A pin router is a powerful tool used by woodworkers to accurately replicate patterns on the face of a workpiece. There are two types of pin routers, and a foot pedal is used to control the movement of the bit. The process is virtually identical regardless of the type of pin router used. Dedicated pin routers are more powerful than portable routers and are designed to remove much more stock. Care must be taken when using makeshift stud routers to avoid burning the motor.
A pin router is a benchtop power tool designed to give woodworkers a high degree of accuracy and control in pattern and model milling jobs. The router’s cutting blade, called a bit, is cylindrical in shape, usually no more than three inches (7.6 cm) in diameter, and is usually plunged into the face of the workpiece. A template is attached to the back of the part and a drive pin is used to control the movement of the part so that the bit cutting the face of the part replicates the pattern on the template.
There are two basic types of router pins. The first positions the router above the table top, much like a drill press, and the bit is lowered into the workpiece. The position of the router is carefully adjusted so that the rotating bit is perfectly centered on the guide pin, which is fixed to the table top. The second type of pin router places the router below the table surface, from where the bit can be lifted through a hole in the table and into the workpiece. In these routers, the stud is attached to a hanging arm and positioned directly over the center of the bit. The best way to control the movement of the bit into the workpiece, on both machines, is to use a foot pedal, so both hands are free to control the workpiece.
A pin router is most commonly used to cut shapes on the face of a piece of wood, and the process is virtually identical regardless of the type of pin router used, except for the orientation of the piece. Where the stud is fixed in the table top and the router is immersed in the workpiece, the workpiece is placed on the table face up. Where the drive pin is attached to an arm attachment and the router bit extends upward from a hole in the table, the workpiece is placed face down on the table.
The pattern can be a simple outline or an elaborate design, usually designed to fit a specific size and shape of a cutter. Once attached to the back of the workpiece, usually with double-sided carpenter’s tape, the operator positions the workpiece on the table so that the drive pin is in contact with the jig. The cutter is then raised or lowered into the workpiece the correct distance and the operator begins to move the workpiece at a constant speed, always moving against the rotation of the bit and keeping the edge of the template in contact with the guide pin.
Dedicated pin routers were manufactured for this purpose, and at six horsepower (HP) or more, are generally more powerful than portable routers, which are generally no more powerful than 2.5-3 HP. This is because dedicated pin routers generally have to remove much more stock, often with bits up to 7.6 inches (1.5cm) in diameter. Hand routers, by contrast, are designed for cutting moldings and other applications where a much smaller amount of wood is removed from the workpiece using bits generally no larger than 3.8 inches (3.8 cm) in diameter. In cases where woodworkers have installed makeshift stud routers using a stud router jig or stud router accessory, the tool employed is usually a portable router mounted to the underside of a router table and care must be taken not to place too much effort on the router to avoid burning the motor.
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