OPERATING THE ROUTER
See Figure 6, page 11.
WARNING:
Avoid hand positions that may expose fingers to the bit
through open areas of the router base. Fingers entering
the opening in the router base can be seriously cut or
burned.
WARNING:
Always use the laminate sub-base for trimming. Use of
the router without a sub-base or using the incorrect sub-
base can result in loss of control and possible serious
personal injury.
NOTICE:
To avoid damaging the motor from overheating, do not
let your hand cover the air vents.
Before installing the battery pack and starting the router,
make sure the bit is securely tightened in the collet and that
the depth of cut is properly set. Never start the router while
the bit is in contact with the workpiece.
After completing a cut, pull the bit slightly away from the
cut surface. Turn the router off and wait for the rotating
bit to completely stop before completely removing the tool
from the work surface.
When cutting, locate the base of the router over the work
surface and firmly hold the body of the router with your
hand. Make sure the router is running at full speed before
contacting the workpiece.
DIRECTION OF FEED AND THRUST
See Figures 7 - 8, page 11.
The router motor and bit revolve in a clockwise direction.
This gives the tool a slight tendency to twist in your hands
in a counterclockwise direction, especially when the motor
starts.
Feed the router into the workpiece from left to right. When
fed from left to right, the rotation of the bit pulls the router
against the workpiece. If fed in the opposite direction, the
rotation forces of the spinning bit will tend to throw the router
away from the workpiece, causing kickback. This could
result in loss of control of the router.
Because of the extremely high speed of bit rotation during
a proper feeding operation, there is very little kickback to
contend with under normal conditions. However, should the
bit strike a knot, hard grain, foreign object, etc. that would
affect the normal progress of the cutting action, there will be
a slight kickback. Kickback could be sufficient to spoil the
OPERATION
trueness of your cut if you are not prepared. Such a kickback
is always in the direction opposite the direction of bit rotation.
To guard against kickback, plan your set-up and direction
of feed so that you will always be thrusting the tool—to hold
it against whatever you are using to guide the cut—in the
same direction that the leading edge of the bit is moving. The
thrust should be in a direction that keeps the sharp edges
of the bit continuously biting straight into new (uncut) wood.
PROPER RATE OF FEED
Trimming and edge shaping depend upon careful set-up
and selecting the proper feed rate.
The proper feed rate is dependent upon:
The hardness and moisture content of the workpiece.
The depth of cut. It is necessary that you do not exceed
1/8 in. depth of cut for proper rate of feed.
The cutting diameter of the bit. Maximum bit size for
roundover and edging operations is 3/8 in. max. Maximum
straight bit size for rabbeting and dado operations is
1/4 in.
For edge shaping in soft woods such as pine, a faster rate
of feed can be used. When edge shaping in hardwoods
such as oak, a slower rate of feed will be required. In all
wood types, a slower rate of feed is required when cutting
shallow grooves.
Several factors will help you select the proper rate of feed.
Choose a rate that does not slow down the router motor.
Choose the rate of feed at which the bit advances firmly
and surely to produce a continuous spiral of uniform chips
or a smooth trim edge on laminate.
Listen to the sound of the router motor. A high-pitched,
strained sound means you are feeding too fast.
Check the progress of each cut. Too-slow feeding can
cause the router to take off in a wrong direction from the
intended line of cut. Force-feeding increases the strain
of holding the tool and can result in damage to the tool.
Notice the chips being produced as you cut. If the router
is fed too slowly, it will scorch or burn the wood. If the
router is fed too fast, it will take large chips out of the
wood and leave gouge marks.
Always test a cut on scrap piece of the workpiece wood
or laminate before you begin. Always grasp and hold the
router firmly when trimming.
When using the largest recommended straight bit (1/4 in.)
in any type of wood, maintain a maximum cutting depth
of 1/8 in. and a very slow feed rate to achieve the best
quality cut. A cross-grain cut requires a slower pace than
an identical cut with the grain in the same workpiece.
There is no fixed rule. Proper feed rate is learned through
practice and use.
7 — English