Help a newbie who is scared of his router...

>Are there ways or
>exercises to feel more confident when using the router?

I would suggest a few things. The first is earplugs. That should help
take the edge off. I would also suggest trying a D-handle router.
They allow a much stronger grip on the router that I think gives a
feeling of control. And lastly, you might want to try a small laminate
trimmer for rounding over edges. Something like the bosch colt. Maybe
you should also visit patwarner.com to get a larger base for your
router. And a router with soft-start should reduce the jolt you get
when you first turn it on. That might make things feel better.

brian

>Are there ways or exercises to feel more confident when using the router?

I'll agree with hearing protection, as others have said - not only for
safety/protection, but I agree it can reduce overall stress and
distractions associated with power tool use.
Obviously a router table helps for many uses - when you can use a guide
block or pushblocks with your work solidly against the table and the
fence, it doesn't feel quite so much like the router wants to punish
you.
Probably the biggest suggestion I'll give for routing out of the table
is to use a router edge guide something like this:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1524. It is great for cutting
a rabbet or dado close to the edge of a piece, and with the hardwood
guide strip removed, it is a very functional offset sub-base. This
increases control and therefore confidence and safety - almost like a
little upside down router table.
For dados/grooves that are not next to the edge of a piece, a
straightedge clamped across your workpiece serves a similar purpose.
You can use a straight piece of scrap with clamps or get a fancier one
like this: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10252
Finally, be sure you're routing the right direction - the rotation of
the bit should tend to pull the router towards your fence, which
increases stability and control and makes the operation safer. In
other words, beware of climb cuts. That should be clear after looking
through any basic router book, but if you're not very clear on which
direction to rout, do some more reading in books or online until you
feel confident about that.
Good luck,
Andy

Hello, All!

I was "owned" by my Dremel and Craftsman routers until one morning,
while shaving (IT always happens that way) I was blessed with an idea
to OWN my own ROUTERS. Wohooo, what a concept! This is from the "POOR
ROBERT's ALMANAC."

Here's what I came up with:
http://www.awhangar.com/restoration/RESTORATION/ROUTER_TABLE/

Now my Craftsman router know who's boss.

Dremel, Stop your girly whining. You are NEXT!! Sweet! A "Mini" router
table!

Train Hard, Fight Easy!

Good Luck!
Boobie

Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
> CW wrote:
> > Go to Pat Warner's website and order an offset base for that 690. Best
> > design I have seen. Small enough not to feel cumbersome but amazingly
> > effective at stabilizing the router. Yes, as everyone else has suggested,
> > hearing protection will help a lot.
>
> Don't forget to mount that big heavy bastard in a table. You may come to like
> it better.

That's no way to talk about Pat Warner! ;)

R

Proper hearing protection is an absolute must. Routers produce
high frequency noise that will damage your hearing despite being
outside of the normal range for human hearing. That means that
a 'quiet' router will still damage your hearing, you will just be less
inclined to realize it until it is too late.

On second thought, routers are inherently dangerous devices.
Better send yours to me and I'll safely dispose of it for no
charge.

--

FF

RicodJour wrote:
> Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
> > CW wrote:
> > > Go to Pat Warner's website and order an offset base for that 690. Best
> > > design I have seen. Small enough not to feel cumbersome but amazingly
> > > effective at stabilizing the router. Yes, as everyone else has suggested,
> > > hearing protection will help a lot.
> >
> > Don't forget to mount that big heavy bastard in a table. You may come to like
> > it better.
>
> That's no way to talk about Pat Warner! ;)
>

That's one mighty disgusting image for certain definitions of
'mount'.

--

FF

John Dykes wrote:
>
> I've been dabbling in woodworking for several years now - and have some
> experience with a wide variety of tools - ranging from working on a
> Unisaw to ebay'd dowel jigs.
>
> Hello - my name is John, and I'm scared of my router.
>
> I've lurked here on the wReck for years. I've read books, I've
> practiced, I've tried - and I've failed more than I've succeeded - but
> I've learned. One thing I can seem to get comfortable with is using my
> router(s).
>
> As I've read 1000 times, "the router very well could be the most used,
> most versatile tool in the shop." My father loves to work with his
> router; and he so admires the fellas in Canada who work almost
> exclusively with routers. The apple fell pretty far from the tree in
> this case...
>
> With this knowledge - that the router could be the savior of us all - I
> researched and bought the biggest, baddest router I could find a few
> years back - the Bosch 1619EVS. Yes, mistake one... I understand now if
> you want to learn how to use a router, you really shouldn't buy a 3+ HP
> monster that weighs 34 lbs. That router has about 30 minutes of runtime
> in 4 years.
>
> Since then - and lesson learned - and hungering to attain this router
> skill that still eludes me, I've purchased the PC-693 fixed\plunge
> combo. I've worked with it some, but it comes down to... I'm flat out
> scared of routers.
>
> When I push wood through a Unisaw, it wants to cut - it likes to cut, it
> NEEDS to cut, and sounds good doing it. When I push wood over a jointer
> blade - it takes the wood off cleanly with smooth power. When I send
> wood through the planer - it spits chips out with confident authority.
> Hell, when I drill a hole - the drill feels like it's doing what it
> wants to do.
>
> When I use a router, it feels and SOUNDS like it hates it. That high
> pitched whine, that feeling that the tool wants to torque out of the
> wood and punish me, the notion that I've got a leash on Satan and I need
> to hold on with my last breath lest I fall into the Pit.
>
> I just bought Hylton's router book and I'm hoping to practice a bit with
> it. Should I feel this way, or am I just a girly man? Are there ways or
> exercises to feel more confident when using the router? Is it possible
> for me to say, "Sweet! Time to grab the router!" vs "Damn, gotta round
> over this panel!! Maybe if I use 60 grit instead of a router..."
>
> Regards,
>
> jbd

Girly man :)

I'll admit that the first time I used a router, the though of it
spinning a couple hunks of brittle carbide at 26,000 RPM roughly in
plane with my important parts when leaning over the work wasn't exactly
the most comforting thought, but I was over it in about 15 minutes.

Pete C.

On Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:57:08 -0700, John Dykes
<[email protected]> wrote:


>
>When I use a router, it feels and SOUNDS like it hates it. That high
>pitched whine, that feeling that the tool wants to torque out of the
>wood and punish me, the notion that I've got a leash on Satan and I need
>to hold on with my last breath lest I fall into the Pit.


Just one silly question...

Are you using good hearing protection?

I find that being around very loud screaming tools with open ears adds
to the stress and mental load. A good set of shields can also unmask
the cutting sounds, so you can hear something start to go wrong before
it gets completely ugly.

Other than that, the router is simply one of those tools that demands
100% if your respect and attention whenever the bit is turning. I
can only suggest small bites, practice, and reflection on what went
right and wrong after the practice.

Table mounting it can also go a long way towards comfort. At least in
a table, the bit is always where you expect it to be, so there's one
less thing to worry about.

Barry

> Hello - my name is John, and I'm scared of my router.

I might suggest trying to find a local tech school or Woodcraft store that
offers courses and/or instruction on using your router. Understanding
proper use and handling of any tool goes a long way to being comfortable
with using it. If you remain afraid of it...you will eventually get hurt by
it.

Good luck!

Joe T

"brianlanning" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >Are there ways or
>>exercises to feel more confident when using the router?
>
> I would suggest a few things. The first is earplugs. That should help
> take the edge off. I would also suggest trying a D-handle router.
> They allow a much stronger grip on the router that I think gives a
> feeling of control. And lastly, you might want to try a small laminate
> trimmer for rounding over edges. Something like the bosch colt. Maybe
> you should also visit patwarner.com to get a larger base for your
> router. And a router with soft-start should reduce the jolt you get
> when you first turn it on. That might make things feel better.
>
I'd agree with all that advice (except maybe the laminate trimmer...), but
the most important thing is to get a router table. It is much easier to use
in a table, and once you get used to it, you should be more comfortable.
Besides; I do 90% of my routing in a table. Forced to chose, I would take a
router table over a handheld any day.

John Dykes (in [email protected]) said:

| Hello - my name is John, and I'm scared of my router.

A little fear is better than none at all. A lot of fear can get in the
way of safe behavior. If you think your fear could interfere with
using the tool well and safely, then focus on safety and learn to do
simple operations on scraps. It'll help if you choose times when you
can first pause and think through every motion you're about to make.
This little "exercise" lets you say to yourself that you have a plan
and you know what the human half of the team is doing.

| I've lurked here on the wReck for years. I've read books, I've
| practiced, I've tried - and I've failed more than I've succeeded -
| but I've learned. One thing I can seem to get comfortable with is
| using my router(s).

That's OK. It's a bit like riding a bicycle or driving a car. At first
it's scary; and after some reasonable amount of practice it becomes a
natural activity.

| As I've read 1000 times, "the router very well could be the most
| used, most versatile tool in the shop." My father loves to work
| with his router; and he so admires the fellas in Canada who work
| almost exclusively with routers. The apple fell pretty far from the
| tree in this case...
|
| With this knowledge - that the router could be the savior of us all
| - I researched and bought the biggest, baddest router I could find
| a few years back - the Bosch 1619EVS. Yes, mistake one... I
| understand now if you want to learn how to use a router, you really
| shouldn't buy a 3+ HP monster that weighs 34 lbs. That router has
| about 30 minutes of runtime in 4 years.

It's not the horsepower that's scary. It's the banshee scream that
most routers make. Good hearing protectors make 'em sound positively
docile. BTW, my 5 hp router is so quiet I can hardly tell it's running
even when when I'm _not_ wearing hearing protection.

| Since then - and lesson learned - and hungering to attain this
| router skill that still eludes me, I've purchased the PC-693
| fixed\plunge combo. I've worked with it some, but it comes down
| to... I'm flat out scared of routers.

One more time - it's not the router; it's the screaming in your ear.
Trust me.

| When I push wood through a Unisaw, it wants to cut - it likes to
| cut, it NEEDS to cut, and sounds good doing it. When I push wood
| over a jointer blade - it takes the wood off cleanly with smooth
| power. When I send wood through the planer - it spits chips out
| with confident authority. Hell, when I drill a hole - the drill
| feels like it's doing what it wants to do.

I hear you. My Unisaur makes a joyful whussshing sound. My PC690 makes
noise like a scorned woman. My Colombo spindle (with ceramic bearings)
is nearly silent at 24,000 RPM.

| When I use a router, it feels and SOUNDS like it hates it. That high
| pitched whine, that feeling that the tool wants to torque out of the
| wood and punish me, the notion that I've got a leash on Satan and I
| need to hold on with my last breath lest I fall into the Pit.

I won't make excuses for the noisy designs; but if/when you feel like
you're needing to fight with the router to make it go where you want
it to go, you're probably trying to work with a too-dull bit. Get a
_sharp_ bit in the collet and see if the job isn't suddenly ten times
easier. (BTW, 'new' doesn't necessarily mean 'sharp'!)

| I just bought Hylton's router book and I'm hoping to practice a bit
| with it. Should I feel this way, or am I just a girly man? Are
| there ways or exercises to feel more confident when using the
| router? Is it possible for me to say, "Sweet! Time to grab the
| router!" vs "Damn, gotta round over this panel!! Maybe if I use 60
| grit instead of a router..."

If you've lurked here then you know better than to ask that first
question. :-)

Confidence-building exercises? Sure - do shallow rebates/dados in
well-clamped scraps without nails or screws. Do 'em until it becomes
almost boring. Somewhere in that cloud of chips you'll lose most of
the fear. Very carefully, hold on to just a tiny bit of the fear to
serve as a reminder that what you're working with is a serious cutting
tool that needs your full attention while in use.

You'll do fine.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

On Tue, 07 Mar 2006 22:21:21 GMT, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>I'd agree with all that advice (except maybe the laminate trimmer...)

Actually. laminate trimmers are super for typical handheld chamfering
and rounding over. I use my small Bosch all the time for that, so I'm
glad someone mentioned it. Come to think of it, I've never trimmed
laminate with it. <G>

The small routers have superior visibility and are easily held in one
hand while you whip around the work with a bearing guided bit.

Barry

On Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:57:08 -0700, John Dykes
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Hello - my name is John, and I'm scared of my router.

John,

I'm waiting for you to fall asleep. Sure, you'll wake up when I turn
on, but then it will be too late. No one will hear your screams over
mine.

Sincerely,
Your Router

1619EVS <[email protected]> writes:

> Sincerely,
> Your Router


LOL! Paging Stephen King.....

--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.

> Hello - my name is John, and I'm scared of my router.

I feel your pain.

Here's what I do:

1. I keep the big boy mounted in the table. 3/4 of all my routing in done in
a table.
2. I use a laminate trimmer-class router for most of my handheld work
3. I have a custom base (much wider than the router but with a 'V' cut in
the front) on the laminte trimmer so that it stays completely supported when
doing things like routing out a hinge mortise. The 'V' cut gives me improved
visibility of the cut and also allows me to do some things like setting the
bit flush with the base and trimming off the top of a peg flush with a
surface.
4. Of course, hearing protection.

Cheers,

Steve

"Ba r r y" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 07 Mar 2006 13:57:08 -0700, John Dykes
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>When I use a router, it feels and SOUNDS like it hates it. That
>>high
>>pitched whine, that feeling that the tool wants to torque out
>>of the
>>wood and punish me, the notion that I've got a leash on Satan
>>and I need
>>to hold on with my last breath lest I fall into the Pit.
>
>
> Just one silly question...
>
> Are you using good hearing protection?
>
> I find that being around very loud screaming tools with open
> ears adds
> to the stress and mental load. A good set of shields can also
> unmask
> the cutting sounds, so you can hear something start to go wrong
> before
> it gets completely ugly.
>
> Other than that, the router is simply one of those tools that
> demands
> 100% if your respect and attention whenever the bit is
> turning. I
> can only suggest small bites, practice, and reflection on what
> went
> right and wrong after the practice.
>
> Table mounting it can also go a long way towards comfort. At
> least in
> a table, the bit is always where you expect it to be, so
> there's one
> less thing to worry about.
>
> Barry

Right! Never, EVER take your eyes away from that spinning bit
until it's stopped! You'll do better work that way, too <g>.

CW wrote:
> Go to Pat Warner's website and order an offset base for that 690. Best
> design I have seen. Small enough not to feel cumbersome but amazingly
> effective at stabilizing the router. Yes, as everyone else has suggested,
> hearing protection will help a lot.



Don't forget to mount that big heavy bastard in a table. You may come to like
it better.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[email protected]

Go to Pat Warner's website and order an offset base for that 690. Best
design I have seen. Small enough not to feel cumbersome but amazingly
effective at stabilizing the router. Yes, as everyone else has suggested,
hearing protection will help a lot.

"John Dykes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been dabbling in woodworking for several years now - and have some
> experience with a wide variety of tools - ranging from working on a
> Unisaw to ebay'd dowel jigs.
>
> Hello - my name is John, and I'm scared of my router.
>
> I've lurked here on the wReck for years. I've read books, I've
> practiced, I've tried - and I've failed more than I've succeeded - but
> I've learned. One thing I can seem to get comfortable with is using my
> router(s).
>
> As I've read 1000 times, "the router very well could be the most used,
> most versatile tool in the shop." My father loves to work with his
> router; and he so admires the fellas in Canada who work almost
> exclusively with routers. The apple fell pretty far from the tree in
> this case...
>
> With this knowledge - that the router could be the savior of us all - I
> researched and bought the biggest, baddest router I could find a few
> years back - the Bosch 1619EVS. Yes, mistake one... I understand now if
> you want to learn how to use a router, you really shouldn't buy a 3+ HP
> monster that weighs 34 lbs. That router has about 30 minutes of runtime
> in 4 years.
>
> Since then - and lesson learned - and hungering to attain this router
> skill that still eludes me, I've purchased the PC-693 fixed\plunge
> combo. I've worked with it some, but it comes down to... I'm flat out
> scared of routers.
>
> When I push wood through a Unisaw, it wants to cut - it likes to cut, it
> NEEDS to cut, and sounds good doing it. When I push wood over a jointer
> blade - it takes the wood off cleanly with smooth power. When I send
> wood through the planer - it spits chips out with confident authority.
> Hell, when I drill a hole - the drill feels like it's doing what it
> wants to do.
>
> When I use a router, it feels and SOUNDS like it hates it. That high
> pitched whine, that feeling that the tool wants to torque out of the
> wood and punish me, the notion that I've got a leash on Satan and I need
> to hold on with my last breath lest I fall into the Pit.
>
> I just bought Hylton's router book and I'm hoping to practice a bit with
> it. Should I feel this way, or am I just a girly man? Are there ways or
> exercises to feel more confident when using the router? Is it possible
> for me to say, "Sweet! Time to grab the router!" vs "Damn, gotta round
> over this panel!! Maybe if I use 60 grit instead of a router..."
>
> Regards,
>
> jbd
>