Wood router

A router (pronounced rhowter) is a woodworking power tool used to rout - that is cut grooves, hollow out areas or create shaped trims along the edge of a piece of wood. The form of cuts created is determined by the size and shape of the bit held in the shank.

The tool usually consists of a vertically mounted motor that drives the shank, with the bit, held in a collet, projecting out through a flat base, control is derived from two handles on either side of the device. There are two standard types of router - plunge and fixed. With a plunge router, the bit can be lowered into the wood while keeping the base flat; with a fixed router, the cut depth is fixed.

Router bits come in hundreds of varieties to create both decorative effects as well as joinery aids. They are classifies as either high-speed steel (HSS) or carbide-tipped, and can be edge bits or non-edge bits. Edge bits have a small wheel bearing to aid a router along the edge of a piece of wood without using a rip fence. Non-edge bits are guided with a straight edge, rip fence, or a router table.