Woodworking Tools Routers Teacher’s Guide Introduction This Teacher’s Guide provides information to help you get the most out of Routers, part of the Woodworking Tools series. The contents in this guide will allow you to prepare your students before they use the program, assist them as they navigate through the content, and present follow- up activities to reinforce the material’s key learning points. Woodworking Tools is a 16-part series of programs that address the safe operation of the most popular and useful types of woodworking tools. Each program delves into a different tool, including its purpose and associated parts. It teaches students how to choose the proper blade or bit for the task and perform the various woodworking operations that can be accomplished with a particular tool. The 16 videos in this series enable and encourage students to safely and creatively use power tools to their maximum proficiency. Routers is a 20-minute video targeted to teenagers and young adults. Its content is appropriate to such curriculum areas as Technology Education, Trade, and Industrial Education. In addition, the information presented in Woodworking Tools could also be presented in vocational/technical schools or adult education courses that focus on shop, carpentry, woodworking, or construction education and research. Learning Objectives After watching each video program in the series, students will be able to: • Identify which tools are best for which job in the wood shop. • Understand how to safely operate a variety of woodworking tools. • Demonstrate how to safely clean, maintain, and sharpen a variety of woodworking tools. • Explain how to change and adjust bits, blades, and other elements of a variety of woodworking tools. Educational Standards The Routers video program correlates with the following standards: ■ The competency standards for Core Curriculum and Carpentry from the National Center for Construction Education & Research; ■ The State Standards of Essential Knowledge and Skills for Trade and Industrial Education (Construction-Maintenance Systems, High School) for the State of Texas; ■ The Technology Education Standards (Tools, Resources, and Technological Processes) for the State of New York. • 2.0 Career Cluster: Architecture and Construction Careers in designing, planning, managing, building and maintaining the built environment. (Competency Standards for Core Curriculum and Carpentry from the National Center for Construction Education & Research.) • The student knows the function and application of the tools, equipment, technologies, and 2 materials used in construction carpentry. The student is expected to safely use hand and Copyright © 2006 Shopware® power tools and equipment commonly employed in carpentry. The student demonstrates knowledge of new and emerging technologies that may affect construction carpentry. (Texas State Standards on Building Carpentry: Essential Knowledge and Skills for Trade and Industrial Education—Construction-Maintenance Systems, High School) • The student knows the function and application of the tools, equipment, technologies, and materials used in mill and cabinetmaking. The student is expected to safely use hand and power tools and equipment commonly employed in mill and cabinetmaking; properly handle and dispose of humanly and/or environmentally hazardous materials used in mill and cabinet- making; utilize the proper procedures in sawing, planing, shaping, turning, boring, mortising, and sanding various types of woods; demonstrate knowledge of numerically-controlled and computer-controlled production devices; and demonstrate knowledge of new and emerging technologies that may affect mill and cabinetmaking. (Texas State Standards on Mill and Cabinetmaking: Essential Knowledge and Skills for Trade and Industrial Education— Construction-Maintenance Systems, High School) • The student applies technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs. The student uses a variety of materials and energy sources to construct things; understands the importance of safety and ease of use in selecting tools and resources for a specific purpose; and develops basic skills in the use of hand tools. (New York State Standards on Technology Education—Tools, Resources, and Technological Processes) Program Summary Regardless of whether a student wants to gain an overall understanding of the myriad of wood- working tools available in today’s wood shops, or just focus on one specific tool’s features and capabilities, the Woodworking Tools series will be an invaluable visual learning aid. By emphasiz- ing safety issues, the series allows students to understand not only which tools are best for each kind of job in the wood shop, but also how to operate, clean, maintain, and sharpen the wood- working tools for maximum efficiency and safety. The Woodworking Tools video program series consists of sixteen titles: • Table Saws • Cutoff Saws • Radial Arm Saws • Band Saws and Scroll Saws • Routers • Jointers • Planers • Lathes • Power Nailers • Drill Presses 3 • Drills and Drivers • Stationary Sanders • Circular Saws • Jigsaws and Reciprocating Saws • Rotary Tools, Bench Grinders, and Sharpeners • Building a Workcenter Routers presents a comprehensive review of the form and function, the various bits, and the techniques for safe operation and maintenance of routers. Main Topics Topic 1: Introduction The program’s host, Pete Bilotta, introduces the router—which he considers to be a remarkable and versatile woodworking power tool. Topic 2: Form and Function The second section focuses on the similarities and differences of the two basic types of routers: the fixed-based router and the plunge router. Topic 3: Router Bits Router bits are available in an almost endless variety of shapes and sizes; however, there are only three basic types: pin-guided, bearing-guided, and non-guided. The host reviews them, and also explains edge-forming profiles, groove-forming bits, and material grades. He concludes by demonstrating how to change a bit. Topic 4: Safe Operating Techniques The host shows the student how to use both fixed-based and plunge routers safely and efficient- ly. Techniques covered include routing edges, cutting various grooves, cutting discs and through cuts, cutting patterns, and tracing templates. The host also points out some additional safety guidelines to keep in mind. Topic 5: Maintenance In order for a router to perform safely and effectively, the collet and bits should be cleaned and inspected on a regular basis. In this section, the student learns how to clean dirty or rusty bit shanks, remove gummy deposits from the collet and bits, and isolate the cause of router vibra- tions as being either worn bearings or a worn collet. Topic 6: Key Points The program concludes with a high-level overview of the key points that have been discussed. 4 Fast Facts • A higher horsepower router means not only more power but more weight. Inside the motor there is a copper wire. A general rule of thumb is that more copper equals more power, as well as more weight. To pack more power into a router, engineers also pack more copper into it. If you lift a 1.5hp router in one hand and a 3hp router in the other, the difference in weight can be felt immediately. • A slipping bit is an accident waiting to happen. To determine if a router's bits are slipping, install a bit in the router and mark a line with a pen on both the shank of the bit and the collet. Next, make a few cuts with the router and check the position of the two lines. They should be perfectly aligned. If the lines have shifted, the collet is slipping. Remove the bit and clean out any sawdust, pitch, or other contaminants from the collet and use a fine-bristled brass brush to clean it. • Carbide router bits that are not excessively dull or nicked can be sharpened, but excessive wear or damage to a bit's carbide cutters will require professional servicing. If you want to sharpen a bit yourself, use a diamond paddle honing stone and water, with four to six passes of the car- bide cutter (not the body of the bit). For a light touch-up, a 600-grit paddle is sufficient; a more aggressive sharpening job requires a preliminary sharpening with a 325-grit paddle followed by a 600-grit paddle. • When working with larger router bits it is necessary to slow down the bit. In addition to safety concerns, the router's speed can affect the finish. If the router is burning the wood or leaving a rough finish, the speed should be turned down. If the router is chattering the wood's surface or leaving marks, the speed should be turned up. • Electronic Variable Speed (EVS) routers are relatively new on the woodworking scene. The EVS feature allows the operator to adjust the speed of the router bit, such as slowing down a larger bit for safety reasons. An external speed-adjusting unit is also available which contains special feedback circuits to adjust the power levels as the load changes. It must be remem- bered that the unit must be designed for routers, since a unit not designed for routers might burn out the motor. • A router's RPM rating is an indicator of the tool's top no-load speed, and does not reflect its 1 power output. Therefore, a 1 /2 horsepower router rated at 25,000 RPM does not cut through material as easily as a 3 horsepower model rated at only 22,000 RPM. • Solid carbide bits are the most expensive but produce the smoothest cuts and maintain a sharp edge the longest. Carbide bits, particularly solid carbides, are the best choice for pro- duction work, where repetitive cutting is the norm. For occasional use, high-quality steel bits will provide acceptable results and save money at the same time. • The shank should never be extended further than one-eighth of an inch from the collet in an 5 effort to increase cutting depth.