Routers

Frequently asked questions about Routers

• What should you look for when buying a router?
• Which routers are suitable for router tables?
• Which materials can be milled with the router?
• What should you consider when choosing the motor power of a router?
• What speed should be selected for routing?
• Where can I find the approved maximum speed of a cutter?  
• What feed rate should I choose for routing?
• What do the terms 'counter-rotation' and 'co-rotation' mean?
• What should I look for in the dust extraction of a router?
• How do I work freehand with a router?  
• Are there routers that are equally well suited for all purposes?
• What accessories should be included in the scope of delivery of a router?
• How does routing with the mobile router differ from routing at the router table? What are the respective advantages and disadvantages?
• What is the best way to carry out large and deep routing?
• Is there an upper size limit for router bits that I can use in the hand-held router?
• What does the amendment to the standard on routers say?  
• What is behind these norm changes and what is their impact?
• What are the consequences for routers in combination with a router table?
• What options do woodworkers have who want to build a router table themselves in the future?
• How does sautershop see this product segment developing further? 
• Can I get advice on changing the standard from sautershop?

• 1. What should you look for when buying a router?

  Firstly you have to know how you will use the router tool, i.e. whether the router should be fixed at a router table, used in the hand or for both purposes. 

  For manual operation, care should be taken to ensure that the router is suitable for use in the hand, it shouldn't be too heavy so it is easy to control, it would generally be equiped with a motor with a power of approximatly between. 700 - 1,600 watts. 

  In table operation, a somewhat stronger router or a router motor is recommended. Efficient router motors for the routing table are available from 1,000 watts. An increasingly important criterion for the router is that it can be adjusted in height from the top of the router table.

  sautershop provides a wide range of brands (e.g. Festool, Trend, Makita, Bosch, DeWalt) that offer very high quality professional routers and tend to be at the top end in terms of price. But we have mid price devices for the semi-professional and hobby area that offer a high price to performance ratio are for example Perles routers and Triton routers. 

  When purchasing, make sure that the router is compatible with router accessories such as copy rings, rip fence and guide rail adapters. Trend, Perles, DeWalt and Elu routers are related to compatible router accessories.

• 2. Which routers are suitable for router tables?

  Which is best? A plunge router or a router motor?

  Routers: A normal plunge router can be used in combination with an insert plate or a router lift, e.g.sauter OFL1.0 or 2.0

  When using an insert plate we recommend using a router where the height can be adjusted from the table top such as the TREND T14 this makes accurate adjustments easier than trying to do the adjustments from under the table.

  Router Motors: These are becoming increasingly popular when using our router tables, they must be attached to a router lift such as the popular range  sauter router lifts including the new worlds first tiltable router lift, the sauter OLF3.0. We have many suitable router motors in our shop including, among others, models from Mafell and Suhner

• 3. Which materials can be milled with the router?

  Routers were originally developed exclusivly for woodworking, now there are router bits available for many different types of materials, such as solid and natural wood. board materials like plywood, chipboard or MDF, solid surface materials (Corian®, Staron®, Hi-Macs® etc.), plastics, acrylic and aluminium can also be routed.

  Whichever material you wish to work, sautershop has the perfect router bit, if you are not sure which bit you need you can contact our experts, they will be happy to advise you.

• 4. What should you consider when choosing the motor power of a router?

  For mobile use, a router of low or medium power is usually chosen because the weight increases with the power. For the router table, however, the weight of the drive unit is not important; large routers and router motors can also be used here. However, a router motor with a slightly lower output than a corresponding router is usually sufficient.

• 5. What speed should be selected for routing?

  The correct speed depends on several factors:

  • Size of the router bit
  • Material
  • Field of application

  In general, the larger the diameter of the router bit, the lower the speed should be. For solid wood, the following speeds can be assumed:

  • for routers with a diameter of less than 30 mm: 24000 rpm
  • for routers with a diameter of 30 to 50 mm: from 18000 to 24000 rpm
  • for routers with a diameter of 70 mm: 12000 rpm or less

  More precise specifications also for other materials can be found in the technical literature and/or in the manufacturer's specifications. The maximum permissible speed should not be exceeded under any circumstances. In any case, carry out test milling to determine the correct speed.

• 6. Where can I find the approved maximum speed of a cutter?  

  It must be indicated on the shank of the cutter, for example in the form: n. max. 18,000 for a router that may not be operated at more than 18000 rpm (maximum speed).

• 7. What feed rate should I choose for routing?

  The correct feed rate depends on the following factors:

  • the material
  • the router used
  • the amount of material removed

  In this case, too, test routing helps to determine the correct speed. If the feed rate is too low, burn marks will appear; if, on the other hand, the feed rate is too high, fibre tearing will occur in the routed material.

• 8. What do the terms 'counter-rotation' and 'co-rotation' mean?

  This refers to the direction in which the router is guided along the workpiece.

  • In co-rotation, routing is done by moving the router in the direction in which the cutter rotates.
  • In counter-rotation, the router is guided against the direction in which the cutter is running.

  In counter-rotation, the cutter pulls the router towards the workpiece; in co-rotation, the cutter is pushed away from the workpiece. With the exception of a very, very few cases, you always have to cut in counter-rotation direction!

• 9. What should I look for in the dust extraction of a router?

  The closer to the router the dust is extracted, the better. Some routers extract the dust in two places. The performance can best be determined by a practical test (during demonstrations at trade fairs or at a woodworker friend's house). In most cases, the dust extraction on a router table is much more effective than on a manually guided router due to its design.

• 10. How do I work freehand with a router?  

  It is best not to. Guiding a normal router freehand is dangerous and rarely produces good results. If possible, you should always use a guide (parallel fence, template, copy ring, etc.). Edge routers are an exception, they are used with routing bits and a copy ring and are therefore used freehand and because of their light weight.

• 11. Are there routers that are equally well suited for all purposes?

  The machines in the medium power class (around 1500 watts) come closest to the idea of an all-round router. However, they are not equally good for all the work that needs to be done; of course, you have to make concessions: Either in handiness and low weight (here small routers with less than 1000 watts have an advantage) or in power (this is the upper class with more than 2000 watts). The multifunction routers from various manufacturers can be used both as edge routers and as normal routers and are therefore particularly flexible.

• 12. What accessories should be included in the scope of delivery of a router?

  To be able to work properly with a router, you need at least:

  • Parallel fence
  • Copyi rings
  • Collets

  In addition, the scope of delivery should of course include an instruction manual and the operating tool for changing collets and routing bits. To be able to work, you need at least one router. However, routing cutters are not included in the standard scope of delivery and must be purchased separately as a set or individually depending on the work to be done.
   

• 13. How does routing with the mobile router differ from routing at the router table? What are the respective advantages and disadvantages?

  • The router has an advantage when it comes to working at a greater distance from the edge of the workpiece. The dimensions of the router table are a limiting factor here.
  • Working on the router table is safer and more precise; with the mobile hand router you are more flexible.
  • Short, thin and narrow workpieces are better machined on the router table. Large panels are better machined with the hand router.
  • Serial routing with the same dimensions is easier and faster on the router table with its stops to which you can attach appropriate fixtures. If you only need to make a single routing, it is often quicker and easier to use the hand router.
     
• 14. What is the best way to carry out large and deep routing?

  The maximum size of a routing is determined by various factors, e.g. motor power of the drive unit, diameter of the tool, length of the tool shank, stroke height of the router. Under no circumstances should you attempt to cut such routing in one pass. This can lead to overloading of the motor and overheating of the tool cutting edges (causing them to dull). In the worst case, it can also lead to loss of control of the hand router or to the workpiece kicking back. You should always route large and deep routs in several passes, removing only a small amount of material at a time.

• 15. Is there an upper size limit for router bits that I can use in the hand-held router?

  As a general rule, you should only use routers with a diameter of less than 50 mm in the hand-held router. Routers with a larger diameter should only be used on the router table, where the forces that occur can be better controlled.

• 16. What does the amendment to the standard on routers say?  

  This is an amendment to the European standard DIN EN 62841-2-17. As a result, from 21.12.2021 only hand-held routers equipped with restart protection may be placed on the market.

• 17. What is behind these norm changes and what is their impact?

  The change focuses on safety, because according to the standard, routers must not restart after an interruption in the power supply without releasing and re-actuating the circuit breaker. This is not a problem for hand-held routers, but for stationary routers (e.g. those installed in a router table) it has more serious implications.

• 18. What are the consequences for routers in combination with a router table?

  New routers with restart protection that are put into continuous operation must not restart after a power interruption. Consequently, a router mounted under a router table cannot be switched on again via a safety switch after a power interruption as usual. The user has to crawl under the table every time the power is switched off in order to switch the tool back on. For the vast majority of tasks on the router table, this is a completely impractical procedure.

• 19. What options do woodworkers have who want to build a router table themselves in the future?

  There are basically three options for router table self-assembly:

  • Option 1: You still buy an "old" router, because these may still be sold until the stock is used up, At sautershop, these are primarily the Triton and Perles brands. In order to still be able to enjoy an "old" (and cheaper) router without restart protection, we recommend buying it in good time.
  • Option 2: You choose the combination router lift and router motor. We recommend this option because it has many advantages for working on the router table: it saves space, changing router bits is easier and fine height adjustment is more precise. More importantly, router motors are not affected by the change in standards and can still be conveniently controlled via a safety switch.
  • Option 3: As a third option, a few manufacturers offer standard-compliant routers that can also be used stationary. Triton, Dewalt and Trend are among the brands that are either planning or already offering products now. However, these routers are not yet widely available and are, at least initially, more expensive than a conventional router.
• 20. How does sautershop see this product segment developing further? 

  We sell conventional routers and corresponding accessories while stocks last. Of course, we continue to support customers who have these solutions in operation with our expertise.

  In the medium and long term, we see a trend towards router motors with router lifts, because in our opinion this combination is the best solution for most routing tasks. Accordingly, the range will be successively expanded with new products around router lifts, router motors and matching accessories.

• 21. Can I get advice on changing the standard from sautershop?

  Of course, we are always available to answer any questions you may have. Simply call us on our service number +49 (0) 8143 99129-0 or send us an e-mail to info@sautershop.com