One of the most versatile power tools you might never have used is the humble palm router. There are some jobs that just can’t be done without one of these handy little tools, but it takes a bit of practice to get to know it well.
The Importance of Cutting Speed
The best palm routers can produce seriously high speeds, in the region of 30,000 rpm to make short work of timber and other soft materials. The speeds your palm router can reach depend on the size of the motor, and you must accept that the bigger the motor is, the heavier the tool becomes.
It’s useful to note that different routing jobs require different speeds- there are guides available to help you get your head around this, but the rule of thumb is the wider the router bit, the slower the speed. Always practise on scrap materials before using a new router bit.
Difference Between Palm Routers and Plunge Routers
The main difference between a palm router and a plunge router is that a plunge router has a fixed cutting depth, and a plunge router’s depth can be controlled during use by the operator. The base on a palm router can be adjusted between operations using a variety of methods, including rack and pinion or screw adjustment. The best palm routers can be micro adjusted to get perfectly accurate results.
Transform your Palm Router to a Table Router
Palm routers can be repurposed as table routers by turning them upside down and attaching them to either a purpose-built router table or a DIY workbench. This allows the user to tackle awkwardly shaped workpieces or long strips of timber for creating mouldings or chamfers.
Different Bits for Different Jobs
What makes the plunge router such a versatile tool is the wide range of bits available for performing many different tasks:
The most common bits are for straight cuts, but you can also get round-over bits for creating curved edges on timber or fancy bits such as the Roman ogee for making decorative mouldings or edges. Another useful bit for woodworkers is the dove tail, which is a brilliant shortcut for making dovetail joints or flush trim bits that have a guide wheel on the top for following patterns and making copies of any shape you like.
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