Routers are one of the great tools that no woodworking shop can live without. From milling small pieces of molding to adding profiles to doors, a router is a versatile cutting tool that has many uses. While a router table and the accessories that it employs are great for working on a wide variety of woodworking projects, it does have its limitations without the addition of a power feeder.
By adding a power feeder to your router, you’ll not only be able to create smoother finishes on more intricate cuts, but you can also provide additional safety when making dangerous cuts on even the hardest of wood.
There are a two main methods of using a power feeder in conjunction with a router table — with a horizontal feed or a vertical feed.
Horizontal power feeding is most commonly used for routing profiles into stock and is typically set up for profiling smaller and thinner materials. Slower speeds on the feeder often ensure that softer material doesn’t tear out by allowing the stock to enter the router head at a near crawl.
For harder materials, a faster speed makes certain that materials exit through the router blade without it creating chatter or burning the edges.
Horizontal feeding can also be used for climb cutting the face of stock. While climb cutting is a dangerous method for finishing materials, it can be a necessary part of shaping when delicate wood grains are affected by the rotation of the router blade.
When vertical feed methods are required, a power feeder can be worth its weight in gold. No longer are dangerous push sticks and feather boards necessary to keeping stock tightly pressed against the fence. A power feeder can safely hold stock tightly against the router blade without the need for putting your hands close to the blade. With a power feeder in place, it covers the router blade entirely.
Vertical climb cutting can be a tricky gamble and should never be attempted without the addition of a power feeder. While a power feeder can prevent your hands from coming near the router blade, it can’t prevent all accidents from happening. When using a power feeder for any type of cutting, shaping or profiling with a router, be sure to use the following safety tips to ensure that all of your woodworking projects run as smoothly and safely as possible.
Before using any power feeder, it’s very important that the power feeder is setup onto your machine correctly. The front of the feeder should be slightly angled toward the router blade.
The correct speed is necessary for reducing chatter and burn. It can also ensure that the stock doesn’t exit from the router at high speeds. Be sure to use a slow setting and small cuts on a test piece of stock first to ensure that the speed is correct before moving up to a faster speed setting.
Always test feed the stock with the router blade removed first to ensure that the stock runs against the router fence smoothly and the overall height allows the stock to pass through unimpeded.
Guest contributor Eric Brennan is a second generation master carpenter, with over 20 years in the construction industry. Eric is currently a featured green and home improvement contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network where he was awarded the best of home improvement in 2009 and the top 1000 page views award in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
