On 31 Mar, 11:24, Tim S wrote:

Been look at Google for old threads on routers - but I have some specific
jobs in mind so haven't found a definative answer yet...

Kitchen worktops and morticing for door locks.

A cheap, lightweight 1/4" won't be wasted, even if you buy a bigger &
better later. They're far more portable, thus remain useful.

What you need for these uses though is a decent 1/2" with good
rigidity and a stable base.

A Freud 2000 has been the favoured choice for 10+ years. Big,
powerful, good pricing, and a decent depth adjuster.

Tritons are nice too, as are some DeWalts (I like the one with dust
extract up the inside of a fattened pillar)

Most routers don't have a screw depth adjust, but rely on pressure
against a spring and a depth stop. That's just not the same thing at
all, especially for depth-critical jobs like morticing hinges.

A table makes a big router far more useful and should be an early
acquisition. You can make your own (fence too) very easily. Most
commercial tables, especially the little ones, are worthless. Most
router work for joinery (as opposed to on-site carpentry) is, or
should be, done on the table rather than freehand.

A table _must_ have push blocks available. It's quite hard to stick a
paw into a hand-held router cutter. It's horribly easy to do this when
working on a table, without push blocks. One rule is having a big
table and never letting your hands closer inboard than keeps your
fingertips touching the outer edge (this does need a decent sized
table).

Tables also make good rocket launchers. Trapping timber between a
fence and a cutter (Doh!) will easily throw it through a window - or
you. You _never_ cut on the "back" of a cutter like this.

Once you have your router, a selection of baseplates is helpful. Make
them easily out of clear Perspex or polycarbonate sheet and make a
range with different sized holes in the baseplate. Although routers
are supplied with a vast gaping maw to allow big cutters, this is a
real pain to use as it doesn't support close to the cutter and is
likely to tip near the ends of cuts. Make a couple of others up, with
holes that just barely fit over your favourite cutters.

Make lots of MDF / birch ply templates. A templated cut is not only
quicker, it's usually so much quicker that you break even the cost of
making templates on only the second cut. It also reduces the risk of
screwing up on the expensive timber - routers just love to take an
unexpected bite out of near-finished pieces.

A guide bush set is handy when working with templates. Turned brass
are usually nicer than pressed steel.

90% of your work is done with the same cutter - a simple 1/2"
cylindrical rebate cutter of medium length, using the depth and fence
adjustments to make a range of different cuts. So get a decent quality
one, or a couple. Using the shortest possible cutter improves
stability.

9% remaining is with a 45degree chamfer bit.

You very rarely use the parson's nose shaped weirdy you bought from
the catalogue that promised its ownership would turn you into the next
Chippendale.

Bearing-guided cutters mostly suck and you'll do better working in a
fence, or with a guide bush in a template.

Learn the use of a spelch plate to stop breakout and get into the
habit of rough-sawing things over-long, routing and then trimming to
length. Routers cut great in the middle of a cut, poorly and with
difficulty at the ends.

Learn about which way to cut, which way the torque reaction will kick,
which speeds to use and how to burn wood by cutting too slowly.

You need eye protection and ear protection. If you're working MDF or
anything man-made you want dust protection too. If you're working
tropicals you want serious dust protection, as many of those are a
real hazard for allergies. Dust extraction is less of an issue - some
jobs need it, for others the hose is more trouble than a help. It's
another reason to favour working on a table, which should always offer
dust extraction from behind the fence.