Woodwork Router Advice

This is a good intro to the router, also any books by Ron Fox, who is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable on the subject.

What do you envisage doing with the router on a door frame? Unlesss I need specific mouldings to match existing, which I do on a table mounted router I generally only use the router for morticing in the locks and hinges, and I have specific jigs for doing these.

Rons Hints and Tips on the Wealdon site is good and it's free.

http://www.wealdentool.eu/hints_and_tips.html

regards Martin

I have seen plenty of specialist books on woodworking when visiting an Axminster store.

They are also very good online suppliers and I always find them helpful.

Have to say that I avoid woodworking (we do not get on well)!

My limited router experience is in two parts - don't 'climb mill' with it and, unless it has a guide bearing you run along the work, always use a secure fence attached to either the router or the work. Oh, and don't forget to connect up the workshop vac.

Neil

Usual joint on a door lining is a rebate on the styles to form a bare faced tennon and a groove just in from the ends of head for the tennon to fit into. So a bearing guided rebate cutter for the tennon and 3/8" or 1/2" straight bit for the groove, you could use the 1/2" bit for both but not so easy to run the router fence along the short end of the styles unless you knock up a simple jig.

As for locks and hinges I prefer to use a small laminate trimmer which fits easily in one hand but the big one wioll also do. I'd just route out teh hinge recess and the shallow recess for the lockplate then flatbit & chisel out the mortice for the lock. If all your hinges are the same throughout the house then make a simple jig that you can run the router around using a guide bush in the baseplate and then just square up the corners with a chisel.

If you don't like having it free in your hands then think about a router table, though unless its got a sliding table not much use for these jobs

Jason (who earns his living making sawdust).

Edited By JasonB on 06/03/2015 10:26:01

Hi Wallace, for mortice and tenon joints get yourself a japanese pull saw. one that cuts on the pull stroke! much easier and more accurate. for the rebates in the frame where the door fits I would use a table saw to rabbet them rather than a router, then finish with hand plane and sander. Routers have a way of always roaming into the wood you want, so you need to "fence" so that the router cannot stray into the job. Untill you get the hang of them they are hard to use, possibly the hardest hand tool I have ever used. A few years ago I took on a project to rebuild an old Chapel for my brother, this involved removing, rebuilding and replacing 11 window frames, including the large gable window frame which was about 10 Ft tall. At this time my woodwork skills were of the order of, "I look at the wood, and it splits". The windows had curved triangular tops, which had to be repaired and reused, and there was a conplex cut joint between this and the vertical sides. The first window took nearly two weeks to do, when I did the last it was 1-1/2 days. Don't wonder how to do it, get started and wonder how you did it. You will get better!

Only ever done woodworking in my hobby room once

It took 10 minutes to do the job and 2 hours to clean up the mess, the sawdust got everywhere

My woodworking is done only when I have to, but I have built 2 houses ,mostly with a chainsaw. You don't need a router, I have a cheap one and it has saved me a lot of money, mostly making things like skirting board and trimming. I made doors by nailing 2x2 into a frame shape and covering both sides with ply, door frames from 2x4 and bought architrave to hide the joints. Locks and hinges a drill and a decent chisel. I don't want to lead people into bad practices, but it can be done. The router is safe, just keep a firm grip, and as said don't climb mill.

I have this book if you are interested,make me a offer plus p&p

Hi Wallace,

Router Handbook, Router Jigs & Techniques. Both by Patrick Spielman (USA).

Regards, Bear..

UK manufacturer TREND you will not need to go further for advice and techniques. Does not mean you have you have to buy, just look around ( I have the ELU equivalent of their largest Router!!)

Edited By KWIL on 06/03/2015 19:16:28

Another happy MOF 177E user then

With metal you can get into problems cutting too fast. With wood it is the opposite.
Wood is floppy bendy rubbery stuff. So you hit it so hard with a fast spinning cutter that it doesn't have time to bend out of the way and you can cut it rather than tear it.
Next problem is heating the bit and burning. Go faster! If the bit gets the chance to rub not cut it will be heated by friction. So advance fast enought that every rotation of the cutter goes through new cool wood. Never pause or hesitate.

Can you tell a man's age by the router he bought when younger?

The router on its own is a useful machine but will require some investment in cutters. With accessories like a router table and jigs to perform a wide variety of tasks it will become a very useful tool, but like a milling machine you will find you can spend more than the cost of the machine on tooling.

Mike

FWIW.

Template and bush for hinges IF you have a lot to do, otherwise mark up and cut by hand .

For mouldings in situ use a bearing guided bit.

For accurate repetition use a router table.

I use various cheap routers handheld for in situ work like cutting purfling grooves in acoustic guitars (bosch pof, power devil and B+Q) but a Triton 3.5 hp ( I think) in the router table combined with an Incra Jig for repetition work.

Look on Youtube for instruction.

Nathan

Assuming you're a complete novice to hanging doors and changing frames :

My take is get a professional in to do the job depending on how many doors / frames your intend to replace / repair.

Be careful with who you employ! A good chippy will make good before he goes leaving redecorating and perhaps some dusting for you to do.

PS: Sounds like a power planer would be a better tool for you.

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 07/03/2015 06:31:29

Hi Wallace,
These are the simple jigs I made when replacing the internal doors a few months ago.

I think this is what Jason was suggesting.

Note the reference end of the locating strip lines up with the top of the door.

I did cheat by using the milling machine to make the jigs.

Les.

Hi All, Excuse me, but that seems like a ridiculously complex way to cut the hinges into a door frame. this is the method I use, and which is always used by all the pro joiners I have ever seen fit a door,

Fold hinge to 90 deg and place on edge of door, pencil round and mark thickness of hinge on face of door, Chisel out and fit hinge to door, repeat for number of hinges till all are cut. Offer door up to frame, pack up with hardboard/cardboard to obtain correct clearance at top of door, mark hinges on to door frame, mark thickness of hinge on frame and chisel out.

Fit Door.

Twenty minutes tops and I am an Electrical engineer, A real joiner does it in less than half that time

Phil