Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I recently bought a used Craftsman router. It is in good shape. Solid, manufactured in the 80's and takes 1/4" shank bits.



I haven't used a router before and am a little confused what bits I may need for the tear build. I'm not familiar with the terminology and sizing.

So far I primarily want to use it to trim the roof flush with the sides and to trim one side even with the other. I realize that I will need a flush cut bit but I see that they come in different sizes. Is the size of the bit for the thickness of the material you are cutting or the thickness of the material you are matching?

I will likely try to use it to dress up my cabinet doors and maybe round some corners. What are some other common uses for the router on a typical build?

I would use a 1/2 " diameter flush bit that has about 1" of carbide , with a bearing at the bottom. When you use it to trim, adjust the cutting edge up into the router exposing just a little more then you want to cut off, being sure you have the bearing running on solid material.
My advise is only buy carbide bits. See if you can find a starter set with an ogee, and a couple round over (radius bits. I would also get a 1/4-1/2 and 3/4 straight bit. Those will be the bits you will use most often. Have fun with the router. It's a great tool that can do all sorts of things. Practice on scraps before working on anything permanent like the tear!

Yep...I agree. These MLCS Boxed Sets are good quality bits at a decent price.

and takes 1/4" shank bits.

Try to flip the part that holds the bit over might get a bigger bit in.
HF has a stater kit on sale $35.00

glassice wrote:

and takes 1/4" shank bits.

Try to flip the part that holds the bit over might get a bigger bit in.
HF has a stater kit on sale $35.00

Just watch the bearings on those HF bits. I have a few that locked up and had to be replaced.

Routers are worth their weight in gold in my opinion. Get flush trim bits with top and bottom bearings and an assortment of roundover or radius bits. I have gone thru (2) 1/2" bottom bearing flush trim bits on my build. I got a Porter Cable router from lowes for $150 and i have gotten every cent out of it...

What stomper said.

I think I went through 2 or 3 bottom bearing bits in my build. I was too hard on them and if I had to do it over I would take it easier and go through only 1 or 2.

I also started with a Craftsman router that I have had since the 80's. Unfortunately it did not make it through the build and I had to buy another router. Once again, if I was easier on it it might have lasted.

Remember to lubricate the bearing regularly. Nothing messes up a project worse the having a bearing come off and cut into your work, except maybe the bearing seizing and burning your work. A touch of oil goes a long way.

planovet wrote:What stomper said.
I think I went through 2 or 3 bottom bearing bits in my build. I was too hard on them and if I had to do it over I would take it easier and go through only 1 or 2.

I also started with a Craftsman router that I have had since the 80's. Unfortunately it did not make it through the build and I had to buy another router. Once again, if I was easier on it, it might have lasted.

I would like to add the following about the Craftsman router:
Be really careful with the craftsman routers. I had used mine for a while and it was getting noisy, so I decided to replace the bearings. What I found when I took it apart was that the main shaft was severely cracked. In order to make the routers at a price point, they made the shaft hollow and just cut slots lengthwise to make the collet integral with the shaft. All of the vibration combined with tightening and un-tightening the collet cracked the shaft causing an unsafe condition.

With the Porter Cable (and other quality routers) the shaft is solid and the collet swaged on so that there are no stress concentrations on the shaft for the cracking to start. Furthermore, the Porter Cable has a ½ inch collet so that you can turn bigger bits as well as the smaller ones being mush stiffer and less vibration and chatter prone which will give a smoother, better-looking cut.

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve personally cut a lot of wood with the Sears router, but be careful not to use too big of bits (even ones that you can buy) with the ¼ inch collet. I would NOT use the ¾ pattern bit with a ¼ inch collet as it can catch and doesn’t have the stiffness and will bend causing a REALLY dangerous condition (I have experienced this personally and it wasn’t much fun (really exciting though!)). If you are careful, don’t use to big of bits and don’t push too hard you’ll be OK, but find any excuse you can to upgrade to the Porter Cable (or other ½ inch shank) router.

Woodbutcher wrote:Remember to lubricate the bearing regularly. Nothing messes up a project worse the having a bearing come off and cut into your work, except maybe the bearing seizing and burning your work. A touch of oil goes a long way.

You should be able to get this on-line or at a woodworker supply place – I’ve found they can really extend the life of you router bearings. I’ve never had one come clean off, but it will as a minimum spin with the bit and burn your wood which means a lot of sanding to get it fixed right. The router bearings should be VERY free when you spin them.

KennyRay above is correct.. go easy on 1/4" shank bits.. better yet, get a router that will take 1/2" shanks asap!! the reality is the router is the cheap part. it's your collection of bits that costs all the money.. the difference between a bit of any kind in 1/4" and 1/2" shank is minimal.. only a dollar or two..

In the pic below it looks like the router made the slot in one pass. If at all posible if you are template routing, trace your template onto your piece and then using a jigsaw cut quickly to about 1/8" to the line, then replace your template and route the piece flush. Since you have removed most of the wood it is MUCH easier for you and the router to route the wood. This is even more important with 1/4" shank router bits.

planovet wrote:

If I may....

I've never built a tear, but I done loads of wood-working. Now this is only MY experience, but from my experience, Craftsman routers are not the highest quality. I've had a number of them and ended up junking all of them. I then went to a Porter-Cable plunge router and haven't looked back. Buy quality, get quality. Same can be said for bits.