George Vondriska demonstrates the difference between plunge and fixed based routers. A WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA) original video. For more woodworking videos, please visit www.wwgoa.com!
7 Responses to “Plunge vs. Fixed Based Routers”
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10:13
Cutting Templates and Inlays with a Laser Engraver
George Vondriska demonstrates how to use an Epilog laser engraver to cut templates and inlays in your shop. Laser engraver provided by Epilog Laser. For more information, visit www.epiloglaser.com, and check out this other WWGOA video on laser engravers!
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7:53
Cabinet Door Assembly
When creating a cabinet door, it is critical to keep the wood flat and square. George Vondriska provides practical tips on how to assemble door panels using a parallel jaw clamp. A WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA) original video. Steel Bar Clamps provided by Jorgensen. For more information, visit www.ponytools.com
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11:58
Versatility of a Panel Saw and Router Machine Combo
Most people think you can only use a panel saw to crosscut sheet stock. Today in the workshop, though, George Vondriska demonstrates some of the handy woodworking techniques you can employ with a combination panel saw and router machine. You can crosscut and make repetitive cuts on large sheets of plywood like you would on…
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1:32
Anti-Dust Finishing Tip
Most woodworkers have some airborne dust and particulates floating in their shop, and some of those particles can settle on a not-quite-dried finish. George Vondriska demonstrates a neat and inexpensive trick for protecting small woodworking projects from dust when finishing. A WoodWorkers Guild of America (WWGOA) original video.
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Shouldn’t the flat side of the plunge base be against the fence? It looks like the rounded side is against the fence and you have the flat side facing out towards the camera.
Another router tip is to have a second router dedicated to your router table so you don’t have to bother with mounting and unmounting when you need to use it free handed.
As noted – not using the flat side – seems counter intuitive.
However, on further consideration seems that the non-faceted [round] side actually makes sense since any deviation in router rotation [e.g. router’s toque when entering say knots or harder wood grain or while progressing down the cut] will be readily accommodated by the round base whereas if one uses the flat side the deviations from the line cut – paralleling the temporary fence – will be magnified by any offset on either side of the flat side from the fence. Most name-brand mfgs make their bases [nearly circular] so any offset from nominal rotation during actual routing is generally imperceptible for all but the most exacting cuts.
[Maybe an overthink, but my thoughts on it; challenging enough to maintain base-fence contact for even the simplest of cuts of any length requiring weight transfer or body re-positioning.]
Maybe counter intuitive but using the round side actually affords greater /stability/repeat-ability:
– slight rotation of “round” router base is essentially inconsequential, except perhaps for the most exacting of plunge cuts requiring sub-millimeter precision [1/64]
– conversely, any rotation of “flat” router base is guaranteed to result in deviation(s) in the path cut [its simple geometry/leverage really: offset of bit to fence is predicated on maintaining perfect contact along its fence-face contact…any deviation offsets the routed path proportinal to the router’s rotation.]
it’s strange how you pulled the cable out of the socket
I was totally unaware of multi-base routers! Great video thanks!
Which type router is best overall on a router table?
Hi Ken. In general, a fixed base router will work better on a router table.
Thanks
Paul-WWGOA