OPERATION
RqUTING
_or case of operationand maintaining proper control, your
touter has two handles, one on each side ofthe router baser
When using your router hold it firmly with both hands as
shown infigumm7. Turnrouteron and letmotorbuildtoits full
speed, then gradually feed cutter intoworkplece. Remain
alertand watchwhat you are doing. DO NOT operatemuter
Whenfatigued,
PROPER FEEDING
The rightfeed isneithertoofast nor tooslow. It ts the rateat
whichthe bitis being advanced firmlyand surelyto produce
a continuousspiralof uniform chipsm withouthogging into
thewoodto make large individualchipsor,on theotherhand,
tocreate only sawdusL If you are making a smail diameter,
shallow groove in soft, dry wood, the proper feed may be
about as fast as you can travel your routeralong yourguide
line. On the otherhand, ifthe bitisa largeone, thecuttsdeep
or thewood ishard tocut,the proper feed may be avery slow
oneoThen, again, across-graincutmay require a slowerpace
than an identicalwith graincut inthe same workpisCeo
There Is no fixed rule. You will team by experience°., by
listening to the router motor and by feeling the progress of
cach cut. Ifat all possible, always test a outon a scrap piece
of the workpiece wood, beforehand.
RATE OF FEED
IMPORTANT:The whole"secret"of professionalroutingand
edge shapinglies inmaking acareful set-upfor the cutto be
made and In sclcctlng the proper rate of feed.
FORCE FEEDING
Clean, smooth routingand edge shaping can be done only
when the bit is revolving at a relatively high speed end is
takingverysmall bites to producetiny,cleanlysevered chips.
If your muter is forced to move forward too fast, the RPM of
the bitbecomes slower than normal in relationto itsforward
movement.. As a result, the bit must take bigger bites as it
revoiveso "Bigger bites" mean bigger chips, and a roughcr
finish. Biggcr chips also require more powcr, which could
result in the router motor becoming overloaded.
Under extreme force-feeding conditions the relative RPM of
the bit can become so slow-._nd the bites it has to take so
large--that chips will bepadiatly knocked off (ratherthan fully
cutoff),with resultin_ splintering and gouging oftheworkplace.
Sea Figure 8.
Your Craftsman Router is an extremely high-speed tool
(25,000 RPM no-load speed), and willmake clean, smooth
cuts if allowed to run freely Without the ovedoad of e forced
(too fast) feed. Three things that cause =forcefeeding" are blt
size, depth-of-cut, and workpiece characteristics° The larger
thebit orthe deeperthe cut, themore slowly thereutershould
be moved forward. Ifthe wood isvery hard, knotty, gummy or
damp, the operation must be slowed stilI more.
You can always detect "force feeding" by the sound of the
motor. Itshigh-pitched whine will sound Iowerand strongeras
it loses speed. Also, the strain of holding the tool will be
noticeably increased Page 7
=[jii
,i,,i...................
Fig. 7
J
TOO SLOW
Fig,8
TOO SLOW FEEDING
it isalso possibletospoila cutby movingthe router forward
tooslowly°When it is advanced into the work too slowly,a
revolvingbitdoes not dig intonewwood fast enough totake
abite; instead, itsimplyscrapesaway sawdust-_ikepadicles.
Scraping produces heel whichcan glaze, bum, or mar the
cut-- in extreme cases, can even overheat the bit so as to
destroyits hardness.
in addition, itis more difficult to control a router when the bit
isscraping instead of cutting With practically no load on the
motor the bit will be revolving at close to top RPM, and wilt
have a much greater than normal tendency to bounce offthe
sides of the cut (especially, if the wood has a pronounced
grain with hard and soft areas) As a result, the cut produced
may have rippled, insteadof straight sides See Figure 8
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