Free hand routing w/ straight edge

[DaveO]

When routing a daddo with a single straight edge like a Clamp-n-guide, what is the best side to run the router on. I would think that the router would have the tendency to pull to one side, and that would be the side to have the guide on.

Dave

 

[Monty]

Since the router is 360° I don't think it matters which side you put the edge guide on... this only affects the direction you will feed your router along the guide.

Of course, if you're using two guides (like making a dado that is wider than your router bit), you'll have to go L->R on the far side, and R->L on the near side fence. Clear as mud? :-D

 

[DaveO]

Clear as mud? :-D

Yes thank-you. I have a similar chart above my router storage area 'cause I can never remember which way to go. I didn't occur to me that, that rule also would answer my question.

Dave

 

[DavidF]

The rule is: The router always goes left with respect to the forward motion of the router.

All to do with the direction of rotation of the bit and the direction of feed.

So router on top of wood pushing away from you router will pull left so put the fence on the left to hold the router against it. If you are free hand routing without a fence (sometimes necessary) then put the line on the right so that you have to force the router into the good wood, this way if the router strays it will always be away into the waste. This is shown in the illustration from insom.

Works the same with the router upside down in the table - just more difficult to get your head round. Pushing the wood into the router is the same as the router coming towards you so if you imagine from the routers perspective; it will try and go to the left and as it's fixed it can't so the wood trys to go to the right and guess where the fence is - correct on the right! so all is well. Try feeding the wood from the other end on a router table and the wood will not stay against the fence.

Even routing a 1/2" dado with a 1/2" bit the router will go left so fence on left.

Dado wider than the bit then as insom says; one side one way the other reverse

 

[DavidF]

To answer your original question - LEFT.:roll:

 

[Monty]

Yea DavidF did a better job of explaining why... I just try think in terms of which direction avoids climb-cutting, no matter if I'm routing an edge or using a guide (unless of course I want to climb cut). I guess it really matters most with the two-fence situation... you could really make the first cut either way, but the 2nd cut coming back would be a climb cut if you didn't make the first cut the right way.