6 Router Safety Tips

Whether you’re a seasoned woodworker, or just starting out, these router safety tips will help you work safer in your shop. I’ve been a woodworker for 30 years, and trust me… I’ve made every mistake told here at least once. Fortunately, other than bruised pride and wasting some wood, I haven’t been hurt. Keep yourself as safe as you can in your shop. Judiciously use your machine guards and use hold-downs and hold-ins whenever possible. Here are some rules to follow, and some things to avoid when using your router.

routersafety1 1. Unplug the Tool. Make sure your router is unplugged before you insert bits, make height adjustments, or do any other setup type procedure. This is a good habit to get into with all your power tools and machinery.

routersafety2 2. Wear Hearing Protection. Routers are notorious “screamers.” Even so, I still see some friends using their routers but not wearing hearing protection. The cumulative effects of loud noise will eventually take its toll on your hearing. Purchase high decibel reduction hearing protection and use it always.

routersafety33. Push Pad for Better Gripping. Use a push pad when routing grooves using a router table. The push pad gives you a positive grip for pushing the work piece down and across the bit. It also helps keep your pushing hand further away from the area where the bit will exit the work piece at the end of the cut.

routersafety44. Big Bit, Slow Speed. The rule of thumb is: The larger the bit diameter, the slower the router speed. See the speed chart below. Make it a habit to adjust your router’s speed down before you insert the bit. That way it will not be going too fast by accident when you turn on the router.

routersafetyspeed

routersafety6 5. Position the Fence Correctly. Never trap your material between the bit and fence on profile cuts. The set up shown is the correct method for routing an edge profile on a router table; with the bit inside the fence. The only time it’s OK to use the fence with a bit away from the fence is when you rout a groove of some sort. Even then, when the bit exits the work piece at the end of the cut, it will grab slightly and push the work piece forward.

routersafety7 6. Two Pass Grooves. When routing a groove with a setup like this where two passes are required to finish the groove width, the second pass is always made so that cut is further from the edge guide fence. That way, the edge guide will be pulled tight to the work piece edge by the forces of the routing, instead of pushed away.

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Related Topics:

Miter Saw Safety Tips
Band Saw Safety Tips
Table Saw Safety Tips
Table Saw Safety for Beginner Woodworking
Table Saw Safety
Band Saw, Router Table and Table Saw Safety
12 Tips for Using a Router Safely

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46 Responses to “6 Router Safety Tips”

  1. JOHN

    Just for curiosity I looked up the speed chart for the variable speed Porter Cable and Ridgid routers and they have the speed chart online. All you have to do is type in the name of the router and add speed chart in the search bar and the charts pop up.

    Reply
  2. Louis

    when routing a groove or dado (whether on the router table or “free hand” (with a guide) sometimes the router “skips ahead and the router or the piece all of a sudden seem to pull ahead and and even jump the groove. Why? and what can I do about it? Second issue – sometimes when routing a dado or groove the bit seems to loosen and the groove depth gets deeper. why? what can I do about it? BTW – George V is THE BEST teacher I have ever had in any subject!

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello Louis,

      Thank you for contacting us.

      I’ll respond inline:

      when routing a groove or dado (whether on the router table or “free hand” (with a guide) sometimes the router “skips ahead and the router or the piece all of a sudden seem to pull ahead and and even jump the groove. Why? and what can I do about it?
      (WWGOA) It’s important to always use a feed direction that opposes the direction that the router bit is spinning. If you move the router in the same direction that the router bit is grabbing, it will lunge ahead and cause major problems. My guess is that is what is happening here.

      Second issue – sometimes when routing a dado or groove the bit seems to loosen and the groove depth gets deeper. why? what can I do about it?

      (WWGOA) Assuming that you are sufficiently tightening the collect, it sounds like your collet might be worn and need to be replaced. The collet is a wear item on a router, and I would replace it immediately if that’s the culprit because it is a safety issue. Another thought; if this is a plunge router it’s possible that the plunge locking mechanism needs to be adjusted so that it is locking tighter.

      If you have any other questions, please chat, email, or call Customer Service. 

      Sincerely,
      Sarah
      Wood Workers Guild of America Video Membership

      Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello Bob,

      Thank you for the patience while I asked the experts, here is the reply:

      Some bits have a bearing that can allow you to use it freehand. If you are using a bit without a bearing on a router table I would not recommend free-hand routing.

      Paul
      Woodworkers Guild of America

      Reply
  3. Douglas

    Is there any problem running smaller bits at a slower speed. Can you run all bits T 12000. If I do what problems will I face?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Dear Douglas,

      Thank you for your patience. In response to your question-

      Your cut quality will probably not be as good as when you run at a faster speed.

      We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
      https://go.wwgoa.com/C15446

      Sincerely,

      Paul
      Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership

      Reply
  4. Harley

    I think you should be wearing short sleeve shirt, don’t like the way sleeve is hanging down off the end of the work piece!

    Reply
  5. Jake Pretorius

    Than you for the information. Here are so man things that I Ned to know as I was never trained in woodworking.

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi William. I would suggest using the 3″ value for sizes from 2.5″ to 3″, or a prorated speed between the speeds recommended for 2″ and 3″.
      Thanks
      Paul-WWGOA

      Reply
  6. Alejandro

    I’m new using router. Q: my router bit is constantly coming out of place, what am I doing wrong?

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Alejandro. This is a very unsafe situation and I would suggest replacing the collet.
      Thanks
      Paul-WWGOA

      Reply
  7. Alain

    My router speed are indicated as 1 ot 6 how do i determine the speed of those number.. my manual doesn’t have references to those number/speed

    Reply
  8. Jim

    I have on of those external router speed controllers, and it works really well. The only issue I have with it is that it’s impossible to know the rpm’s of the router at any given speed controller setting. The speed controller just has a dial, and as it’s turned clockwise the router speeds up, but there’s no way to know the rpm’s exactly. The router just spins faster or slower, that’s it.

    Reply
    • Brian

      There are speed meters that are fairly inexpensive. you put a piece of reflective tape on the collette and point a small laser at it and get a readout. It will measure the rpm of anything that rotates. This is the one I have. http://tinyurl.com/y45cydke

      Reply
  9. JOHN

    I get this error message when trying to download the router speed chart. 9KXtS25OasJ1pYflfVPzQScNAImoNFcrAs7PnJJy8gaf8WyncMGH9+eHDSRgV3k7LuS0gTLyKo0=

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hello John,

      We apologize that you were not able to access the chart. The chart is also within the article further down the page.

      Thanks,
      Becky WWOGA Video Membership

      Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Mike. Depending on the make and model of your router, it might be possible to use a router speed control device like this one: http://www.rockler.com/router-speed-control.
      Check with the manufacturer for compatibility. Not all routers are supported. In particular, routers with a soft start feature are not supported.
      Thanks
      Paul-WWGOA

      Reply
  10. Garret

    Hmmm, when I try to download the speed chart I get this response:

    AccessDeniedAccess DeniedDDA4732A2D64F146FeJcarrrpoPffd6+tmLs58mZPywIkKLBnyFQ6dKCxRhEF42CdIwcKQj2Jgx++qTgvoF5cA/PsPE=

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Garret. You should now be able to view these images. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
      Thanks
      Jean
      WWGOA Video Membership

      Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Gina. You should be able to access the images now. Let us know if you are still having problems.
      Thanks
      WWGOA Video Membership

      Reply
  11. George

    Thank you so much for these unexpected information pages as well as the video’s./George.

    Reply
  12. Stanley

    What about using a pin for support when not using a fence? Seems a safety issue as the router can snatch the wood. Not sure of the principle or setup

    Reply
    • Customer Service

      Hi Stanley. Yes, that would make a good tip #7. These are particular useful when routing on smaller pieces, as the fulcrum of the pin provides better control over the work piece.

      Reply
    • mark

      If you think a question is stupid or you’re going to be made fun of, look at the fingers the guy has left who’s laughing because he already knew everything and was too proud to seem foolish.

      Reply
    • Ed

      No question except the one not asked is stupid. We all learn from one another and from experts.

      Reply
      • Ted Parks

        I always tell my students it is much better to ask a question that you might think is stupid than to make a stupid mistake which could hurt you ! I never laugh at a student who asks a question. and I never intimidate a student

        Reply
    • LLOYD

      I finally had the courage to use my table mounted router. I tried to carefully use a ruler to align the 1/2″ roundover bit to the fence. When I ran the wood through, I barely got a 1/4″ roundover. I the pulled the router bit proud of the fence but the wood would hit the bit pushing the wood away from the fence so that I could not make the cut. What am I doing wront?

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Lloyd,

        Thank you for contacting us.

        If the roundover bit has a bearing, then you can put it well in front of the fence to get the proper cutting action. I’d encourage you to check out this class if you haven’t already done so, as it will give you a good knowledge foundation before using the router table.
        https://www.wwgoa.com/class/router-table-essentials/

        If you have any other questions, please chat, email, or call Customer Service. 

        Sincerely,
        Sarah
        Wood Workers Guild of America Video Membership

        Reply