# Router speeds for different bits and types of wood



## judasentinel (May 13, 2018)

This is my first post after the intro and I have a few questions relating to general routing.

1. I have a Porter Cable 75812 router mounted on a Triton table top. I had to make my own fence as I bought this table top used with no fence, etc.. I also have a PC 6902 router, which I am selling now (fixed and plunge bases). With the 75812 router, can I use 1/4" bits or should I use only 1/2" bits?

2. Since the 75812 is a variable speed router, is there any resource available to find out what speeds I should run different bits at and what wood should be routed at what speeds? Being in Canada, it is quite expensive to find exotic wood and I am generally limited to curved pine lumber. Home Depot here only sells cedar, pine, oak and maple, unlike the many other varieties that I have seen being sold even in small towns in Wisconsin, USA.

3. I have been trying to make jewelry boxes using the pine bought from Home Depot and it always ends up being crooked, due to the curved nature of the wood. What wood should I use to make these boxes?

4. My router table does not have that round insert thing that sits around the bit, and it is very difficult to change the bits on this router unless you turn it from under the table and then bring it up. Is there a cheaper solution to this?

5. What methods do people use to accurately measure and adjust bit height?

6. What clamping techniques are available for cutting small pieces of wood on a mitre saw (holding it down with bare hands too close to the blade is dangerous)?

Thank you in advance 


Judas


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Judas, you are in luck...
we have item #2 covered....
*Go to this link..* what you are looking for is in abundance...


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## judasentinel (May 13, 2018)

Thank you, Stick. Much appreciated .


BTW, hope you will forgive me for buying a PC 75812 - I know and respect your opinion on them .


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

judasentinel said:


> This is my first post after the intro and I have a few questions relating to general routing.
> 
> 1. I have a Porter Cable 75812 router mounted on a Triton table top. I had to make my own fence as I bought this table top used with no fence, etc.. I also have a PC 6902 router, which I am selling now (fixed and plunge bases). With the 75812 router, can I use 1/4" bits or should I use only 1/2" bits?
> 
> ...


1... *DO NOT* sell that 6902... trust us... you will regret it...
either shank.. ½'' shank as a 1st choice and ¼'' when you have to...
2... see post #2 for the speed/material question..
3... what wood???... anything you can get your hands on...
straighten your wood... see the jointer substitute PDF...
4... straight wrench for the shaft under the table...
offset wrench for the collet nut from the top of the table...
and for safety sake get yourself the inserts and a starter pin for the top...
5... see *your welcome link...*
6... tell us about your saw and what blade you are using...

...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

judasentinel said:


> Thank you, Stick. Much appreciated .
> 
> 
> BTW, hope you will forgive me for buying a PC 75812 - I know and respect your opinion on them .


no worries...
change the bearings for real ones before you have issues and don't you mean 75182...

FWIW..
since you are using pine, clean your bits often and save them from becoming poor performers and an early death,...


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Judas

4. a lot of folks have built there own tables. I built mine out of cheap plywood, based on the Oak Park table - used a Kreg insert plate. I've got a Bosch 1617 router installed in mine and can adjust bit height from above, but I can also lift the router plate and router out together for height adjustment.

You can see me table here; http://www.routerforums.com/table-m...ctures-your-router-table-107.html#post1713906

but you can also go through that thread to see pictures of other tables that have been built.

6. See this link for clamping/holding small parts on the miter saw - this guy shows some very ingenious ways of holding small parts - the video is long and he rambles a bit but it's well worth watching - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=knotpj60bsk


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

If your router table is wood, then its really simple to install a KREG plate with extra rings.
https://www.busybeetools.com/products/kreg-precision-router-table-insert-plate.html
There are better plates, but at much more money.

Of the woods you listed, Maple should be the best for boxes.

Measuring bit height.......
https://www.amazon.ca/Trend-GAUGE-1...r=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=trend+router+depth+gauge

If you are talking very small pieces of wood on a mitre saw I would use a hot melt glue gun and glue them to a piece of sacrificial wood. Then let the saw come down gently, allowing the blade to cut, rather than just pushing down hard and forcing the blade through the wood.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Listen to the router and you will be able to tell if it's going too fast or slow and look at how the wood is being cut, don't get to hung up on tying to get the correct speed. The router might tell you 10,000 RPM's but that's about as much use as your car telling you its going 3200 RPM's. It's all about the marketing it sounds good when your shopping for the router. For the boxes I would go with maple.Oak doesn't look that nice when stained. If your table doesn't have several size rings then you need to get or build a table that has them. Without being able to reduce the space around a smaller bit your are risking an accident, without being able to use a bit larger than the hole in the table you are limiting the router. It isn't normally necessary to measure the bit height just set it and see how it looks,. Depending on how high or low your bit is the profile will be different. Once you settle on what looks best keep a sample and mark on it what bit was used. As far as cutting small pieces on a miter saw, don't. If you absolutely need to then clamp them down using the fence and a block of wood.


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Judas.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Welcome, Munib! 

There are a _lot_ of hardwood lumber sources in Calgary. These are just a quick few that I located...
Hardwood Lumber | Formations
http://www.blackforestwood.com/
https://www.windsorplywood.com/
Hardwoods

Home Depot would be my _last_ choice. Any lumberyard will carry Pine and other softwoods; it's the hardwoods that you really want to get your hands on. Maple, Birch, Alder, being just a few of the domestic (Canada) hardwoods readily available.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

judasentinel said:


> This is my first post after the intro and I have a few questions relating to general routing.
> 
> 1. I have a Porter Cable 75812 router mounted on a Triton table top. I had to make my own fence as I bought this table top used with no fence, etc.. I also have a PC 6902 router, which I am selling now (fixed and plunge bases). With the 75812 router, can I use 1/4" bits or should I use only 1/2" bits?
> 
> Judas


something else...
that big of a router will destroy cheap ¼'' shank bits...


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## judasentinel (May 13, 2018)

Thank you all for such a warm welcome and show of support. I am heartened to see this. Very different experience from car forums, where everyone starts to put you down and rather than offer help, start telling you to "SEARCH". Very different here. Positive and supportive.

I also wanted to share with you all that I have an old Triton RTA200 router table top. It is metallic, and I had to make a melamine fence for it that I bolted on to the sliding metal mini fence it had. However, with my PC75182 router, the table top doesnt have any option for me to either change bits without removing the router from the underside every time. The Porter Cable process for removing the motor from the base might be effective, but it is not the most convenient. On my Triton table, the shaft and the collet don't stick out enough for me to use the two wrenches for collet removal. And the hole itself is not large enough to insert even an offset wrench to get to the shaft nut. Besides, having a router lift would be a good idea to down the line and this table is all metallic, with no provision for a router lift. So I decided to buy a new table today.

It is a table made by a company named Felisatti. Does anyone know anything about it? All I have found is that they are originally Italian, then moved to Spain, and have very little support here in North America. Upon looking closely, their products seem to be spitting images of Freud products, especially the routers. Anyone else note that? Is this table worth it? I still have the option to return it if it's not a good buy since I havent opened it yet, and can go and get the Kreg portable router table (PRS2100). The Kreg thing is $301, and it is not a table per se, but a stand that goes on top of a work table. Wondering which option is better for the longer term.

The third option is the BusyBee Tools' own table. This one is priced well, but they had issues with the insert plate sagging on some units (the insert plate is hard plastic). The guy said that the sagging issue was sporadic and was a fault from the factory on some units, not all. Plus they already have a replacement aluminum insert out for $80 more.

Kijiji here also has a Freud table and router for $350. The guy will sell it if I say yes, but not sure.

Any inputs on the table would be appreciated. Even though I have th Felisatti already purchased, it is still unopened and I can return it and get something else. Getting a router lift is an important consideration for me for the future, if you guys think it is worth it.

Thank you all.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

@judasentinel

*"It is a table made by a company named Felisatti. Does anyone know anything about it? All I have found is that they are originally Italian, then moved to Spain, and have very little support here in North America. Upon looking closely, their products seem to be spitting images of Freud products, especially the routers. Anyone else note that?"*

Munib: I believe that Felisatti was originally Freud, which explains the fact that the products look the same - don't remember if it was a company name change or if Felisatti bought Freud - I read an article some time ago which leads me to believe it was simply a name change, but I can't put my finger on that article.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Munib; I was going to suggest that you pick up a copy of Bill Hylton's 'Router Magic', but then I checked Amazon.ca and the prices have skyrocketed.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Router+Magic+Amazon&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b

It may be out of print now and suddenly everyone wants a copy...
Excellent book on routers, tables, pretty much all aspects of the tool and its uses. Tons of projects included (DIY router tables etc.)


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## judasentinel (May 13, 2018)

DaninVan said:


> Munib; I was going to suggest that you pick up a copy of Bill Hylton's 'Router Magic', but then I checked Amazon.ca and the prices have skyrocketed.
> 
> It may be out of print now and suddenly everyone wants a copy...
> Excellent book on routers, tables, pretty much all aspects of the tool and its uses. Tons of projects included (DIY router tables etc.)


I found a PDF version of the book and am going through it now.

As regards the table I got, I have finally installed it, but because I dont have a drill press, I ended up buying a countersink bit to use on the aluminium insert. Turned out a bit jagged, but I somehow sanded it down. The router is now held in place with 3 screws rather than 4, so I hope it is fine. The table is actually quite nice. Yes, it is ex-Freud, which I believe was bought out by Felisatti. Havent used it as such, except to check the construction and features. I quite like the split fence idea, which I think I can use to joint the edges of the boards.

One question, though...is it true that I cannot joint (square off) the two opposing edges of the same board on the router and have to use a table saw for the second one? I was watching a Youtube video of Steve Ramsey, who mentioned that you do joint one edge on the router and the other on the table saw. Doesnt make sense why I cannot straighten both on the router.

I am also in the process of building a router sled and sourced out a few sheets of 1/2" and 3/4" MDF, plus a scraps of particle board. So many different styles and designs out there, so will be spending the next little while finalizing the dimensions and design and then build it. I am doing this because lumber here is expensive for my situation and pine is the only thing that fits my budget. I'd rather, if I can, straighten the pine and use it to make things. Fingers crossed with the sled and the table.

Thanks to everyone for helping me through this.


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## judasentinel (May 13, 2018)

I finally did it!! Proud of myself, hehe.

Made a router sled for planing/smoothing surfaces of boards so I can use them to build boxes. I also tried using my router table as a jointer with the 75182. Success on both counts. The MDF makes so much mess though, it was a blessing that I could do most of the routing in the backyard instead of the garage.

Now the next thing to do is make a few boxes.


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