What routers do

To “rout,” means to hollow out, so a router hollows out wood. It won’t make a wooden bowl but it can make grooves (like rain gutters) or it can round over edges. It’s an electric power tool that spins a “router bit” at very high speeds to cut into the wood. There are handheld routers, table-mounted routers, and automated robot routers (CNC routers). 

Handheld vs. table-mounted vs. CNC routers:

Handheld routers move across the wood in the horizontal plane. They’re good for working with large pieces of wood and doing freehand engravings. Table routers are mounted upside down on a router table and instead of moving the router, you move the piece of wood. They’re good for working with smaller pieces of wood that can be put on the table, or when using a larger router bit that would be hard to control if using a free-hand router. Finally, CNC routers move over the wood on their own in a computer-programmed pattern. They’re good for doing complex cuts, many cuts, and for doing accurate work. 

A few things you can do with a router

Here are some project ideas to get you inspired:

• Carve into a cutting board (keep liquids from running off)
• Wooden signs
• Shallow appetizers dishes
• Wine racks
• Desk organizers and charging docks

Project by ACE Makers

About bits and router accessories

There are over 16,000 varieties of router bits that you can choose from. They differentiate in two main ways:

Material (high-speed-steel vs carbide-tipped steel):

Carbide steel is harder than conventional steel so it lasts longer and can handle higher cutting speeds. High-speed steel (HSS) is cheaper however and works well for most applications. 

Use case (edge vs. non-edge):

Edge bits have a bearing (to roll along the edge) and they can make the edge of wood rounded over, coved, chamfered, or something else (remember, there’s 16,000+ different bits). Non-edge bits make gutters in the wood. The grooves can be square, semi-circular, v-shaped, or something else.