If you don’t have the bit you need, you can buy sets of router bits from your local hardware store or online.
You can buy a router from your local hardware or home improvement store. Consult your router’s user manual if you don’t know how to change the bit. Some guards have a quick-release lever on the side of the router so you don’t have to unscrew it.
The adjustment dial usually has depth measurements printed on it, but check the bit depth with a ruler to ensure that it’s correct.
If you’re making curved grooves in the wood, either trace the edge of a rounded object or use a compass to draw your lines.
If you want to cut a curved groove, you can either try routing it without using a guide, or you can buy a curved guide from your local hardware store. Secure the curved guide to the piece of wood you’re carving with a C-clamp.
The router may tear out some of the wood when you first start and stop running the machine. If you want to prevent tear out, start and end the router in scrap pieces of wood butted up against the piece you’re cutting. Routers can produce a lot of sawdust, so keep a shop vacuum nearby so you can easily clean up when you’re finished. Some routers even have ports that you can directly attach a vacuum hose to.
Most rotary tools come with a set of bits, but you can buy additional bits from hardware stores or online.
You can get a spiral cutter attachment from your local hardware store or online.
If you want to make a curved line instead, trace around a curved guide template or draw the curve with a compass.
You can hold the rotary tool on the piece of wood you’re cutting to see how far the bit hangs over the edge. If you aren’t sure how to adjust the depth on your spiral cutter attachment, consult the user manual for help.
Make sure the scrap wood you’re using has a flat edge, or else the groove may cut unevenly. You may also use a saw fence as a guide if you have one available. If you want to make a curved groove in the wood, then secure a curve guide to your wood with a C-clamp. You can buy curve guides from your local hardware store.
Don’t take the rotary tool out of the wood while it’s still running or else you could make an accidental cut or make your groove crooked. Never touch the bit on the rotary tool while the machine is running, or else you could severely injure yourself.
You won’t have a blade guard on your saw when you cut grooves, so be extra cautious while running the machine so you don’t cut yourself. Table saws work best for cutting long, straight grooves in planks of wood.
Table saws don’t work well for cutting grooves in large pieces of plywood since you won’t be able to see where the cut lines up very well.
If your table saw doesn’t have a fence, then secure a straight piece of scrap wood on the side of the blade instead. You can also clamp a board on the other side of the saw blade if you want to ensure the wood you’re cutting doesn’t move or shift.
Never try to grab your wood until you turn the blade off, or else you could accidentally cut yourself. Don’t push the wood through the blade without a pusher since you could get seriously injured if you’re cut by the saw.
If the groove is too small, move the saw fence 1⁄8 inch (0. 32 cm) away from the blade to widen the groove.
