Router

A router is a power tool, usually hand-held but sometimes table-mounted, used in applications where you want to shape the edges of a material in something other than a square edge. There are quite a few patterns that you can cut with a router, whether they are flat, concave, convex, or other types of edges.

All router cut shapes are dependent on the bit that is used. The flat version of these spinning bits can be used to clean up uneven cuts on a curved surface, but other bits can be used to add decorative patterns or even rabbet grooves to the edges and ends of wood planks.

In situations where a portable but effective tool is needed, a router can come in very handy. If flat stock is purchased for ceiling molding or floorboards, a router is the best tool to create custom decorative edging. Rabbet and dado cuts, used to increase strength in joints, are easy to create with a router.

The main types of routers are:

• Fixed based routers – The standard hand-held router used for edge shaping does not have very many, if any, adjustments, but in many cases may be the most useful all-purpose router.
• Plunge routers – These routers allow you to adjust the depth of the cut that you are making. This can be very useful when creating a decorative interior design as opposed to the standard external edges.