Cutting and Shaping Wood

How do you choose the best router bits when you're getting started in woodworking? Routers are one of the most versatile woodworking tools. You can use them as a portable handheld tool or mount them in a router table. Rockler sells the best router bits in hundreds of profiles for your woodworking project. So how do you choose the best router bits for your first woodworking projects? Start by considering the kinds of woodworking projects you want to make. Then choose the router bits you will need to complete those first projects. You can add to your collection of router bits as you build more projects. To help you get started, we've put together this list of the top 10 types of router bits used by most woodworkers.

Lumber is not always flat and ready to use. Sometimes woodworkers must flatten a board before using it to build a project. There are several ways to flatten a board. One of the most efficient ways to flatten a board is by using a powered thickness planer, such as the DeWalt DW735x Planer. This planer makes it easy to mill lumber flat. It features a three knife cutter-head that delivers 30% longer knife life and makes knife changes faster and easier. A fan-assisted chip ejection system vacuums chips off of the cutter-head and exhausts them out of the machine keeping your workspace clean.

Learn more about this planer's features and a couple tips that will help you get the most out of your planer.

Having trouble with rough, splintered table saw cuts in expensive sheets of hardwood plywood? You may need a new - or more appropriate – saw blade.

A good way to narrow your options and focus your search is to answer a few key questions.

Saw blades come in many shapes and sizes, have many different uses and are used in a variety of machines. This glossary includes all the important terms you need to know related to saw blades.

This handy reference guide will help you find the perfect blade for your table saw, miter saw and radial arm saw.

A router table is one of the most useful and versatile additions you can make to your shop. With the router mounted securely in a table, both of your hands are free for maximum workpiece control during the cut. That extra control makes some routing operations much easier – routing grooves or edge profiles, for example.

A router table is unlike most other machines in a wood shop because you can customize it just the way you want it. Rockler gives you the most innovative options to create the perfect router table for your shop. There are different kinds of tables, bases, lifts and other router table accessories. Rockler also provides the Router Table Configurator to make your shopping process easier than ever. With so many options to choose from, what are the important things to look for when choosing a router table?

Why is having a good hand plane important in the shop? It's a versatile tool and can help prepare boards for a project without the need for a jointer.