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How to use a DeWalt router

Updated: October 2026

The router is on the bench and the board is one you do not want to ruin. How to use a DeWalt router, or a palm tool that only runs on a DeWalt pack, starts with the shank, the battery off, a shallow depth, and a feed that does not snatch. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team on 16 October 2026. It follows HSE sheet WD5, Machine Mart and Trend’s shop guides, and the listings in our [DeWalt router comparison](/hub/routers/dewalt-router). We have not measured your dust. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Collet and base are in the [buying guide](/hub/routers/dewalt-router/sub/dewalt-router-buying-guide). How the cutter enters the wood is on the [plunge and trim page](/hub/routers/dewalt-router/sub/dewalt-router-plunge-vs-trim).

The router is on the bench and the board is one you do not want to ruin.

Our top picks

DeWalt DeWalt DCW620B

Best overall

DeWalt DeWalt DCW620B
6.6/10about £324.98
View offer
TOPWAY TOPWAY 18V palm router

Rank 2

TOPWAY TOPWAY 18V palm router
6.7/10about £49.99
View offer
JOJOCY JOJOCY 800W 6-speed

Rank 3

JOJOCY JOJOCY 800W 6-speed
6.0/10about £69.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Make it safe to change the cutter
  2. 2.Set a shallow first pass
  3. 3.Feed against the rotation
  4. 4.Dust, noise, and when to stop

Make it safe to change the cutter

Take the battery off, or unplug, before a spanner touches the nut. Which pack you own is on the 18V XR page. A quarter inch is 6.35 mm, not 6 mm or 8 mm. A half inch is 12.7 mm, not 12 mm. DeWalt’s UK kit page lists 6.35 mm and 12.7 mm for the DCW620. The amazon file for the bare DCW620B does not, so read the collet in your hand. The TOPWAY claims three collets, a quarter inch, 6 mm, and 8 mm. Use the one that matches the bit. Do not tighten an empty collet. Seat the full shank, clear of the flutes, and tighten with both spanners. With the pack still off, tug the bit. If it moves, stop. A loose collet is not something you can feed through.

Set a shallow first pass

The first pass should leave the motor at speed and the fence where you locked it. Machine Mart mentions splitting a cut into about 3 mm to 6 mm while you learn. That is their rule of thumb, not your manual and not a depth we measured. On a plunge router, set the stop before you switch on. Trend’s order is: preset the stop and the fence, reach full speed, plunge, and retract before you put the tool down. The DCW620B has a three-position turret so a deep cut can be three locked steps. A fixed base cannot plunge. You set the height with the power off and you start at an edge. Several shallow passes beat one dive.
DeWalt DeWalt DCW620B

Testsieger

DeWalt DeWalt DCW620B
6.6/10about £324.98
View offer

Feed against the rotation

From above, the cutter spins clockwise. Feed so the wood meets that spin and the fence is pulled onto the work. On the near edge, move left to right. On the far edge, move right to left. Under a table the feed is the opposite, because the cutter is upside down. Do not copy a table clip with the tool in your hands. A climb cut feeds with the spin. The bit can grab and the router can run. Reach full speed before the cutter touches, and lift out or finish the pass rather than stopping with the bit buried. The fence has to survive a push with the battery off. A JOJOCY review says one wing nut lets the guide drop and the groove wander. If it moves on the bench, it will move in the cut.

Dust, noise, and when to stop

Connect a vacuum before the real board. At work, WD5 expects on-tool extraction, Class M or H, and says not to remove the viewing panel to see better. Respiratory protection is normally needed for this tool at work. A householder is not that employer. The dust is still yours. Wear hearing protection. Stop and get a joiner for a worktop with a sink or hob, for workplace routing you were not shown, if the material might contain asbestos, or if the collet still will not grip after a proper seat and a tug.

Common questions

Do I remove the battery before changing a bit?
Yes. Pack off, or plug out, before the spanner. Put the battery back only when the nut is tight, you have tugged the bit, and the depth is set. A “remove the battery” bullet is the right order. It does not make a loose collet safe.
How far should the shank go into the collet?
The collet should grip the full shank, not the flutes and not the last few millimetres. If a tug with the power off pulls the bit out, it is proud, the sleeve is the wrong size, or the nut will not tighten. UK reviews here include a slipped cutter and bits that ride down the shaft. Stop rather than start the motor.
How do I set the first pass?
Power off, zero on scrap, then one small step. A shop figure of 3 mm to 6 mm is for learning, not a DeWalt specification. Two listings here print their own 3 mm groove limit. Use a turret as three shallow passes. On a fixed base, set the height and enter from the edge, at full speed.
Which way do I feed?
Against the clockwise spin. Near edge, left to right. Far edge, right to left. The guide should be pulled onto the wood. A table-mounted router is fed the other way. Finish the pass or lift out. Do not pause with the bit buried in the cut.
What is a climb cut?
It feeds with the cutter instead of against it. The bit can grab and the router can lunge. A very light climb pass is sometimes used to tidy tear-out. It is not how you make the groove. If the tool snatched, the pass was climb-cut or too deep. Go back to a shallow cut against the rotation.
When should I get a joiner?
When the job is a worktop and a sink or hob must fit, when you are routing for work without training, or when a matched shank still will not hold. Also stop if the material might contain asbestos. A palm router will not rescue a template joint you cannot replace.

Related pages

How deep to cut with a router

DeWalt router

DeWalt 18V XR router batteries and the 20V MAX titles

Best DeWalt router: trim pick plus the plunge body

DeWalt router buying guide: base, collet, and pack

DeWalt plunge router vs trim router: which base fits

Sources

Public UK sources used for the dust, noise and machinery points on this page. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings in this set, checked against the digest of 16 October 2026.

  1. HSE WD5 — Wood dust: extraction and RPE for hand-held routers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. HSE WIS23 — Wood dust figures (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. HSE — PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. DeWalt UK — DCW620H2-GB 18V XR plunge router (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. DeWalt UK — DCW604P2-QW 18V XR 8 mm router (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. DeWalt UK — DWE625KT-LX corded half-inch plunge router (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK — Placing UKCA or CE marked products on the market in Great Britain (retrieved 16 October 2026)