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11 64
FREEHAND ROUTING
See Figure 14.
When used freehand, your router becomes a flexible and
versatile tool. This flexibility makes it possible to easily rout
signs, relief sculptures, etc.
There are two basic techniques for freehand routing:
■ Routing letters, grooves, and patterns into wood.
See
Figure 14.
■ Routing out the background, leaving the letters or pattern
raised above the surface.
When freehand routing, we suggest the following:
■ Draw or layout the pattern on workpiece.
■ Choose the appropriate cutter.
Note: A core box or V-groove bit is often used for
routing letters and engraving objects. Straight bits and
ball mills are often used to make relief carvings. Veining
bits are used to carve small, intricate details.
■ Rout the pattern in two or more passes. Make the first
pass at 25 percent of the desired depth of cut. This will
provide better control as well as being a guide for the
next pass.
■ Do not rout deeper than 1/8 in. (3 mm) per pass or cut.
Fig. 15
ROUTING WITH STRAIGHT EDGE OF
SUBBASE AGAINST AN EDGE GUIDE
Fig. 14
FREEHAND ROUTING
OPERATION
WARNING:
Keep a firm grip on router with both hands at all times.
Failure to do so could result in loss of control leading to
possible serious injury.
ROUTING WITH STRAIGHT EDGE OF SUBBASE
See Figure 15.
The subbase on your router has a straight edge. It should be
used when placing your router against an edge guide or
fence and routing grooves parallel to the fence.
WARNING:
Do not use large router bits for freehand routing. Use of
large router bits when freehand routing could cause loss
of control or create other hazardous conditions that could
cause possible serious personal injury.
WARNING:
ALWAYS make sure the shank of the router bit is seated
within 1/16 in. of the bottom of the collet. Extending the
shank of the router bit more than 1/16 in. beyond the
base of the collet could cause improper engagement of
the collet to the bit and result in serious personal injury.