Bits | WoodWorkers Guild of America

Using a Keyhole Bit

April 4, 2011 By George Vondriska & filed under Router Table, Skill Building, Stationary Power Tools.

If you’re looking for a hardware-free way to hang picture frames or plaques on the wall, you need a keyhole router bit. Set up is simple, and results are great.When I make a picture frame or plaque, my preference for providing a way to hang it on the wall is to use a keyhole router…

Ask WWGOA: Shaper vs. Router Table

November 3, 2009 By Reader Submitted & filed under Blog, Woodworking Q & A.

Question: I am starting to build a wood shop, and plan to do some cabinet making. I have been pricing out router tables. By the time I figure in the cost of a lift, another router, and the table, it wouldn’t cost much more to just buy a shaper. What are the pros and cons…

Ask WWGOA: Square Route a Hole for an Inlay

August 25, 2009 By Reader Submitted & filed under Blog, Shop Tips, Skill Building, Woodworking Q & A.

Question: I’m trying to rout a square hole 6″ x 4″ x 1/8″ deep, for an inlay on a jewelry box lid. What kind of bit should I use? The lid is 3/8″ thick. Submitted by roberttalmadge Answer: Any straight bit will do the job. If the material you’re routing into has a tendency to…

Never Again Lose Router Wrenches

June 2, 2009 By Reader Submitted & filed under Blog, Member Tips, Shop Tips, Skill Building.

Even with dust collection on my router table, it seemed I always had the same problem. I’d open the doors on the cabinet below the table and find a mountain of sawdust. The biggest problem was that somewhere below that sawdust were my router wrenches, collet, and other tools I needed for the router table.…

Perfect Hinge Mortises on Small Boxes

April 22, 2009 By Seth Keller & filed under Hardware, Skill Building.

Patience and Accuracy Pay Off. There is nothing quite as beautiful as a small wooden jewelry box and its promise of treasures hidden inside. Poorly installed hinges that bind or catch can ruin the anticipation of opening the lid. Installing hinges to hold the lid in place can be tricky, if not downright maddening. The…

Creative Designs with Router Templates

January 23, 2009 By Jerry Seabaugh & filed under Portable Power Tools, Router, Skill Building.

Using a Router and Template to Make Creative Designs. I would like to share some thoughts about creating repetitive designs with a router and a template. To make a template, we embrace the skills of our ancestors – the pattern makers. I am referring to the folks who carved patterns by hand, before the age…