The Router Book

If you're looking for the most complete guide to the router, than this is your book you need. The Router Book covers it all -- from the tool's wide range of uses to tips for maintaining its best condition.

Router expert Pat Warner sorts through the great variety of tools on the market and offers you sound, practical advice. From choosing the right router for your own needs to correct operating methods and time-saving jigs, The Router Book slices quickly to the core of the subject.

• discover all the uses of the versatile router, from edge work and molding, to cutting joinery and shaping, to making multiples with patterns
• sort through the great variety of routers, bits and accessories that are available
• learn techniques that will make your work more accurate and more efficient

"Pat Warner clearly covers the fundamentals, and he takes the techniques of routing to a new level."

-- Patrick Spielman, author of The Router Handbook

"A long-time explorer and exponent of the power router, Pat Warner has given us an unusually thorough and refreshingly straight-talking guide to the use of this amazingly versatile but challenging tool."

-- Jim Tolpin, author of Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets and The Toolbox Book.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction to Routing

Applications
Types of Routing

Chapter 2: Cutter Pathway Control

Bearing-Guided Cutters
Collar Guides
Edge Guides
The Subbase
Tool Shank
The Circle Cutter
Other Guide Options

Chapter 3: Fixed-Base Routers

Router Basics
Leading Fixed-Base Routers
Department Store Routers
Best Fixed-Base Applications

Chapter 4: Plunge Routers

Basic Anatomy
Power as an Asset
Adding Stability
Helpful Features
Best Uses for Plunge Routers
Porter-Cable 7529
DeWalt 625

Chapter 5: Laminate Trim Routers

Guide Systems
Other Features and Applications
Bosch 1608

Chapter 6: Router Tables

Router Table Basics
The Fence
Protection from the Cutter
Depth of Cut Strategies
Climb Cutting
The Miter Gauge
Router Table Safety

Chapter 7: Router Bits

Evaluating Performance
Cutter Life
Materials
Shank Diameter
Cutter Types
Sharpening

Chapter 8: Router Accessories

Guides and Bases
Router Table Accessories
Chip Collection

Chapter 9: Simple Shopmade Jigs

Right-Angle Templates
Slot Makers
Shopmade Mortiser
Tenon Maker
End-Lap Template
Adjustable Tenon Maker
Circle Maker
Router Horse
Pin-Routing Jig
45-Degree Bevel

Chapter 10: Router Safety

Hand-Router Safety
Router Table Safety
Climb Cutting
Stock Preparation
Cutter Surprises and Risks
Health Concerns

Chapter 11: Common Router Limitations

Risks and Problems
Weight and Ergonomics

Chapter 12: Starting Up the Router

Preparation and Setup
Router Table Setup

Chapter 13: Template Routing

Tools and Materials
Template Uses and Types
Making Basic Templates

Resources

Index

What I like most about routing is the ability to manage risk. I know that with the right cutters, jigs and fixtures I can remove the right amount of wood in the right place. The ability to do this does not happen overnight, however. Practice, respect for the material, attention to cutter dynamics and good fixtures all play a part.

Routers are the big time problem solvers of the power tool kingdom. They have more applications than any single cutting tool. They apply themselves well in joinery, decoration, and in a limited way, millwork. More than 1,000 cutters, and countless jigs are at your disposal for almost any routing job.

Nevertheless, routing does have its limitations. Spend some time with

this book and you will discover the practical limits and also the strengths of routing. Just reading the book won't make you into an expert router user, but a lot of practice will. Expect to finish this text and walk away with the fundamentals of the craft: how to choose a cutter and router, when to apply them, when to consider an alternative, and how to use the tool safely.