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.