Ron's Tips
Ron Fox used Wealden cutters for about 25 years and they formed the largest proportion of his cutter armoury.
According to Ron, “cutter manufacturers will tell you, with good reason, that the router owes its versatility to the enormous range of cutters available for it. I think that there is a second very important reason for this versatility: the ability to make numerous very simple work aids, used in conjunction with specific cutters, to get the most out of your router.”
Sadly, Ron is no longer with us, but his Hints & Tips and Product Reviews for Wealden remain as a fitting memory to his extensive knowledge of woodworking in general and routing in particular.
| Building a router table | |
|---|---|
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART ONE The Top The top is the all-important component of any router table, with the prime requirement that it should be Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART TWO Laminating the MDF Both surfaces of the MDF top should be laminated to prevent bowing. I bought half a sheet Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART THREE Installing the insert plate The perimeter cut I chose to fit the Trend phenolic insert plate, which is stocked by Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART FOUR Installing the insert plate The centre aperture When the perimeter cut has been made, the middle can be cut out Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART FIVE Installing the insert plate Fitting the adjusters The insert plate adjuster system consists of eight threaded brass bushes let into Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART SIX Fitting the router to the insert plate The insert plate used for this table is the US-made Trend phenolic plate, Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART SEVEN Making the fence The fence is made of 18mm MDF and runs the length of the table. Two pieces of Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART EIGHT Guards and Hold-Downs Guards Router tables need guards and hold-downs for safe and efficient working. Many commercial tables are short Read the full article... |
 | BUILDING A ROUTER TABLE – PART NINE Router table assembly With the fence and guards completed it is time to drill any remaining holes in the tabletop, Read the full article... |
| Cutter care and use | |
 | ROUTER CUTTERS – USE Inserting cutters Insert as much of the cutter shank as possible into the collet, with at least three-quarters of its Read the full article... |
 | ROUTER CUTTERS – CARE Cutter cleaning A clean cutter is halfway to a sharp cutter. Cleaning is a simple process: Remove bearing if present. Read the full article... |
| General | |
 | GUIDE BUSH CUTTER OFFSET The crucial thing about using guide bushes is that the cut takes place at a distance from the outside edge Read the full article... |
 | FINE HEIGHT ADJUSTERS A fine height adjuster is extremely useful, not only for setting depth of cut precisely but also, in certain situations, Read the full article... |
 | SETTING PIECES When using complex cutters such as profile/scribe, lock mitre, corner lock and glue joint cutters, it is essential that the Read the full article... |
 | WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A ROUTER It has become a cliché that “the router is the most versatile tool in the workshop” but this is only Read the full article... |
 | Router collets Question I have great difficulty in removing cutters from my router. I undo the collet nut completely but the cutter Read the full article... |
| Guide bushes | |
 | GUIDE BUSHES PART ONE – THE BASICS Guide bush work is one of the most creative areas of routing but one of the most neglected. A guide Read the full article... |
 | GUIDE BUSHES PART TWO: COMMERCIAL JIGS & TEMPLATES – AN INTRODUCTION Many of the most useful and popular commercial router jigs work with guide bushes. Examples include dovetail, hinge, mortise and Read the full article... |
 | GUIDE BUSHES PART THREE: COMMERCIAL JIGS Guide bush work with commercial jigs ranges from relatively light applications such as hingeing, to heavy-duty jobs such as lock Read the full article... |
 | GUIDE BUSHES PART FOUR: COMMERCIAL TEMPLATES Commercial templates using guide bushes are available for letters, numbers, holes for cable tidying, letterbox apertures, inlaying, etc. Lettering and Read the full article... |
| Jigs & work aids | |
 | SURFACING AND THICKNESSING Surfacing and thicknessing with the router and a suitable cutter is particularly useful in two specific situations: When you have Read the full article... |
 | MAKING RECTANGULAR TEMPLATES Templates for straight-sided figures can be easily made using a few straight ‘sticks’ of MDF plus your router, guide bush Read the full article... |
 | ROUTER FENCE False router fence With some jobs – mortising with a hand-held router, for example – it is a great advantage Read the full article... |
 | ANTI-TILT BASE Router anti-tilt plate One of the best ways to prevent tilting when hand routing the edge of a panel is Read the full article... |
 | ROUTER FALSE BASE Router base pattern The most useful thing you can make for your routing is a pattern of your router base Read the full article... |
 | Guide bush jig The guide bush guide is simply a piece of 6mm, 9mm or 12mm MDF with a slot cut in it Read the full article... |
 | Cutting circles with the router Small Circle Cutter Circles cut with a router are usually made with some form of trammel bar, but the minimum Read the full article... |
 | Simple housing jig The first example of a simple work aid is one of my most-heavily used: a simple housing jig. I describe Read the full article... |
| What to look for in a router table | |
 | WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A ROUTER TABLE – PART ONE For most workers the biggest single step forward in expanding the scope of their routing is to buy or build Read the full article... |
 | WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A ROUTER TABLE – PART TWO Routers for router tables The first and main consideration is size and power for the intended purpose. Many workers use Read the full article... |
