In my never ending quest to minmize dust in my shop I became intrigued by the DeWalt 618 router with “dust extraction though the column”. I finally weakened and bought one. It is not as rugged as their drill and planer! Seems lighter and cheaper.
But – the big problem on my first job is that the collet shortly became so hot it burned my hand, Anyone out there have that problem?
Also the plunge lock kept releasing and the router would pop up out of the cut. I’ll look up a service center but I thought I would plumb the wisdom and experience of this group.
Jerry
Replies
Jerry,
I have the 621 (basically the same but a bit more HP), and the collet does get hot. I haven't had any problems from that (other than mild burns if I forget!). And I've not had the problem of the plunge depth shifting.
Bob
Thanks for the input. Yesterday, in my second job with the unit, the collet heat did not seem as bad. Maybe the bearings are/were tight to begin with. The plunge lock seemed to hold better if I REALLY cranked on it. I guess I'm used to the fit and finish on my Bosch - but it doesn't have dust collection. I'll keep trying.Jerry
If the plunge lock should fail, almost any thing can happen. If the cutter is engaged/stuck in the work, (a slotter for example) and the motor is on the way up, the work can self feed, the router could kick back. The work will be spoiled for sure. A serious safety issue; I'd hold their (DW) feet to the fire one this one.
More on the 618? See the 618 link.
Last night did it. Up till now the jobs I've used the 618 on had an excuse for chip/dust scattering. But last night I ran a 1/4" deep dado across about 18" of goods: chips/dust everywhere! I had my Festool shop vac attached with max suction. It did no good. As I purchased this unit solely for the purpose of eliminating, or at least reducing, shop dust I see no reason to keep it. I'll call Tech support today to see if I'm missing anything. If not, back it goes under their "90 day, no questions asked Return policy". Let it be be said that I love my other DeWalt products.Has anyone had success with the 618 dust extraction?Jerry
Go to Pat Warner's site and read about the DW618.
I would cut a quarter inch deep groove in one pass, if I was using a 1/4" bit. But anything wider, and I would use multiple passes.
I had read that posting - it was good but did not address the vacuum issue.However, I think I have found the answer. The unit spits chips and dust UNTIL the base plate is fully engaged over the work surface. Then it picks up all chips and 90% of the dust. (I tried it on a shelf dado.) I guess the answer is to "plunge" into a sacrificial piece, then continue on across the work piece, ending in another sacrificial piece.Thanks for the suggestion on a shallower cut with a 3/4" bit. It had the power to handle the cut (and the minmum step on the turret is 1/4") so I went that way. At an 1/8" cut it fed very easily and did not burn.Jerry
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled