I don’t know about everyone here, but I still don’t see a real comprehensive analysis in the magazines with the features important to me as to which router out there is really the best for a router table. Here are the criteria I think are important. I know I have missed a few, so I would be interested in other’s enhancements.
* Router should have a tabletop height adjuster built in. (Why pay the cost for a router lift today when so many have the feature. Some cost more than the router!!)
* Router should have a good range for all bit types. (The router should go down far enough for bits that just want to groove or need a lot of range for their application and up far enough that they don’t need a bit extension.) I have a Dewalt DW625 that used to be touted as a good router table router. It has a real problem with range and the ability to go up high enough. I HAVE to have a bit extender which amplifies the vibration. I also had to install a Router Raizer.
* Here is something that I don’t see mentioned: The ability to release the bit without turning 3 or 4 turns for the self release mechanism to work. (Mark Sommerfield uses a Hitachi M12V that I think has that feature)
* A bent wrench to remove the bit from top of the table. I made one for my MLCS extender. I don’t know how you can work without one.
* An accurate dial built in that allows you to make differential adjustments from a given position.
* A hole for the height adjuster that does not fill in with sawdust without having to cap the hole. (There can be a gap below the table to allow the release of sawdust)
Has anyone used the new Milwaukee 3+ hp router with some of these features? How about the new Porter Cable (890 series?)
Replies
Sounds like you're asking too much from a router.
All the elements you desire are what a shaper is for. Even then you'll need to make below the table adjustments.
Yes, I am suggesting a router table only router. Why not? A shaper is a heavier tool with more expensive cutters. A router table can use the same cutters that you have for your hand held router. The bits are cheaper. They are more available. There is more of a selection. I know very few people that have a shaper, but almost every woodworker eventually gets a router table of some sort.
A shaper is an industrially based tool, and is more expensive for several reasons; heavier mass, low vibration, larger motor and bits with greater mass than its cousin the router.
You seem to want the best of it all, at a rock bottom price. There is a direct correlation between money spent and quality of tooling, once one buys professional tools, (with slight variation.) Folks in the industry that I know either make their own router table, not a big deal and/or have a shaper, depending on their specialty.
No doubt there's some great routers on the market like Hitachi and some others, but I've always relied on my Porter Cable 691 with a D-handle for great control.But that's just what I like.You have some good ideas; maybe contact a manufacturer and see if they'll build what you like...
I just purchased the makita 3612cx1 3 1/4 HP router. I just got it a couple weeks ago so i haven't spent much time with it, but i like it a lot. The only hard thing is i do not have a router plate yet so bit changes are a pain but otherwise i really enjoy it.
Steve
"Why pay the cost for a router lift today when so many have the feature." I may be a little behind on my router research. Which ones have the above-the-table adjustment besides Milwaukee and the PC 890 series?
You have a concise list of your needs in a table-mounted router, but don't hold your breath on a magazine doing the footwork for you. You're a little ahead of the curve as far as what most of the companies have provided so far. It's quite possible that there is not one router that has all the features you're looking for.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
fg,
One more you forgot about. The Triton.
http://www.triton.net.au/products/router_2.html
And while your drooling...Uh I mean perusing...
Check out the router table and other stuff. They have some interesting ideas in tools.Hi, I'm Len and I'm a Toolaholic...
Hi Len! Have you sprouted gills yet? (Don't answer that, or we'll be guilty of hijacking, oooops). Yep, that Triton looks pretty slick. Do you think it has all the qualities our author is looking for in a table-mounted router? Looks like a well-engineered specimen!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I have the big Milwaukee router and highly recommend it. I've had it for more than a year and it hasn't even hiccupped. It's powerful, quieter than the PC it replaced and it's just a solid piece of machinery.
Alan & Lynette Mikkelsen, Mountain View Farm, est. 1934, Gardens & Fine Woodworking, St. Ignatius, MT
Eric,
I don't know about a router that does everything you're asking for. However, there is a system that does it all. I know, because I have the system and I use it constantly and love it. The final cost is pretty high, but if you're like me and you have a router-oriented shop, it iw well worth it.
First, the router. I have the Porter+Cable 7518 3.25-HP router. I bought it refurbished about three years ago, and I have run countless board feet through it. It is powerful and dependable. I have mounted it permanently in my router table. Here's a link:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=2069
Next, the table and fence. I use the Incra table with LS Positioner, made by Woodpecker. This is quite a setup! The LS Positioner with the Incra fence gives amazing precision and microadjustability, like a shaper. It can also be offset for jointing, which I do all the time. Here's the link:
http://www.woodpeck.com/lsrspk2.html
Finally, the lift. I researched all over the place, and finally settled on the Precision Router Lift. I bought it about three years ago, along with the Porter+Cable router. I love this lift. It is precise and sturdy. Here's the link:
http://www.woodpeck.com/precisionrouterlift.html
One note: you can build your own table, which would save you a couple hundred dollars. The heart of the system really is the lift and the fence.
If you want more details on specific functions of this system, I'd be happy to tell you more.
Edited 2/23/2005 12:14 pm ET by Matthew Schenker
they say necessity is the mother of invention-- when it became necessary for me to route something and not be viberated at the same time I turned to an old rockwell spent tablesaw and converted it to a router table my lifter is a piece of 3/8 all thread down through a hole in the support cabinet and a platform to hold the router on the top-- a washer and nut on the all-thread right above the hole acts as my heigth adjuster== the Incra fence completes the operation
The freud ft2000 is comparable to machines like the big Makitas,Hitachi,etc. and it has a height adjustment knob so you dont need a raiser,a solid unit the only not so good design are the brush springs.Good Luck.
I know this is an old thread but I thought I would add to it rather than starting a new one.....
To answer the original poster: I have the PC 893 (the combo 890 series) router currently mounted in an enclosed router table and find that it is merely ok. There is a lot of slop in the above table height adjustment and it can take an inordinate amount of time to set the height properly. Other than that it's an adequate setup for a table. The plunge base that came with it is not great and I really don't like it much.
My question comes in that I am thinking of buying a second router so that I can leave the table always ready to go. I was thinking of buying a more powerful router for the table and am trying to find info on the Freud FT3000VCE. Anyone have one? Any other suggestions for a 3+ HP router designed for all adjustments above the table?
Thanks
Doug Morgan
Yes, this is quite an old posting and since that time I bought an Hitachi M12V. I was going to put the Router Raiser (sp?) on it, but I found that the knob it had below the table was good enough. I found this router was inexpensive, powerful, had adequate range of motion and did not require the 3 or more turns of the collet to release the bit. With the addition of the bent wrench and using the built in collet lock, it does all I want. As far as getting a differential digital reading of the rounter bit height, Harbor Freight makes a 1" digital dial indicator that I mounted in a homemade jig that provides that for about $26. A push of the zero button and I can get the differential height of the bit on both that AND my tablesaw Can't beat that!!!
Eric:I looked at the specs for the Hitachi but my table is enclosed for dust collection so access from above is required. The separate raising/lowering apparatus doesn't make much sense to me, especially considering the cost and that they seem to be specific to a particular model. At that price point I'd agree with the other poster and look for a "real" shaper.Glad you are happy with the Hitachi. The local tool place recommends Hitachi frequently but I've been put off by the buck roger's look. I'm sure that dates me!Doug
Edited 6/4/2007 8:23 pm ET by DougMorgan
You are looking at the newer Hitachi. That newer model put me off too. It is more expensive also.
Would you mind posting a pic of that jig?
I don't have a picture of the jig, but if you can imagine an upside down U with a hole in the bottom of the U where the dial indicator is mounted, that is all it is. The legs of the upside down U go on either side of the hole in the router table and allow the dial indicator to stand up over the hole. When the router bit is raised the plunger is depressed and measures the bit height. The plunger is 1" long, so you can measure a height of 1"
Thanks. I think I get it .
Just a heads-up in case anyone is interested:HD has the Freud FT2200 at half price, presumably clearing them out for the new model. I picked one up today for 150 Canadian buckeroos down from 300 normally. 3 1/4 horse, Variable speed, soft start, etc. The newer Freud model has some additional features. Since the above table lock mechanism stripped out on my Porter cable yesterday I figured I'd try the freud under the table and use the PC handheld.Disclaimers: I haven't had a chance to mount it in the table yet so I have no idea of it's fitness for a router table. Also note that the routers are packed very poorly and the first one had a broken handle -- all the pieces are simply tossed in the box with a single piece of cardboard as the sole padding.Happy routing.....
Doug
Edited 6/14/2007 12:46 am ET by DougMorgan
I don't know what Miss Manners thinks of replying to your own post but here goes:I have the FT2200 mounted in the router table. Lots and lots of horsepower and it fits in the space I had alloted for the PC 890.But using the micro-adjuster to raise and lower under a table has problems. While the router will easily plunge until the collet bottoms out at about the level of the sub-base it seems to be impossible to raise it that high with the micro adjuster when mounted in a table. I find it difficult to get the collet higher than 3/4 of an inch BELOW the table. Not good. The workaround is to do a combo with the plunge and micro adjuster but it's kind of a pain. Update: I have removed the springs and can now raise the router so that the collett extends slightly above the table. It is easier to adjust though now locking the router position is required. Removal is a very simple job and is detailed here for this router and several others: http://www.routerworkshop.com/mark1.html?list=ME05--I've only used it for a day this way but so far I am rather happy with the setup and find it's a cheap way to get the big horsepower.Thanks
Doug MorganEdited 6/14/2007 1:05 pm ET by DougMorgan
Edited 6/17/2007 2:13 pm ET by DougMorgan
A couple of links:
Selecting a tool &
The Router table.
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