In today’s era, no woodworker can deny the importance of a Best Wood Router. It is evident that having a wood router in your tool’s box is a wise habit. Even it is far challenging to complete almost any woodworking project without the help of wood routers. But the problem is that there are a dozen kinds of routers out in the market, and without having proper information about buying the new router can lead you to unsatisfied results.

That’s why I have compiled some essential points to consider when you are looking for a new wood router. By following this buying guide, you will get the best wood routers available in the market. So without any further ado, let’s start our wood router guide.

What is a Wood Router?

A wood router is an electric wood carving machine to design different dados, rabbits, and smoothing the rough edges precisely and efficiently.

A router is a set of the following items.

• Bit
• Electric Motor
• Collet
• Base

These are the main parts of any wood router. And the function of each part is described below.

Bit

A bit is a rotatory blade that is gripped by a collet. A bit is the central part of any router that gives the different shapes and styles to an edge.

Electric Motor

As you know that a wood router is an electric machine, so a motor is a crucial part of this tool. The speed of carving and laminating is directly dependent on the speed and power of the motor inside the router.

Collet

A collet is a supporting part in a router. It holds the bit and tightly grabs it, so when a bit moves with speed, it does not shake around.

Base

A base of a router defines the nature of the router. There are two types of base, plunge base, and the second is the fixed base.

Which Type of Wood Router should you Choose?

The question is simple, but you may find it challenging to choose the right and best wood router for your projects. So it depends on your needs and projects. There are many kinds of routers out there, and you have to decide whether you are looking for a plunge base, fixed base, palm router, or hand router.

Besides the bases, there are two other forms of routers as well. One is corded routers, and the other is cordless wood routers. However, in this guide, I will help you choose the right wood router for your needs.

Types of Routers

Corded Routers

Corded routers come with a long electric wire that conveys the electricity to the motor. Having a corded router can provide the motor’s extra power and speed, but you may experience frustration when working with a long cord, as it’s difficult to handle it.

Cordless Wood Routers

Unlike the corded wood router, a cordless router works on batteries. So that’s why it does need a cord to convey the electric supply. But it has some drawbacks as well; for example, you may not get the suffix motor speed and power that you can get from a cored router.

Palm/Compact Routers

As the name suggests, a palm or compact router comes in a very small size so that you can hold them in only on hand. They come with 1HP motor power and work very well on most of the small DIY projects. They are also very cheap in price, so if you are a beginner and start woodworking for the hobby, you should try with palm routers. These routers can laminate, trims, and plunges the wooden surfaces.

What to Look for?

Speed of Router

The first thing to keep in mind while you are going to buy a new best wood router is its speed. It is evident because a high-speed router will yield a precise and quick result compared to a slow speed one. But it would be best if you also had a low-speed router to cut the large straps of wood. So my suggestion is to buy a router with a variable speed dial. Variable speed dial is used to maximize and minimize the router speed. So it’s the best solution to get both high and low speed in one router.

Power of Wood Router

The second factor to consider is the power of a router. Without a high power router, you may not get a high speed as well. So targeting a high power or high HP motor. While the cordless routers work on battery, so they come with high voltage and ampere-hour ratings. The more the ampere-hour (Ah) is, the more the power.

Collect Size

Since there are many types of bits for the router and each has its own size and shape. So using more than one bits in a single router also requires the multiple sizes of collets. Usually, the small router works with ¼” collet size while the big routers can use both 1/4” and ½”.

Plunge Base or Fixed Base?

Well, both bases have their own advantages and disadvantages as well. It is because both bases are designed for different tasks. A fixed base is designed to laminate edges, making dadoes, rabbits, and stylish edges on the wood. While the plunge base is designed to plunge a precise piece of woof from the wooden piece, but you occasionally need both types. So what I would recommend is to buy a router with both bases. Or you can buy the base that you work with often.

Some More Useful Features

While keeping the above features in mind, I would like to endorse some features that you should be careful about.

• A strong and comfortable grip of the router will assist you in handling it precisely and smoothly
• A dust collector should be included in your best wood router because health comes first. The dust collector will absorb the tiny wooden dust particles that may get inside your lungs due to inhale
• Consider buying the router with variable speed control has its own benefits. You can set the right speed according to your project demand.
• An LED light in the base can enhance the visibility in low light
• Another feature is called soft-start that allows your router to start with slow speed instead of jerking.

Conclusion

Buying a new and best wood router can bring up some challenges due to a lack of correct information and a wide range of wood routers in the market. But once you read out this guide, I am pretty sure that you will be able to make the right decision. Before buying any tool, you should always do a proper analysis and research about it so you can but the best you deserve.