nice tons of business coming our way [Music] [Music] we're open for business and lastly let's check out probably what is the most commonly used router bit for beginners and experts is the round over there are lots of ways to use routers and different reasons to use different techniques at different times but let's talk about the most common mistake that I see beginners make which is pushing the router in the wrong direction relative to the rotation of the bit as you travel and engage the bit into the wood you are pushing the bit against the direction of the rotation making it cut as you push through the wood if you travel the opposite direction the rotation of the bit is going to make it want to accelerate in the direction of your travel and it's probably gonna fly out of your hands and you'll be scared to death you want to do an example oh well what a runaway router bit runaway router Oh take one okay [Music] wow that was fast though if you need to get it done fast traveling in the direction of the rotation is called a climb cut and it's very commonly used in CNC work where the machine is very stable and strong and it can hold against the force of the bit wanting to draw itself through the material alright thanks for joining us today in the shop don't forget to subscribe and we'll catch you next time you

Channel: Perkins Builder Brothers

Views: 668,486

Keywords: wood, working, router, lesson, how, to, tools, shop

Id: bG2ldmVt56Y

Length: 7min 42sec (462 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 24 2020