How can I keep my router aligned correctly when using it with the base against the edge rather than the face of a board? Is there a jig or attachment I should use? Freehanding clearly doesn't cut it.
Wood – How to keep a router aligned correctly while running it along the narrow edge of a board
powertoolswoodworking
Related Solutions
Reciprocating Saw
Most fun.
Miter Saw
Fastest.
Circular Saw
Most likely to have on hand.
Jig Saw
Slow.
Hand Saw
Slower.
Butter knife
Slowest.
Pruning Saw
Longest reach.
Fire
Cut right to the chase
Beaver
Requires lots of training, food, and cleanup (thanks @SteveJackson for pointing this method out).
Chain saw
By popular demand (don't use on PT wood)
No affinity to Ridgid, just the first brand in the list when searching for reciprocating saw.
Theoretically, yes. Reasonably? That depends. You're describing what's termed "resawing", for obvious reasons. And you're absolutely correct on the basics: a properly tuned bandsaw with enough room for the width of the board you're resawing, the right blade, and typically the saw's fence (or a homemade jig) to keep the board properly on it's edge, at 90 degrees to the table.
So in practice, especially when you first start learning this skill, what happens a lot is that the blade will start cutting off to one side or the other. So you're constantly trying to steer the blade and the workpiece to bring the cut back to center. You end up turning one 1" board into 2 boards that range from 1/4" in some spots to 3/4" in other spots. Then you run these wavy-surfaced boards through the thickness planer a few times, and you end up with two 1/4" boards and a whole lot of sawdust.
If you're trying to build your skills, then I don't mean to discourage you. It's an important skill to have if you're gonna do some advanced projects (Google "bookmatching" for example). But if this is a one-off project for you, I'd recommend repurposing the already purchased wood and buying the actual thicknesses you need from a local hardwood dealer (i.e. not HD or Lowe's). Or as another response above mentioned, you could at least thickness plane this wood down and use it for your 1/2" needs. Good luck!
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Best Answer
I'm not sure if I really understand the question, but I think you are trying to shape the edge of a board by running the router against the narrow edge instead of the wide top/bottom. If this is the case, there are a couple of ways to keep the router steady and perpendicular to the edge. The best way is to mount the router in a table and run your stock against the guide/fence. If you don't have a router table, you can clamp some larger stock like a 2X4 to the board to make a wider edge for the router to slide on. This will help keep the router platform flat to the work.