Popular Mechanics Workshop: Router Fundamentals

Router Fundamentals: A Shop-Ready Guide from Popular Mechanics

Some tools earn their place in the woodshop by doing one job well. The router does dozens. This book, part of the Popular Mechanics Workshop series, is a practical guide to understanding, choosing, and using one of the most versatile power tools a woodworker can own. Written by Rick Peters and published in 2004, it walks through the router’s capabilities with clear explanations and workshop-tested techniques.

What the Book Covers 🪵

From the first chapter, the focus is on helping you make informed decisions. Peters begins with the features of different router types—fixed-base, plunge, laminate trimmer, cordless, and air-powered models—and explains how to match a router to the kind of work you do. Power ratings, collet sizes, and height-adjustment mechanisms are demystified, so you can tell a tool that will serve you well from one that will frustrate you.

Later chapters move into accessories, bits, and the jigs that make routing safer and more repeatable. The book covers handheld techniques such as profiling edges, cutting grooves, dadoes, and rabbets, then advances to joinery: dovetails, box joints, mortise-and-tenons, cope-and-stick joints, and raised panels. Table-mounted routing gets its own detailed section, including setup and the advantages of turning your router into a small shaper.

From Technique to Finished Project 🔨

The book doesn’t stop at isolated techniques. It shows how to build shop-made jigs and fixtures that extend what a router can do—circle-cutting jigs, dovetail jigs, and more. A dedicated chapter on maintenance and troubleshooting covers cleaning, adjusting bit-height mechanisms, and sharpening router bits, which helps you keep your tool running accurately for years. The final chapter offers router projects that put the earlier lessons to work, giving you something useful to build while you practice.

Who This Book Is For 📐

If you are new to the router, the early chapters provide a solid foundation without assuming prior expertise. If you have used a router for years, the sections on joinery, table-mounted work, and jig-making may introduce techniques or setups you haven’t tried. The tone is practical and direct, with the kind of detail that comes from hands-on experience. It’s a guide for woodworkers who want to get more from a tool they already own—or who are ready to choose their first router with confidence.

A Classic Workshop Reference

Published by Hearst Books as part of the Popular Mechanics Workshop series, Router Fundamentals reflects the magazine’s long tradition of clear, illustrated instruction. The material is organized to be read straight through or consulted at the bench when you need a specific answer. Whether you’re setting up a router table, cutting your first dovetails, or looking for a reliable way to repeat a complex profile, this book is designed to be a working reference in the shop.