Feed right to left, against the cutter rotation. Getting this backwards causes climb cutting, where the bit grabs the workpiece and throws it, and it is the single most dangerous error on a router table.
Why direction matters more than anything else
The bit spins anticlockwise when viewed from above. Feeding the stock right to left means the cutting edges meet the wood in opposition to your feed, so the bit resists rather than pulls. Feeding the other way lets the rotation drag the workpiece along, and it happens faster than you can react.
The exception is small and worth knowing: when routing the outside edge of a curved piece against a bearing bit with no fence, direction reverses relative to the piece. Beginners should keep to fence work until the principle is instinctive.
Setting up before you cut
- Unplug the router before changing bits. Every time, without exception.
- Seat the bit properly. Insert fully, then withdraw about two millimetres before tightening. Bottoming out against the collet can crack it.
- Set the height. Raise the bit only as far as the cut requires.
- Align the fence. For edge profiles, the fence faces sit flush with the bit’s bearing surface. For a partial cut, the fence sits proud by the depth you want removed.
- Fit featherboards. One holding stock against the fence, one against the table.
- Test on scrap. Always, with stock the same thickness as the workpiece.
Take multiple passes
Removing the full profile in one pass loads the bit, burns the wood and produces a rougher finish. Two or three progressively deeper passes cut cleaner, are safer and extend bit life. This costs a minute and it is the difference between amateur and clean results on hardwood.
The rules that keep hands intact
- Never route freehand on the table without the fence or a starting pin. There is nothing to control the entry.
- Keep hands well clear. Use push blocks for anything under about 150mm wide.
- Do not route very short pieces. Cut the profile on a longer board and trim it afterwards.
- Let the bit reach full speed before the stock touches it.
- Use the largest bit diameter your router supports at reduced speed. Large diameter bits at full speed have dangerous rim speeds.
- Dust extraction is not optional. Router tables produce fine dust in volume, and fence port extraction also clears chips that would otherwise mar the cut.