A Lady and Her Power Tools

A Lady and Her Power Tools

Round 1

I have a couple of new projects (well, ok, 3 to be exact) in the works. One of these projects involves creating 2- 48” x 5” square pillars. It also involves me using my router to put these pieces together with another piece. Basically, I need to create a “slot” 22” x 1” x 1” on 1 side of each pillar. I know all this talk of “pieces” sounds super secretive, but I’m not ready to reveal too much about this project just yet!

Back to my router, I have not used either router ( yep, has 2, in almost 5 years. This means, of course that I don’t remember much about how to use it. I did have the manual for one; I got the manual for the other from on-line. When I used it last it was for this dresser,

I was still in Michigan and my brother, Dennis, helped me.  We were both novice at using it and it actually worked out just fine. Fast forward to June 2013, and I’m not so sure about using this router.

Thanks to the internet, I did watch some videos on Youtube and even asked my ex-husband to show me the basics’ when he was in town last month. I gave it a try, not so good. While looking for something else I stumbled across the fact that RocklerWoodworking and Hardware in Sandy Springs, Ga was having a class…”Intro to the Router” and I signed up right away. It was only 2 hrs and very reasonable, $15.

Well, last week I went to the store and found out that I’m the only person in the Metro Atlanta area who needed an intro to the router. The manager, John, explained the pros and cons of the various routers they sold. We then looked at the routers they sold and the router tables. As we talked, I explained what I was trying to do and my results. John explained that while it was possible to do what I needed with the routers I had, but it would not be easy, and what I might encounter while trying, translation: why you need a more up to date router, a plunge router.

Funny thing is , the problems that John mentioned were exactly what I was experiencing when using my router. Thank goodness I wasn’t as inept as I thought. I just needed a different type of router. Note to other DIYers, hand me down tools will work (most of the time), just not as easy, new tools often have lots of features that make the job easier. You can’t beat technology.

It turned out I knew a little more than I thought. You know what that feels like? Relief, that it wasn’t me, it was the router.

Well, truthfully, John did point out that one of my problems was due to “operator error”. Ok I admit it; I was feeding the wood post in the wrong direction. Since I was using the router that’s attached (upside down) to the small router table, I needed to feed the wood from the right to the left, not left to right. That explains it!! Funny thing is I had heard that in one of the Youtube videos, to move wood through from right to left when using a table mounted router, I just forgot.

Well, I still have to make those pillars, if I’m going to finish this project.  One thing I do know is that at this point, I’m not going to spend $500.00 for a new (admittedly better) router and table (also much better).

So, I think I’ve figured out a way to do this using a different tool, my Jigsaw.

Stay tuned for the next installment of A Lady and Her Power Tools. LOL Hey, don’t try Googling that title; you might get all kinds of weird sites!! Round 1 winner – the router.

Have you been challenged by a tool you’ve been using for a project? How did it turn out?

Let me know!!