How to Cut Wood Siding With a Palm Router

Place two sawhorses in your work location, spaced several feet apart. Place a 1-by-12-inch board on top of the two saw horses.

Clamp a piece of scrap lumber to the board. It's important that the wood doesn't move while you're routing it.

Place a bit into the palm router. Most routers come with a variety of bits for different shaped cuts. Methods of inserting the bit vary, depending on the model of the router. You may need to twist the chuck of the router to insert the bit or loosen the chuck with an Allen wrench or other tool. Check the manual for your router.

Test a variety of bits and cut depths on the scrap wood with the palm router until you can replicate the look of the original siding on your replacement siding. Set the depth for your particular model of palm router by checking the manual -- there is no one way to perform this task -- it varies by model, although in most cases you twist a portion of the housing to vary the depth.

Place a piece of siding on the sawhorses and board and clamp it firmly. Set the metal guide on your palm router to keep the bit in the same location, relative to the side you're cutting. Guide the palm router with one hand while pressing down on top of the router with the other. Make your cuts on the piece of siding.