How to Make a Half Round Cut With a Fixed Base Power Router

Learning to use a fixed base power router provides for many interesting projects around your home or office. This interesting tool is quite versatile and can make a difficult job easier. Making tables, shoe mold or simply smoothing an edge can all be done with a half round cut.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make a shoe mold using a half round cut with a fixed base power router. Rip your lumber on a table saw ¾ inches by ¾ inches. Now, insert a ¾-inch half round bit into your power router. Move your fence on your base up within 1/16 of an inch of your router bit. Run your ¾-inch stock up against your fence, through the bit. This makes a ¾-inch shoe mold.

2. Put a half round bit into your fixed base power router. This particular bit has a ball-bearing guide. Turn your router on and push your wood stock up against your bearing to make a clean half round cut. Make the cut as long as you desire. This type of cut saves you from having to do an awful lot of sanding.

3. Use a 1-inch half round bit in your power router. This bit is excellent for routing table-tops. It gives you a smooth flowing, half round cut. To accomplish this cut, you must have a wide fixed base to support your table top as you work.

4. Work on making another kind of half round cut with a fixed base power router. In this type of application, use a ¼-inch half round bit with a ball-bearing guide. Use a ¾-by-1½ inch wood stock. This stock can be used for decorative molding. Run one side of the wood down your bit on the ¾-inch side. Now, flip it over and run the other side. This gives you an actual radius on one corner of your ¾-inch wood.