Help
remember that small diameter cutter
shanks will flex more, with a greater
risk of breakage under the increased
load from a heavy duty router.
Speed & Variable Speed
Operations involving the use of
cutters over 50mm diameter should
be carried out at speeds of between
12,000 and 16,000 rpm.
Variable speed routers with full wave,
load compensated electronics, tend to
run smoother and possibly quieter
than single speed machines, resulting
in reduced bearing wear and
eliminating the initial jolt on start-up.
They also accommodate the use of
large diameter cutters at their
recommended safe speed.
Aluminium and plastics require
routing at lower speeds to reduce
overheating or melting, preventing
problems such as weld-back, whereby
molten waste material re-forms
within the cut, or the fusion of waste
particles to the cutter.
Which Accessories?
The few guides and accessories
supplied with the router allow you to
carry out various basic cutting
operations such as edge trimming,
Winter 1997
FREE Booklets
moulding, and template work.
However, to increase the versatility of
your router it is worth considering
adding further accessories to your
routing workshop.
The range of accessories that can be
bought, includes router tables, circle
and ellipse cutting jigs and decorative
carving, lettering and turning
attachments. Proprietary jigs and
templates are also available for cutting
stair-housings, joining laminated worktops and cutting dovetail joints.
Alternatively many jigs and templates
can be made in the workshop to suit
your specific requirements, and jig
making accessories, such as levers,
knobs, threaded inserts and router
mounting plates, are readily available.
For the newcomer, the array of
routing accessories is often confusing,
but one of the first considerations
should be an inverted router table to
allow the router to be used as a
stationary, rather than a hand held
machine. A rigid, easily adjustable
inverted router table will provide far
greater accuracy, ease of use and
increased safety for carrying out a
wide range of routing operations.
This 32 page illustrated booklet will take
you step by step from setting up your
router, to using all the cutters in the Trend
Starter set and their correct application.
This ‘30 Routing Techniques’ booklet is
packed with practical routing ideas and
techniques for tradesmen and home
improvers.
trend
30 ROUTING
TECHNIQUES
BOOKLET
30 PRACTICAL ROUTING TECHNIQUES AROUND THE HOME
New
Books & Videos
IN A SERIES
Our range of books and
videos will help you get
the best from your router
and lead you on to more
innovative and creative
woodworking.
See page 20 for more
information
such as the Trend starter set.
Although not all the cutters will be
used as frequently as others, this will
provide valuable experience of the
basic range, and in selecting the most
suitable cutters for specific
applications in the future. IP
Which Cutters?
For the beginner, it is certainly not
worth buying a large selection of
cutters until you know exactly which
types you will use most frequently or
until you are faced with a specific
task. Various size straight cutters are
always worth having as they serve
many more applications than just
cutting grooves and rebates. Used
with angle guides and stepped fences,
they can be used for cutting mitres,
edge planing and trimming.
An economic solution for the
beginner is buy a basic set of cutters
R
routing technology
FOR TRADESMEN & HOME IMPROVERS
BOOK/TTD
Router spindle speeds are generally
given as no-load speeds, that is the
speed that the motor spindle is
rotating at before the cutter enters
the wood. This is generally between
18,000 and 30,000 RPM depending on
the power of the router. Light duty
routers will have a higher no-load
speed to help compensate for their
lower power. Most routing
operations using cutters up to 25mm
diameter, should be carried out at the
maximum router speed to achieve
optimum cutting efficiency.
Router Table
To extend the versatility of
the router, a router table
should be the first
consideration.
INProfile
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