Router not included.
The WR900 is in stock now at £850. WoodRat Engineering Ltd is not VAT registered, so no VAT is added. Each machine can be dispatched within seven days. Worldwide delivery is calculated at checkout.
Buy the WoodRat and get started with your existing plunge router and suitable cutters from any manufacturer. You do not need WoodRat-branded cutters. The PlungeBar is an optional extra that makes plunging easier; you can use the router’s own plunge controls without it. Router and cutters are not included. The WR900 is made in England and cuts dovetails, mortise and tenon joints, sliding dovetails, box joints and more.
What owners say
"It is by a long way the best routing and dovetailing platform that I have ever come across." (Victor Ravensdale)
"I bought it as a dovetailing machine, but I now use it for so many joints I could not begin to write them all down." (Andy Boyd)
"...am extremely impressed with its accuracy and simplicity of operation." (Stephen Foley)
What’s new on the WR900: an improved channel and sliding bar with more tee slots, plus new aluminium fences with extra tee slots.
Why buy a new WR900 rather than second-hand?
• Three-year warranty against defective parts and a 28-day no-quibble return. A second-hand machine usually comes with neither.
• The latest version, with the improved channel, sliding bar and new aluminium fences. Older machines, including the WR600 and LittleRat, do not have these.
• Complete, with everything listed below. Used machines are often sold with parts or the manual missing.
• Support and spares direct from WoodRat. Questions about setup, cutters or parts come straight to us.
• Made in England, and dispatched within seven days.
Will my router fit?
The WR900 takes virtually any plunge router. Your router bolts to the supplied router plate, so you don't need a particular make or model.
The only part that depends on your router is the optional PlungeBar, which lets you set cutting depth with one hand and makes mortising much quicker. Popular fits:
• Type A: DeWalt 624, 625 and 629, ELU 3338 and MOF 177, CMT 1850 W, Trend T10 and T11
• Type B: most 1/4" routers, including Trend T5, Makita 3620, RP0910 and RP1110C, Bosch POF 400 A, DeWalt 613
• Type C: Bosch GOF 1600 ACE and 1619 EVS, Hitachi M 12 V, Ryobi RE 600 and 601
• Type D: most 8mm routers, including Bosch GOF 900 and GOF 1300 ACE, DeWalt 618, 620 and 621, Axminster White 127, Charnwood P220
• Type F: Bosch 1617 EVS, DeWalt 616 and 626, Trend T9, Metabo OF 1612, Makita 3612C
Own a Triton, Festool or Bosch POF 1100 to 1400? The WR900 still works with your router. There just isn't a PlungeBar for it yet, so you set depth with the router's own plunge. The full list is on the PlungeBar page. Not sure? Email sales@woodrat.com with your router's make and model and we'll tell you which PlungeBar fits before you order.
What joints can it cut?
• Through and sliding dovetails, cut to a pencil line with no fixed templates, so you choose the spacing
• Mortise and tenon
• Box joints and batch cutting of identical parts
• Crosscuts and housing (dado) joints
• Router table work, with the router the right way up and the bit in view
Martin Godfrey, who designed the WoodRat, wrote in the original manual: "We cannot find anything that a router table does that cannot be done with the WoodRat."
Who is it for?
Furniture makers, joiners and keen amateurs who want hand-cut-looking joints with machine repeatability, without buying a CNC. It mounts on the workshop wall, so it takes no floor space.
Frequently asked questions
Is a router included? No. The WR900 works with the plunge router you already own.
Will older WoodRat accessories fit? Most accessories fit older WoodRat machines, and most new accessories fit the WR900.
Can I learn to use it? Yes. The printed manual comes in the box, technique pages are on this site, and we run hands-on training days in the UK. Email sales@woodrat.com to hear about the next one.
Included with the WR900:
• Full printed manual
• Raising plate
• Aluminium guide rails
• Centre liner
• Flightpath sticker and parallelogram
• Spares bag with an extra wire and blue pawl
• Pile-carpet section for upward support when profiling
Worldwide delivery is calculated at checkout. If your destination is not available, email sales@woodrat.com for a delivery quotation.
We offer a no-quibble 28-day guarantee if the machine is returned in good condition, plus a three-year warranty against defective parts.
Questions before you buy? Email sales@woodrat.com or contact us on WhatsApp.
Recommended optional accessories:
• PlungeBar™ for easier depth control and morticing
• Musclechuck quick-change collet
• Mitre Box MB3 for mitred cuts
• Cutter Set 1 or Cutter Set 2
• Diamond whetstones and lapping fluid
Direct delivery from England to the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and worldwide. US delivery is £75 and normally takes around 3–5 working days. Any local import VAT, tax or duty is paid separately to the courier before delivery.
Not sure which router or accessories you need? Email sales@woodrat.com with your router model and the joints you want to make, and we will confirm the right setup before you order.
Complete-machine delivery prices: UK £18; EU £29.95; USA, Australia and South Africa £75. Other worldwide destinations are calculated at checkout.
The WoodRat WR900
Taming The Router
Your router is one of the most versatile tools in the workshop with a huge variety of large, small, cove, beading, ogee, chamfer, straight and dovetail bits. Uniquely, it will cut the sides and the bottom of a cut in one pass. It can be used for a wide variety of tasks and it works fast at 22,000 rpm and, feeding in the right direction, it'll cut cleanly and accurately.
The router, by itself, is intimidating, and potentially dangerous – it's a real handful . What's needed is some means of taming the beast, and of controlling the direction of cut and at the same time of presenting the wood to the cutter in all possible ways.
Enter the WoodRat
It's inherently safe: the router bit is out of harm’s way when not cutting and you are protected from danger when it's cutting. This makes it an ideal starting point for the beginner and the experienced router user alike.
The router is mounted the right way up. The bit drops down to cut the wood. The router slides forward and back, cutting the work. The WoodRat holds the wood firmly beneath the router and tracks it left and right into the path of the bit. Thus, it works on all three axes. You can even climb-cut and have no breakout, thanks to its unique manual power-feed.
its own magic
Like any magic trick, it looks impossible, until you find out how it's done, then its simple.
Most woodwork is straightforward. When working by hand, you measure where you want to cut, mark out the wood and put the work to the saw to be cut on the waste side of the line, just as taught in a beginners’ class. It's the same with the WoodRat, but what makes the jaw drop is how a simple mark drawn on the machine face can locate the cuts repeatably and accurately. Having cut the first piece you use it as a template to line up your cuts to joint the second piece to fit. You make your own simple template as you go along.
If you work in the Arts and Crafts tradition needing fine William Morris dovetails, or pioneer designs of your own, or make bee hives, or children's cots, davenports, intricate boxes or dining chairs, there will be a place for this no-nonsense joint maker in your workshop.
Dust Free
Dust extraction starts right behind the cut. The big shavings might fly, but the dangerous fine particles are taken straight into the extraction system, and you don’t end your working day covered in dust.
Money Saving
If you’re setting up a new workshop, you can save money by installing a WoodRat first. Then you can decide what other tools and machinery you really need, and invest in the best.
Space Saving
The WoodRat mounts at chest height on the wall, saving valuable floor space, while it’s always ready for use. It can also be attached to a strong board held in a vice or SuperJaws for on-site use.
Enjoyable to Use
The WoodRat brings real pleasure to woodwork. As you get to know the machine, you’ll find yourself making better joints and more elaborate projects with greater confidence. Wherever two workpieces meet, there’ll be an elegant, perfectly fitting, appropriate joint.
The Kit
The box contains almost everything you'll need to perform all the common tasks of joint-making: router table work, housings and trenching/dado joints , framing joints, tenons, mortises and raising and fielding panels. Reconfigure the machine for all kinds of dovetails, ranging from 6mm(1/4") to 50mm (2") deep and 750mm (30") wide.
That covers jointing boxes and chests, and fine and garden furniture. The Parallelogram and the Raising Plates, measuring rod, Guide Rails and Stops are included in the kit. Items such as the PlungeBar and Musclechuck, HSS bits are sold separately. And, of course, you'll also need your choice of router. Any router will work on the WoodRat.
You can make your own Mitre Box for working at angles, but our MB3 MitreBox is precision cut, and well worth its money. You can make your own Mortise Rail, which has its advantages, but our MR4 MortiseRail comes into its own when you have a lot of repetition, say for kitchen cabinets with panel doors.
To get going you'll need a plunge router and some cutters. If you already have TCT cutters, you will use them, but we recommend our High Speed Steel range of bits, both straight and dovetail. They are the correct design for going through and around jointing dovetails and tenons. They also have excellent end-cutting.
The Manual
The current manual is version 10.4. If you have an older version and want to upgrade an older machine and don't know what you need, this is a good place to start. It will show the current state of the art.
The manual is about 100 pages and well supplied with diagrams and photos and there are translations in French, Dutch and German.
The Video
You can watch the full video here and we've also added exerpts in the relevant pages of techniques. The DVD is included in the kit.
No-Risk Guarantee
The WoodRat comes with a clear and detailed manual and a no quibble guarantee. Try it. If for any reason you are not fully satisfied, give us a call within 28 days and we'll arrange collection and refund your entire purchase price.
“I bought it as a dovetailing machine, but I now use it for so many joints I could not begin to write them all down.”
“ I’ve already fallen in love with the possibilities and precision of the WoodRat”
“An excellent dovetailer capable of producing the finest joints”
“Money spent will be returned in spades”
“Thank you for the WoodRat. I love it.”
“A work of engineering art”
“I am completely thrilled with it. It is a very impressive machine and the ideas of things I can do with it are piling up in my head, I can’t explore them fast enoug”
“I am blown away with your creation. It is by a long way the best routing and dovetailing platform that I have ever come across”
“For me the WoodRat would pay for itself used solely for tenoning”
“***** 5 out of 5 Stars”
“My WoodRat had been gathering dust for quite a while, but I retired a couple of years ago and decided to bring it out of hibernation. I am so glad I did, it is a marvellous machine.”