Router

A router spins a bit at genuinely alarming speed — often 10,000 to 25,000+ RPM — to cut grooves, edge profiles, and joinery in wood. It might be the single most versatile tool in a shop: the same body, with a different bit and jig, rounds over an edge, cuts a dado, hollows a mortise, or trims laminate dead flush. Few tools do that much with that little reconfiguration.

Handheld vs. Table-Mounted

A handheld router gets guided across the workpiece by hand, typically against a straightedge, a template, or the bit's own guide bearing. A router table flips the whole arrangement: the router hangs upside down under a table, and the workpiece moves across a fixed bit instead. Router tables generally win on control for small or repetitive parts; handheld wins for large panels or anything too unwieldy to bring to a table.

Bit Speed and Feed Rate

Getting RPM and feed rate right (how fast you move the router through the cut) matters for both quality and safety — feed too slowly at high RPM and you'll burn the wood or cook the bit; feed too fast and you'll get tearout or bog the motor down. Larger-diameter bits want slower RPM, since their cutting edges are covering more distance per rotation at the same spin rate.

Safety

Router bits are small, spin at a genuinely dangerous speed, and sit mostly exposed during the cut — which is exactly why secure clamping, a firm two-handed grip, and eye and hearing protection aren't optional extras here. Confirm any bit is actually rated for the RPM you're running, and never adjust bit height or depth while the router is still plugged in.