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.
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.
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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
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.
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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The tips are so usefull for a pensioner like me Thank you
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.
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!
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
can u use a router table without the fence and hand feed into the bit?
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
Thank You
Really good tips on the safety.
Thank you for your help! Your advice is very important!
very good advice.
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?
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
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!
Than you for the information. Here are so man things that I Ned to know as I was never trained in woodworking.
Your chart for router speed vs. bit diameter doesn’t cover
2.5 to 3”
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
I’m new using router. Q: my router bit is constantly coming out of place, what am I doing wrong?
Hi Alejandro. This is a very unsafe situation and I would suggest replacing the collet.
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA
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
Hi Alain. Those indicate a percentage of the total speed. For larger bits you need to slow down. Here’s a video and a speed chart that can help you understand how fast to go with a particular bit.
How to Set the Router Bit Speed Based on the Router Bit’s Diameter.
https://www.wwgoa.com/video/router-bit-speeds-000313/
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA
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.
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
Safty tips for new woodworker
just started wood working, need some tips an info.
I get this error message when trying to download the router speed chart. 9KXtS25OasJ1pYflfVPzQScNAImoNFcrAs7PnJJy8gaf8WyncMGH9+eHDSRgV3k7LuS0gTLyKo0=
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
What do you do for bit speed when your router doesn’t have a speed adjustment?
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
Hmmm, when I try to download the speed chart I get this response:
AccessDeniedAccess DeniedDDA4732A2D64F146FeJcarrrpoPffd6+tmLs58mZPywIkKLBnyFQ6dKCxRhEF42CdIwcKQj2Jgx++qTgvoF5cA/PsPE=Hi Garret. You should now be able to view these images. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Thanks
Jean
WWGOA Video Membership
Access denied for router speed
Hi Gina. You should be able to access the images now. Let us know if you are still having problems.
Thanks
WWGOA Video Membership
Thank you so much for these unexpected information pages as well as the video’s./George.
The only stupid question is the one you already know the answer to
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
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.
It is particularly helpful when routing curved pieces with a guide bearing.
I am a new member and I have a question can I ask something and not be made fun of?
Hi, Wade. Welcome to the WWGOA Team! Ask away!
These guys are pros not trolls!
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.
No question except the one not asked is stupid. We all learn from one another and from experts.
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
Yes
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?
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