Woodworking Router Direction Of Feed. When routing by hand, the proper feed direction for inside cutouts (left) is clockwise. When the front edge of the bit is used, the stock is fed right to left.
Woodworking Router Direction Of Feed When the front edge of the bit is used, the stock is fed right to left.
It is called the "right-hand thumb rule." When trying to remember which way your router bit is spinning so you can feed the wood in the correct direction, you can use the right-hand thumb rule. Stringy woods, such as oak, prove especially prone to chip-out. Your thumb points at the work piece edge and your index finger points in the feed direction. Hold the two of them together on the router baseplate, right next to the bit. Without a router fence, you are limited in the accuracy and. Using the wrong feed direction leads to an untidy cut and can also be dangerous. I may have a few pics that should help.