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As someone just getting started, I am so grateful for these types of videos that clearly explain how to be safe in complex situations. Thank you.

I don't typically leave comments on videos unless something impresses me about either the presenter, or the quality of the work/project/technique. In this case, I felt it necessary to express to "Stumpy"/James how impressed I was with this presentation and perfect explanation of proper router technique. Like a tenured professor, James is on point with flawless teaching from his well honed craft. Simple, accurate and extremely helpful and practical are his videos. You won't find any obnoxious, over-puffed, bloviated filler as you see all over you tube, nor will James fail to be thorough in his presentation. Hats off to you sir, you have one dedicated subscriber here. Keep up the fantastic, most-helpful work.

For newbies to hand held routers: Until you've got plenty of experience with the tool, ALWAYS push against the cutter, just as you would a circular saw blade. If you lack the confidence with the tool and attempt climb cuts, it may just get away from you and, _best case scenario_ , will only scare the heck out of you. It's no exaggeration a router is the tool requiring the firmest yet simultaneously loosest grip of all power tools. Don't be afraid of it, just don't get cocky ;)

That rule of thumb is a pretty great way to remember! Thanks friend.

Thank goodness for this video. It was finally time for me to pay attention to this…some of my scariest moments with any tool have been from careless climb cuts on the router table

Best tutorial I've ever seen for router usage. I saved it before you even suggested. Thanks James.

This guy is always a sane and practical lesson.

Dad had us do quite a bit of edge work using molding planes by hand before we were allowed to use a powered router. By hand you can really feel what the cutter is doing and easily recognize when going with the grain vs against the grain and which is most appropriate. Many of those planes couldn't be reversed because of the profile so many light passes were required to get an acceptable result. I recognize that most people don't have access to molding planes, but it really helps to understand what that cutting edge is doing before putting power between the hand and the cutting edge. What's most important overall is to maintain full control of the router and with a firm but gentle hand in both directions let the cutter do its work.

I am a new woodworker and I never heard of the rule of thumb method for routing. Thank you for explaining that. It makes it SO much easier to remember.

What an excellent video! When I got my first router in 1969 Black and Decker was kind enough to cast an arrow on both sides of the base as a gentle reminder for the feed direction. Since then, I always took a Sharpie and drew arrows on the base of the router or the top of the router table. I use a straight tailed arrow and a curved arrow. Straight tail always indicates the direction of a push cut. A curved tail indicates the rotation of the bit. That has made things simple for me. You bring up an excellent point about taking light cuts. Gentle cuts. I wonder how many people don't know that several light (and even feather light) passes eliminates most burns on the wood. Best Wishes To You for a Healthy, Happy 2022!

Love the “Rule of Thumb” tip! Thanks for sharing these valuable tips!

You are a legend! But you are humble, which makes you even more a legend!!!

You and Norm Abrams agree on this. I learned from him years ago from his show and I agree with both of you. Great lesson!

Have several routers and have been using them for years, with no accidents, the trick is in knowing there is nothing safe about a router, but this is all good info for new users, GJ Stumpy.

Spiral solid carbide help greatly in climb cutting. It is imperative in some curved sections to prevent blow out of grain. Your cautionary approach makes your video excellent!

Best video for a long time! Best advice: try first on a bit of scrapwood under so safe and controlled environment as possible! 🇸🇪

One of those videos I wish I could give more than one thumbs up. Very well explained and something that is easy to get confused even for experienced woodworkers. Thanks!

Hey KZfaq land....LISTEN to the man. On 12.19.21 I took the top of my middle finger off on my router table. I was feeding correctly but for a split second when repositioning the bit caught the workpiece in a climb cut direction and sucked my hand into the router bit. My hand was at least 6 inches away and it still got it. Just a split second finger gone. GREAT content !!!

Thanks for settling this debate James. I haven’t seen the earlier video you referred to, but this one was clear, and easy to understand. You’re a great teacher. I’ll remember the thumb & index finger guideline. Sincerely, supremely satisfied subscriber.

Thanks James. There's no one better at explaining techniques than you. Your videos are never confusing and I appreciate them .

Great tips James! Thanks for making this less confusing!

I’ve had a workpiece fly out of my hand at the router table. Template routing a curve and not minding the change in grain direction. Almost got my hand. But the workpiece flew right into my project table top and had to be done over due to impact damage. Lessons learned that day, the hard way. This tip is valuable! Great content!

Excellent job on explaining an important part of router safety. Thanks.

Excellent! Clamp the piece firmly -- always. Hang on tight, don't let the router take charge. Do that every time and you won't have to think if it's a climb cut. If the wood is questionable or the cut deep, make a thin test cut, and then small bites. Only work on the side facing you if possible. Stuck collet? Rap the nut lightly but sharply perpendicular to the shaft with a wrench or similar.

Thank you for the refresher on this, I actually printed your diagrams out years ago and keep them near by when Im routing

Thanks, Jim! Your talks on safety are invaluable.

I have been making my head hurt trying to find KZfaq videos to understand how to route in the right direction. You’ve just explained it with clarity and brevity. Thank you SO much!!!

Thanks again James. In the wood room I teach kids that "router table + climb cut = crossbow", just not one you can aim. I'll add "eats your fingers" to that adage. :-) Happy New Year

Thanks James. It’s always good to hear and re-hear this info.

in school we're working mainly with climb cuts (against the direction of the cut) in the router tables, because the machines are so powerful they can pull the pieces and it's therefore a risk during operation just like you mentioned. We have a feeding machine that we MUST use when we're cutting conventionally (with the direction of the cut). With a CCW (right hand) rotation direction we're working mostly from right to left.

Nothing better than seeing these. More people who learn from the top down will not be climbing into an ambulance. Cheers and Happy New Year to all!

Thanks James! Sure appreciate all of your knowledge and willingness to share with everyone! Happy New Year to everyone!!

Excellent overview! Nice to clear up a lot of confusion on climb vs. push cut and when to use them. Well done!

Another great video and an important one. I now really understand the cuts a router can make and when to use which! Thanks James!

The Router in the header led me here, thinking it was a computer related. Good thing that I also have a router tool. Good videos, makes sense, the direction of cutter will make a difference.

Thank you for giving us all these nice tips and tricks. This makes perfect sense, thanks for clarifying.

this is super, super helpful. i'm really glad i discovered this channel-you provide clear, succinct explanations and do so in an engaging and concise manner. thank you!

Another great video, thanks, these types of videos are so making my woodworking safer and better.

Thanks for a great video! I've always had to really think about which way to go with the router, now with your "rule of thumb" trick it makes it easier. Also now know about climb cuts and when they can be beneficial, learned so much from this short video.

One of the most stacked shops I've seen! And you know how to use them, this helped me alot!

The “hold out your right thumb and pointer finger” moment definitely triggered a lot of electrical engineering/physics students 😂😂😂

Bloody superb as always! Thank you for clear and simple explanations and diagrams! Wishing you a prosperous and year of full health to you and your loved ones!

Thanks James, I hope you and yours have a wonderful Happy New Year. And looking forward to more great KZfaq videos. Thanks for all your efforts. Cheers, Tom

I always thought as for reading: Left to Right. If at the router table : inverse, right to left. Easy. I never understood the thumb rule UNTIL Stumpy explained it in this video. Finally I get the rule of thumb because Stumby said the extra word :” touch your thumb on the side you want to route”. Those extra words here and there is why Stumby is so good.

Thanks for yet another practical and useful video. I need to enhance my router skills and this should help.

This newbie to router use greatly appreciates your video on the subject

Thank you James for this video, very helpful! I never tire of your instruction. It's amazing to me how much knowledge you have about woodworking and your willingness to share that with others. Keep the videos coming!

Well explained Often I'll use a short (< 1") climb cut at the first corner of an edge to prevent the bit from grabbing the end grain of the adjacent edge.

James - You always have safety first, as should we all - and your explanations are easy to understand and always on point and interesting. Easily the best woodworking site out there. Thank You!

This video is a good refresher if you haven't used your router in a while (like me). I cut a slot on the router table, which went fine. But when I went to widen the slot a little, I moved the fence closer to me, instead of further away, resulting in the back of the spiral bit wanting to do the cutting. The workpiece flew out of my hands to the left, and it snapped the bit off. Lesson learned!

I was trying to some wooden utensils based on existing ones as a router template. Using a flush trim bit with bearing, I ended up splitting the grain as I rounded the curve, and wrecking my work piece. This video helps me understand what actually happened, when the split piece turned into a projectile (away from me, thankfully). Thanks for the video, you definitely go above and beyond to explain the science behind things, and I appreciate the always relevant measures toward safety.

Hi James. Brilliant as usual. All the best for the new year and here’s hoping for a healthier 2022 for us all. 🌞

This video does a much better job of explaining this subject than your previous one. Thanks James and Happy New Year to you and your family.

Thanks again Jim - Good advice, well presented; "Stumpy Nubs - the most reliable addition to your shop!"

I just got a new router for Christmas and am looking forward to using it. You probably just saved me from ruining a project or worse! Love the channel. Many thanks and happy new year.

Thanks for another great video, your video always have the safest way of working with the equipment. The little tricks you add in make working with power tool a lot safer, can't wait to see your 2022 projects..

You really do a great job with these safety/skill tutorials about power tools. Your other content, like the tour of the pseudo-Shaker chest of drawers, is just as good, but for the short, focused instruction you provide here, you are really the gold standard in my book.

Thanks, I'm a beginner with the router but have a lifetime of experience with machines - so could feel the climb cut was less stable, but didn't know when and why to use it. This video was absolutely clear and now I know to be especially wary of the climb cut when I set up my router table. Brilliant teaching, Stumps.

Excellent video. Never felt comfortable using a hand held router but liked it in a table. Will give it a go. Thanks.

Thanks for all your work this year. Happy New Year

Another useful, accessible and exceptionally well thought out and conveyed video. Thank you kindly!

THANK YOU for making this tutorial!! It cleared up several points of confusion that I had after trying to learn this from several other sources.

Thank you for always making me a better woodworker James. You're amazing! Live long and prosper, especially in 2022.

Excellent, clear, useful, good advice without histrionics. This was a great refresher for me and I wish I had seen a similar video when I started out with the router years ago.

Being a machinist for 44 years, it works the same as machine tools. The force of the material and the force of the cutter meet head on. My only issue starting woodworking was to quit trying to measure everything so precise. I would sometimes beat myself up over 1/32”. Wood is much more forgiving than metal.

Spot on! It's as if you were predicting what I was thinking as the video progressed! The only other thing I would have mentioned would have been about routing the end grain of a board. The right side corners with chip out when pushing.

One of my early mistakes happened one day while I was using the router table to cut chamfers on some half by half material. I had no idea which direction to feed my stock through until the tool ripped the piece from my hands threw it against the far wall with so much force that I'm sure it could have cracked a rib. I've been very careful about router feed direction ever since.

Very good advice thank you for your time and knowledge

the rule a thumb is nice, I always like confirmation (two references), this helps. this is so easy, why I am confused by it is a mystery. thanks!

Thanks for keeping it simple. As a newbie, this is the type of info I cherish.

climb cutting, I learned the hard way while trying to route some aluminum with a 3/4" by 1/4" shank straight bit......conventional is the way to go, but a very light climb cut will give a better finish on a final cut....at least if you are routing aluminum.....great video Dr. Nubs....cheers from Florida, Paul

wow thank you this makes perfect sense now and was something I'd always struggled with as a concept.

Excellent tutorial, thanks.

When doing a climb cut to avoid tear out I start an inch or so from the end of the board and cut back just that inch, then go forward another inch and cut back towards the first cut. Thus I can work my way along the edge an inch or so at a time making it much safer as the bit doesn't have a chance to gain traction. I hope that makes sense!

Beautifully explained

In machining we use the terms conventional milling and climb milling. Push cut as you explain it is equivalent to conventional milling. Conventional milling eliminates the milling cutter pulling the work into the tool causing an unintended deeper cut "bite" as it takes up any backlash in the axis drive train. This can break a mill and/or damage the work piece. Woodworking has the same dynamics and you add grain tear out dynamics for more fun! There are simple rules to follow and you covered them adequately. Thank you for acknowledging that multiple dynamics affect the wisdom of choosing climb or conventional milling. In general climb milling with a hand held router or in the router table is far riskier than conventional milling.

Awesome video! Love the detailed explanation you give in your videos!

Awesome explanation. I appreciate all of your excellent teachings.

Thanks so much for the great video. As usual, great information presented in an understandable and professional manner!

Great job explaining this! Thanks

Thanks, Stumpy! This is exactly the explanation I need to show someone.

As always, your video is right on the mark.

I love all of your videos and I am learning so much. Thank you!

as others have said, very good video and explanation. I've been using routers for 60 years or more, (yeah, since I was a teenager) I certainly learned from time to time that I was climb cutting. Yes, it can make for a serious mistake if you don't know what you are doing. But I've also heard from so many people that one NEVER wants to climb cut, which I totally disagree with. If I'm cutting anywhere near 1/2 the diameter of the router bit cutter, for sure I'd never want to climb cut, but when cutting less than 1/4 of the router bit diameter, then I might. (of course that depends somewhat on the diameter of the bit. LARGE diameter bits I might say much less still) I have found that normally I rout in the Non climb cut direction, but for a final pass, especially where the grain is easily torn, I rout IN the direction of climb cut. It makes for a smoother cut! Normally this is when I'm only cutting 1/8" or so with the router in that pass. Not every time, but when there is potential for tear out, and it is convenient for me, that is what I will do. I hold onto the router firmly, and often will go over the work twice.

Thank you very much. Great job explaining everything

Thank you for that information,it's a great help to a newbie like me.

Very informative and helpful! Thank you.

This content is just too good man, congrats and thank you.

Excellent explanation!

Saved for future reference, thank you for your continued informative and interesting videos. Wishing you and your team a Very Happy New Year. May 2022 be a great year for you. 🎉🎉

oh my word where has this video been since i started wood working. thank you!!!

Thanks, very important video, well and clear explained!!!

Another awesome tutorial. Thanks Jim.

Verry usefull lessen Mr. Nubs. Thanks. Have a happy new year and stay sound and safe for 2022

Those graphics are very helpful for newbies to routers, like me. Thanks!

Thanks, James!! Excellent presentation of super useful info, as always.

Always helpful and useful! Happy new year! Hope 2022 will be a good one!

Well explained! Thanks!

I always learn something new from you. Thank you