Manual milling cutter types of work performed. Work with a manual wood router: features and video tutorials

Those who love carpentry, that is, woodwork, must definitely know how to handle a hand router. With the help of such a device, you can create real masterpieces without any effort at all. However, this will require skills in work and knowledge of what this tool consists of, how to assemble and disassemble it. With the help of a manual wood router, you can create a beautiful door, decorative furniture or other original items. You can even open your own business, making a variety of wood products.

Types of milling work

The milling cutter is a unique device that performs a large number of rotations per second, while creating holes of the required diameter and shape. Work in progress divided into several categories. The holes that are created by the router are almost always part of a detachable or one-piece design that decorates the product.

It is necessary to consider in more detail the work carried out with the help of a milling cutter.

Profiling of such products as cornices, platbands, plinths, glazing beads, etc., is carried out with an edge. Such works are suitable for furniture manufacturers. This is a wonderful solution for decorating wood products.
Decorating the edges of complex products with a router helps to create an exclusive product. A professional can even create a masterpiece. For beginners, the video will help in this case. Such a process is necessarily carried out using templates. They contribute to the creation of identical patterns over large areas.
With the help of a wood router, simple everyday problems are solved. For example, it is necessary to make recesses for locks or under awnings. For this, a special milling cutter is used, however, for homework, you can also use a hand tool.

All woodwork is done with special cutters. They are chosen, focusing on the type of work that will need to be carried out, and the type of wood that is milled. On the Internet you can find a large number of videos that explain in detail and clearly show what the cutter looks like and how to choose the right one.

The milling cutter is a component of the milling cutter and is shank and working element with cutting edge. They are distinguished by:

the shape of the cutting edge;
the type of material from which they are made;
size;
designs.

Thus, for working on soft wood, light materials for the cutter are needed. And for the manufacture of an object from solid wood, preference is given to "hard" cutters.

Cutters are:

conical;
V-shaped;
disk;
cutters "swallow's nest";
profile;
rectangular groove;
molding;
folded;
fillet.

In addition, cutters are divided into those that direct the movement, have bearings and those that do not. With the help of a manual milling cutter without bearings in the cutters, work is carried out anywhere in the workpiece.

Installing the cutter

Once the required template has been found, further woodwork should be carried out with a hand router. To do this, select set the correct cut. This is done in the following sequence:

How to do the job with a manual router

A large number of electrical appliances for construction and repair carry out their work by rotating the shaft. A hand mill makes a large number of revolutions per second. It is generally accepted that woodworking will be done cleaner by a milling cutter if there are as many revolutions as possible. In fact, this is an erroneous opinion. The object may char and break if the speed control is not set correctly and when working with a large diameter cutter.

That is why for each type of work and material it is necessary to select and set a certain number of revolutions per second. The work will be much cleaner if the ratio of the speed of the cutter to the wood being cut is correctly selected.

Work with a manual milling cutter is carried out by installing it on a special table or simply holding it in your hands. Small items are usually milling on a stationary table. This contributes to the performance of work without any defects. On such a table, the router is installed with the spindle up.

In order for milling on the table to be performed without errors, it is necessary:

set the rulers on the surface of the table, under the shape that will need to be cut;
narrow rulers with an oval end are necessary for working with parts of a variable profile and are attached to the surface of the table perpendicular to the workpiece.

It should be remembered that when working with a manual router, it must be moved in the opposite direction relative to the movement of the cutter. Otherwise, the tool often breaks out of the hands and causes injury.

Safety Compliance

Manual wood router required requires safety precautions so as not to cause harm to health:

Conclusion

It is not easy to learn how to make wood products with a hand router. Best to explore video tutorials with necessary instructions. Do not forget that this is a rather dangerous tool that can cause serious injury. That is why it is important to observe safety precautions, to be attentive and careful.

A woodcarving router is a kind of special hand tool, through which at home it is possible to perform various types of woodwork with your own hands. Specialists who can operate a router can use it to create very different products for various purposes. Moreover, such a tool as a wood carving router will help you in cases where there is a need to cut door locks, cut the necessary holes or grooves, furniture hinges and the like.

Wood carving with a milling cutter - highlights

In order to learn how to work correctly with a router, it is first recommended to understand what kind of tool it is and what are the principles of its operation. So, cutter- this is a tool for processing wood blanks, designed, among other things, for performing very difficult complex and creative work. The main working element of the tool- this is a cutter, through the action of which, in fact, the workpiece is processed. Its design includes a working head with cutting parts of various shapes and a shank.

Types of woodworking with a milling cutter

Depending on the final purpose of the destination, as well as used in the creation of wood products, there are several types of milling work.

Among them:
1) milling the edges of profiled wooden elements;
2) milling of various grooves (technological, decorative);
3) milling of unusual elements;
4) milling of art products.

With the help of a milling cutter, any owner can independently make various products at home. For example, plinth, trim, etc. Such edges can be used to create home furniture, for a variety of crafts, in the decorative design of household items or other things.

For this type of milling, you will need special edge cutters with a guide bearing on the work head. During the execution of the product, the bearing is pressed against the edge of the machined area of the part, providing the required specific distance between the product and the cutter. Here, the craftsman can also choose from different types of edge cutters that differ in shape. For example, profile cutters will help you create curly edges on the ends. In order for the edge to take the form of a specific angular bevel, cone cutters can be used. There are also disc varieties of cutters, through which you can make a rectangular groove on the part corresponding to the depth you need. Seam and fillet types of such tools are more often used to create decorative wooden products.

Wood carving with a router often requires the selection of holes or recesses defined by various parameters, as well as different grooves of different shapes for wood products, both open and closed. The product may consist of detachable or non-detachable elements with groove-thorn joints, as well as other possible bindings, the execution of which requires the most accurate and correct work (for example, in the manufacture of windows or doors).

To do this kind of work, you will need two opposing cutters that are symmetrical to one another. They are devoid of bearings, so it is recommended to use them with other special devices that could ensure the accuracy of the position of the working head.

Carving with a milling cutter of unusual and artistic objects

If you decide to create with your own hands, for example, some kind of exclusive furniture made of wood or some kind of decorative thing that claims to be of artistic value, you will need a variety of types of cutters, depending on the complexity of the shape of the intended product.

If you have an electric hand router, with enough diligence, you can really create a completely unique household item, furniture, or something completely different on your own. With the help of different cutters, you can apply a variety of grooves or make different holes on the wooden parts you need. Also, without much effort at home, you can process various edges or cut out shields. It is very easy to mount various furniture fittings with a milling cutter, and, importantly, real woodcarving with a milling cutter will be available to you.

Basically, for artistic carving, fillet cutters and the so-called V-shaped cutters are chosen, which craftsmen use without bearings. This application allows you to make engravings of the required depth on the surfaces of products. And if you consider yourself a fairly creative person, then you will definitely get a unique piece of art.

A hand router is an indispensable tool for most carpentry work. For those who want to master the skills of a carpenter and learn how to make with their own hands not only various wooden crafts, but also original beautiful wooden furniture decorated with carvings, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the main features of using the device. In Russia, since ancient times, houses, furniture and other products have been decorated with wood carvings. In many cities there are museums of wooden architecture, the exhibits of which cause admiration and surprise.

A mechanized tool can significantly speed up the execution of work, production can even be put on stream if there is a sales market. Of course, in addition to a manual router, you will need a workbench, various fixtures, and high-quality material.

Basic Operations of a Hand Router

The use of manual wood routers allows you to perform the following types of processing:

production of slots, folds, grooves;
precise processing of laminate for furniture and other products;
various types of carving on wooden surfaces, engraving works;
cutting round and oval holes;
the device of connecting spikes of various types;
grinding work;
cutting quarters;
production of sockets for fittings.

With the availability of equipment, a wood router can be used to work with plastic, plexiglass, artificial stone, and non-ferrous metals. In skillful hands, the device will be able to show all its capabilities.

Manual milling machines are available in three types:

for processing lamellas;
for processing edges;
upper.

A lamellar router is used to make connecting grooves in various parts. The edge router is designed for precise edge cutting and chamfering. Both devices are highly specialized and are rarely used for other work.

Type "top" is available in 2 versions: fixed and submersible. This type is the most versatile and is used for most operations.

Stationary - the device is an electric motor with the function of adjusting the depth of the cut. The depth of milling is set by moving the milling cutter relative to the sole and is fixed with a special clamp. When starting work, you need to hold the tool on weight above the selected point and slowly deepen the rotating cutter. At the first attempts, this operation is usually very difficult, the cutter goes away from the right place.

This drawback has been eliminated on submersible type milling devices. Rigid springs and guides for moving in a vertical plane are installed between the sole and the engine. The immersion depth is set and fixed with a special clamp. In the normal position, the cutter does not reach the surface of the material. In order for the cutter to begin to deepen, it is necessary to press the device with force. The clamp will limit the immersion depth. When the pressure disappears, the router will automatically rise and the workpiece will be stopped. This design greatly simplifies the work.

The most requested types of work

All types of surface treatment that a manual wood router can perform can be classified into several categories:

Production of long longitudinal and transverse recesses with various section shapes. This category includes quarters, grooves, grooves. Slots can go to the edge of the product (open) or located inside (closed). They are mainly used with a constructive purpose in groove-ledge joints.
Production of edges of various shapes (profiling). With the help of this operation, it is possible to produce glazing beads, platbands, skirting boards, cornices and other products with various surface shapes. In addition to the constructive function, these details are used as decorative elements.
Production and processing of complex contours and surfaces. This operation is used in the manufacture of furniture, various interiors for rooms, and handicrafts. In the serial processing of products, templates are used that allow the manufacture of identical elements of parts with great accuracy.
The device of various elements for constructive purposes. Basically, these are holes for mounting parts.

The main operations that can be performed are listed. If you have tools and fixtures, the list can be much longer.

Router tool

Work with a manual wood router is performed using cutter nozzles with the shape of the cutting edge necessary for processing. Differently shaped surfaces have a cylindrical shank for mounting in a collet. The tool is manufactured with fixtures of a standard size corresponding to the size of the collets. Trade enterprises offer a wide range of cutters of various shapes and sizes. When purchasing a tool, you need to pay attention to the material of the cutting edges. For wood of different hardness, different steel is used.

To process parts with the required accuracy, it is necessary to ensure a stable position of the tool relative to the surface in 3 planes. The vertical position is provided by a sole with an immersion mechanism.

A stable position in the horizontal plane can be maintained in several ways:

use a cutter with a guide bearing;
use the guide bushing on the support surface of the router;
use accessories supplied with the device or purchased separately.

Milling cutters with a guide bearing in most cases are used for processing the edges of parts and have the corresponding name - edge cutters. The shape and size of the tool can be very diverse.

The guide sleeve and fixtures are used when working with groove cutters. Mounting a bearing on this type of tool is not possible because the cutting surfaces are in the vertical and horizontal plane of the tool.

Installing and changing tools

Installation and change of cutters can be performed on the device with the base removed or assembled. The main rule is that the tool must be disconnected from the mains. Shutdown does not mean the start button turned off, but the plug with the power cord of the router removed from the socket.

You can change the tool correctly in the following order:

place the milling cutter in a position convenient for access;
fix the spindle or motor shaft (some models are equipped with a special button for fixing, if not, fix with a key);
loosen the clamping nut of the collet clamp, remove the cutter;
insert a new tool to a depth of at least 20 mm or until it stops;
tighten the collet clamp;
unlock the spindle or motor shaft.

If there is no tool in the collet, it cannot be tightened with a nut. He might break.

Optimum rotation speed

Compared to other power tools, the router operates at higher speeds - over 10,000 rpm. At higher speeds, the quality of the machined surface is much better. Working at high speeds has its drawbacks - the tool and the surface become very hot due to friction. The surface of the part may be charred from high temperatures. When using large diameter cutters, centrifugal force may cause the device to fail and break.

To eliminate these shortcomings, start buttons with adjustable rotation speed are installed on the motors of the milling cutters. On some models, the speed control is not combined with the start button.

The surface finish depends on 2 parameters that are closely related - the speed of rotation of the cutter and the linear speed of the surface of the cutter. At the same rotational speed, cutters with a larger diameter will have a higher linear speed. The regulator will help bring these ratios to the optimal value. To use the regulator correctly, you need to look at the table of manufacturer's recommended values for various tool diameters. When choosing a speed, the hardness of the material being processed must be taken into account. Here the ratio is inversely proportional - for hardwood it is desirable to use low speeds and vice versa.

If the router heats up when operating at low speeds, for quick cooling, you need to run it at maximum idle speed. The air flow will quickly cool the engine and other parts of the device, as well as remove accumulated dust.

Direction of tool rotation

How to work with a manual router so that the rotation of the tool ensures maximum efficiency?

The rotation of the tool may or may not match (advance) the direction of movement of the device. The main and correct position will be counter milling, when the cutting edge creates a force directed against the movement of the device, pushes it back.

Climb milling can be used only in emergency situations, when material chips are formed during counter milling. When working with a passing direction, special care must be taken. Coinciding forces can pull the device out of your hands, causing injury.

Depth adjustment

For precise processing of the part in depth, many devices are equipped with special regulating and limiting devices. Despite the different designs, the principle of operation is the same in most cases.

The procedure for setting the required depth is as follows:

install the device vertically on a flat surface;
set the disk with stops to the position of maximum depth;
release the limiter fixing screw;
disable the engine start blocking system;
lower the engine until the cutter touches the surface;
block the engine in this position;
lower the depth gauge to the stop opposite;
set the position indicator to the zero mark of the scale;
raise the limiter so that the pointer on the scale matches the required size;
fix the slider;
unlock the engine.

Setting the required milling depth is now complete. A disk with 3 stops is needed for a large depth of processing of the part. In order not to create a large load on the tool and device, processing is carried out in several passes. First you need to select the highest stop (the first pass at the minimum depth), then the second (middle depth) and the third (maximum).

A milling cutter is a rather expensive and dangerous device during operation.

When working with a manual router, it is necessary to observe all the safety measures specified in the instructions.

Before using new untested methods of work, you need to carefully weigh all the positive and negative points so as not to be without a tool with injured limbs or other parts of the body.

Work with a manual router

By purchasing a manual router, most likely, you certainly will not become YouTube stars, like some professionals who draw on wood with them (with a manual router), like artists with pencils or markers on paper and show their master classes on video there, although who is stopping you from doing this do or at least try to give them a little "rest" or "nervous smoke".

In any case, you can make a lot of useful and beautiful things at home or in the country, for example, instill a new breath in old bedside tables, shelves, tables, railings, make beautiful wooden window sills, hangers, decorate the house and yard with all kinds of wooden elements, themes more recently, we are often convinced that new store furniture is initially inferior in quality to the old one, and after restoration (of old furniture) it is often even more beautiful!
Besides, manual frezer makes it possible to perform such operations as: selection of grooves and slots, create various kinds of figured cutouts. A manual router is indispensable when installing interior doors. Very handy for cutting locks and awnings. With its help, you can put the lock in the door so that there is not even the smallest gap between the wood and the lock bar. So in the house it will not interfere, even if you do not use it so often!

What can be done with a manual router

Router selection – What should you pay attention to.
To begin with, we determine the type of work performed. If you will use manual frezer only for inserting locks and sheds, then a lightweight DIY is suitable– model, but if we are talking about the production of cabinet furniture, then you better stop at a heavier model of a router.
Power manual router on wood must comply with the conditions of work in which the milling cutter will be used. It makes no sense to purchase a lightweight, low-power apparatus if you will use it on weight (there will be no rigid support under the workpiece).
The ability to switch the speed of rotation of the cutter, of course, expands the possibilities manual router, but again, with a narrowly focused activity, such a function will be superfluous.
When choosing a router, pay attention to the start button (switch). It's better to buy one manual frezer, the shutdown button of which is equipped with a fixation and blocking of accidental activation. This is safety and ease of use.
Now about clamping the tool. The best tool holder is a cone collet. A cheaper option for holding the tool is collets made from cone-shaped pieces of steel, they are too small and are not able to fully secure the cutter. But the worst thing about them is that they quickly fail.
Suction of dust from the working surface is produced in several versions. Either it is built into the machine itself, or installed on the sole manual router as an additional feature. The latter is not very convenient, the visibility of the product is reduced.
Manual frezer should have a sole that gives good visibility of the workpiece, a simple and reliable height adjustment system (this system should provide not only easy adjustment of the depth of cut, but also the accuracy of adjustment of the depth of cut).
Working with a milling cutter and its device
The milling cutter consists of two main units (base and electric motor), fastened together by an adjustable lifting mechanism (regulates the depth of cut). An adjusting pin and a washer are located next to the engine, the distance between them sets the depth of cut.
The straight rail allows you to move manual frezer at the same distance from the edge of the part. Some manual routers are equipped with a circular guide, it allows you to mill circles with a large radius (from 15 cm).
If it is required to mill the circle smaller, then for this purpose there are holes on the base of the manual router, into which a centering pin is placed at the required distance from the cutter.
To select a groove, a corner stop is used. It attaches to the base of the router at a 90° angle.
Work with a milling cutter should be carried out under the condition of a well-fixed workpiece. Reliable support- this is a guarantee that the edge of the groove will turn out to be even.
In one pass, you need to remove no more than 5-6mm. Deep grooves and grooves must be selected in several passes. So that the edges of the groove are not torn, manual frezer you need to move slowly and smoothly.

Getting started with the router and setting it up
Like all woodworking tools, manual frezer must be carefully tuned, checked and adjusted to ensure its quality work in the future. Without some simple adjustments, you will not be able to achieve a clean and precise work surface. Undoubtedly, over time, the additional costs of acquiring a better milling cutter that provides increased accuracy in work will pay off. Cheap hand routers are not always assembled with sufficient care and often they are not very reliable. Therefore, all attempts to fine-tune such a router will often end in nothing.Checking a new router
First unscrew the collet and lock nut. After that turn on router and check for engine vibrations. Insert the cutter and make a test cut on a test piece of wood.

Clamping screws and accessories
Check whether all clamping screws and other threaded elements can be tightened and loosened without problems and that there are no chips on the thread. Check that all parts and accessories fit together well and that the controls are easy to handle milling cutter.

Cleaning and lubrication
If necessary, wipe off protective grease from the collet, spindle and guide posts. Lubricate the metal surfaces of the router with a light machine oil to prevent rust and keep the moving parts moving smoothly.

Router guidance
Inexperienced users often keep manual frezer not tight enough and pressed too hard against the workpiece. This makes it difficult to guide the router along the side rail and it easily gets knocked off. Hold manual frezer tightly, but without tension, by both handles and evenly, without stopping, guide it along the workpiece. Do not slow down at workpiece corners or other changes in direction, otherwise the cutter may overheat and leave pierces on the surface of the workpiece.

Side guide
Some plunge routers and most fixed routers have handles set low enough to make it easier to guide the router. However, when free-roaming, it is better to hold the router by the base itself or, for safety reasons, by the side handles of the optional board attached to the base. In this case, the milling cutter receives additional stability and it is much more difficult to overturn it.

Cutter overhang setting
All milling cutters have cutter overhang adjustment and its control mechanism. Often this is a simple metal rod with a flag-pointer and a clamping screw for fixing in a certain position; on more complex models, a precision stop with a magnifying glass for reading the scale readings and a micrometer screw is installed instead. Using the stop, you can pre-set the overhang of the cutter and mill grooves and recesses of the same depth.

Stop with rod and depth scale
The simplest version of the stop for setting the overhang of the cutter is a rod that is adjusted using a scale printed on the engine housing. The required depth of immersion of the cutter into the material is set by the distance between the end of this rod and the stop platform (in more complex models - the turret) on the basis of the hand mill.

Stop setting
Before you start setting the fence, unplug the router from the socket!. Insert the desired cutter into the collet and tighten the nut. Place the router on a flat surface and, pressing from above, lower the top of the router until the router bit touches the surface. Lock the top in this position with the lock. Loosen the clamping screw, lower the rod until it touches the stop pad. Based on the position of the flag, raise the rod to a distance corresponding to the required depth of immersion of the cutter and fix it in this position by tightening the locking screw again. Release the latch and slowly return the router basket to its original position (motor raised to its highest position).

Adjusting the overhang of the cutter on an inverted router
Can also be flipped manual frezer and, making constant measurements, using the immersion mechanism, change the overhang of the cutter until the required value is reached. At this point, you should fix the immersion mechanism and move the rod up until it comes into contact with the thrust pad.

Fine adjustment of cutter overhang
Some handheld routers have a device for fine-tuning the overhang of the cutter. It is either placed on the shaft of the cutter overhang setting device or replaces the device itself. When using this fine-tuning device, the cutter does not lower, the depth of cut can be fine-tuned with the adjusting screw. Such fine-tuning devices are especially useful for table-mounted routers that do not lower the basket.
For fine tuning, lay the router on its side (unless it is secured to a table or stand) and release the depth lock. Screw in or out the fine adjustment screw until the cutter is in the desired position relative to the sole. Fix the current position of the basket with a latch so that the resulting setting does not go astray during operation.

Milling to a certain depth
If you are milling a groove, starting from the very edge of the part, that is, making an open groove, place the router in front of you with the sole on the part so that most of it - including the cutter - hangs over the edge of the part. Lower the cutter to the set depth and lock the basket in that position. Then turn on the router and start feeding.
Once the slot is fully milled, loosen the lock and raise the bit before turning off the router and removing it from the part. When making blind grooves, turn on manual frezer and plunge the cutter into the part to the set depth. After fixing the basket in this position, start moving the router along the part.

Deep slot milling
In order to make a deep groove in several passes, after each pass, adjust the new insertion depth of the cutter. In this case, every time before making a new setting, turn off the router. With each new pass, make sure that it goes exactly on the rip fence or on the guide. Make successive passes until you get the desired groove depth. To obtain a clean surface, remove a layer of material no more than 1.5 mm thick during the last pass.

Optimum milling depth
During the milling process, the friction of the cutter against the wood causes the cutting edges to heat up. Excessively high temperatures adversely affect the hardness of the steel and dull the cutter. All this can easily lead to burns on the surface of the tree. This can be avoided by making deep grooves in several passes.
Constantly check that the overhang of the cutter is set correctly. For this purpose, make a trial cut on unnecessary wood trimming.
With hand-held routers of small and medium power with a shank diameter of 6 mm, no more than 3 mm should be removed in one pass. A little more - 4-6 mm - can be removed with a 900-watt router using cutters with an 8 mm shank. With heavy milling cutters, using cutters with 12 mm shanks, 6-8 mm can be removed in one pass without much difficulty.
These data refer to straight cutters with carbide tips. When using HSS cutters, it is necessary to slightly reduce the thickness of material removal in one pass. The same applies to the processing of hard materials.

Turret setting
To avoid having to readjust the cutter reach too often when making multiple passes, many routers are equipped with a turret that can be used to set three or more cut depths. To adjust the individual turret stop, loosen the lock nut and use a screwdriver to screw in (unscrew) the screw to the desired height. Using a steel ruler, measure the height of the individual stop screws and if everything is in order, tighten the locknuts.

Cutter guidance
As a rule, the milling cutter is guided along the part in the direction of the cutting edges of the cutter. In this case, the milling cutter not only removes material more efficiently, in addition, the rotational movement of the cutter attracts the milling cutter to the workpiece edge. If you move the router in the opposite direction, it may spontaneously move away from the guide.
1 Edge milling
When milling edges, rebates or profiles, as a rule, the router should be guided in the direction of the cutting edges of the cutter.

2 Milling with rip fence
If you are working with a parallel stop, then manual frezer it is also necessary to lead in the direction of the cutting edges of the cutter, so that the forces arising during milling press the tool against the edge. This is especially important when processing visible surfaces.

3 Milling using the guide bar
If you are routing a part along the guide bar, you generally need to guide the router in the direction of the cutter's cutting edges so that the base plate is pressed against the guide bar.

free milling
When free milling, guide the tool while taking it into account to the left of the direction of travel. This will compensate for the different resistance to movement of the milling cutter in the soft and hard zones of the part. If possible, keep the router moving in one direction. If you drive the router from left to right, the router will skew away from you - this is the safest direction to move the router.

4 Milling with internal template
Guide the router along the inner edge of the template in a clockwise direction.

5 Milling using an external template
Guide the router along the outer edge of the template in a counterclockwise direction.

6 Milling with a compass
In this case, the router must be guided in a counterclockwise direction so that the router aims at the center of the circle, and does not deviate from it.

Milling along the cutter
There are no rules without exceptions! If the part is fixed vertically, then when the router is driven in the usual direction - that is, against the direction of rotation of the cutter - the fibers on the underside of the groove being made are damaged. In the case of sharp cutters, this is almost imperceptible, however, in the case of cross milling of the face, this problem is more than noticeable. When processing workpieces covered with veneer or other material, a rough or split surface may remain behind the cutter.
Milling the end surface of the part
When milling the end face of a part, a really clean edge can be achieved if you first make a very shallow first cut while guiding the router in the direction of the cutter's rotation. This will allow you to evenly remove the main part of the wood fibers before you begin to remove the remaining layer, driving the router as usual - against the direction of rotation of the cutter.

Milling heavy wood
When processing wood prone to cracking, you can correct the situation by milling along the cutter. However, you should first try to remove the material in thin layers in several passes, feeding the router as usual - along the cutter.

Hold the cutter on the leading edge
When milling along the cutter, it is important to maintain absolute control of the feed rate so that there is no possibility of the fence or guide deviating from the leading edge. When using templates, always make sure that in case of errors in the guidance of the router, there is a retreat into the removed wood.

Edge trimming with a router
Milling in the direction of the cutter also prevents the glued edge from chipping when cutting off protruding parts with the end of the cutter. For such machining, a cutter with end cutting edges and a guide plate should be used to ensure reliable guidance of the cutter over the machined edge.

Feed rate
Although the speed of the cutter is fine-tuned, the speed at which the cutter moves through the material being cut is entirely up to you. Although the feed rate depends on the hardness or density of the material to be milled and on the type of cutter, determining it correctly is a matter of experience.
The following is important - the milling cutter should not move so slowly that it leads to overheating of the cutter from friction, but also not so fast that the sawdust does not have time to be removed.

Sawdust removal
Machining with dovetail, T-slot or ball groove cutters can only be done in one pass. Working with such cutters requires special care, since removing sawdust from the resulting narrow grooves can be problematic. If the slot width allows, a narrow slot should be pre-milled so that as little sawdust as possible needs to be removed during the final pass.

Milling of plastics and aluminum
When milling plastics manual router it is necessary to choose low revolutions of the cutter, as far as possible avoiding the melting of the material. Otherwise, sticking of the material or clogging of the groove may occur immediately behind the cutter. The same problem exists when processing aluminum - the resulting sawdust can clog the groove.