I just pulled the trigger on a DeWalt compact cordless router (dcw600b) for use as a second router. My first router (Bosch 1617evspk) has a plunge base, but I find it very unwieldy and when I use it handheld there is a certain unease/dread (inexperienced router user here). So I’m planning to stick that in my new router table/lift and keep it there.
I’ve read that you can use compact routers for tasks other than light edge profiling, e.g. stopped dadoes on case sides. I know I’ve seen M. Pekovich use one to clean up dovetail and tenon waste.
I’m wondering how many here use compact routers for heavier work, and what bits you find most useful. Most of my bits are 1/2” collet, and I’d like to get a couple high quality 1/4” bits. I was thinking a couple straight bits and an upcut spiral for grooves. Wondering if people would recommend compression bits and/or flush trim.
if you think I’m better off getting another “full-size” router and dealing with my unease/dread at using it handheld, please say so. I’m open to canceling the DeWalt order.
thanks
Neal
Replies
The ability to use all of your bits in your new router will save you $$ in the long run. Also, since you are anticipating "heavier" work, buy a tool that can handle it. Two passes instead of four makes for a happier day in the shop.
As the owner of 7 routers and a user since the days when a 1hp router was consider big and all you could buy were 1/4 bits I have a little bit of experience with them. In my opinion the greatest advancement in router design was the plunge router as it opened up so many more possibilities and added a significant degree of safety to operations I was performing with a non-plunge router.
The Bosch router you have is one of the best on the market and the one I bought for my son as his first router. His came with the fixed base kit but I think the only time he used it was in a dovetail jig. If someone were to ask for my recommendation for their first router yours would be what I would recommend. A 2 1/4hp plunge router is the most versatile in my opinion.
That said a compact router is definitely the second router purchase I recommend. There are times that a compact size and one handed operation is what is called for.
My recommendation to you is to to get the compact, although I might suggest one of the kits from Bosch or Makita that offer multiple base options over a fixed base only model, but don't relegate your Bosch to table duty only. There are too many things that a 2 1/4 hp plunge router can do that a compact router just can't. I would be interested in hearing more about the problems you are experiencing with the Bosch to see if we can't help you overcome your trepidations in using it. The biggest thing in using handheld routers is knowing and understanding what a climb cut is and when you can safely use it and when you should not.
Thanks esch. I haven’t had problems with it so much as unease using it. I think it’s just inexperience. It feels awkwardly weighted, and I have this feeling like I’m fighting it. More experience would do me good. I’ve used it in a jig I made to cut dadoes, and with an edge guide to cut grooves parallel to edge, and once to plunge cut a mortise in 3/4” edge (that felt really “teetery” to me). I just don’t have confidence, and I hate that feeling.
I canceled the DeWalt, for now (I have other tools from them and so I have the batteries. And their compact router has a plunge base and gets good reviews). It’s good advice to think more about my current problems before moving to a new solution. Thanks.
There a number of accessories that you shop build or purchase to help build your comfort level with your router. Search the plethora of information here on FW for Router Jigs to find even more great ideas to increase the versatility and comfort in using your router.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2020/05/29/tool-review-router-baseplates-by-infinity
I've used shop built jigs similar to this for years to route mortises but if you can afford it I highly recommend this jig for mortise routing it is extremely well made and easy to use.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2021/08/31/tool-review-mortising-jig-by-mortise-master
The Bosch should be the correct choice for the dado and edge guided groove cuts assuming that the cuts justified a 1/2” shank. Those were probably bigger cuts than a trim router would do.
If the edge mortise was more than a 1/4” deep then the 1617 was probably the right tool, I’m guessing it wasn’t supported right.
I have had a 1617 for 20 years and it’s probably my favorite hand held power tool.
I added a Bosch Colt trim router several years ago and it has definite use cases.
After using both for awhile it’s become obvious which I need for a given task. The Colt is a great machine but no way am I giving up the bigger Bosch. If I had to keep one it would be your model rather than the Colt.
See if Bill Hylton’s book Router Magic is still available. It’s a good resource.
This site has loads of router jig articles. The home page has a link to “Shop Projects” article collections which has a router jig category.
Look up Gary Rogowskis FWW article on mortising with a plunge router and the U-shape jig he uses. I built that 15 years ago and still use it (It’s three pieces of plywood)
My money is on you’ve not been supporting the router properly, or maybe cutting too aggressively or too deep each time, leading to being uncomfortable.
I agree with others that the Bosch doesn’t belong in a table. The only maintenance I’ve done to it is wiping saw dust off the plunge guides and spraying T9 on them every few years.
Mike
To add: I just realized I have a now-ancient 1613aevs router. I think still a mid size category, and I’d still keep it over the Colt if forced to have only one.
Thanks to you both. I ended up buying another 1617EVS. They don’t sell the motor only, but Amazon has the fixed based version for $110 (it’s on sale for $130 and then there’s a $20 “promotional credit”), which seems pretty good.
Will probably pass on mortise master (and check out Rogowski) but the base plate set from infinity looks good. This looks like it’ll go a long way to solving my “problem”. They’re on sale now and there’s a $20 off $100+ offer until 12/31.
Feel much better now. I’m going to tackle this smartly and head-on.
Good luck. If questions or problems crop up just ask.
I can't really criticise them having never used one but .... a fixed base router seems inherently less functional than a plunge base. Is there anything a fixed base router can do that a plunge base router can't?
As with all tools, there's a case for buying the minimum range necessary for the work you do. Why buy two routers that are the same, then?
Well, I'm guilty of this myself, having two DeWalt 625 3hp beasts, one for larger hand-held work and one mounted semi-permanently in a woodrat. So I suppose the answer is: two identical routers can be left set up for two very different tasks. But a router is meant to be a multi-purpose machine .....
There are many, many smaller scale tasks that a smaller router is better suited to than a great heavy 3hp monster. My first router was a Bosch P600 ACE - a 600watt 1/4" plunge router that I still use for some tasks. I keep it mostly because the router and base are connected via a standard 32mm euro-collar into which various pistol drills also fit. The base can hold a pistol drill with short bits for 90 degree drilling whilst the Bosch router body will fit in my heavy duty portable drill stand/table so can be used as a router in what then acts as a small upside down router table.
A better-specifies Festool OF1010 1/4" router does most handheld tasks. It's very precise and can be safely used used one-handed. There are plenty of accessories for specialist tasks and very good chip collection. There are any number of similar and less pricey routers available, though.
Another "router" recently acquired for teeny-weeny tasks is a cordless Dremel in a Veritas plunge base with a fence. Good for detailing little boxes and similar scale work, in many ways, from edge profiling & grooving to incised patterning.
In short, different sizes of router serve different purposes. Size does matter - all sizes, not just the big uns. :-)
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Mortising with a router .... I use one of the Dewalt 635 3hp beats but with two fences mounted, one either side of the machine. The part to be mortised is clamped in a twin screw Veritas vice between two cheeks, so that the router is resting on a flat surface at least as wide as the router base.
The fences keep the bit tracking the marked out mortise hole and the large working area prevents any router-tipping.
You can also strap on a couple of scrapwood blocks as start and stop points. A half inch shaft up-spiral bit is used of the appropriate diameter (two series of passes with the fences adjusted if very wide mortises are needed.
No need for a jig, unless you count the two scrapwood-cheeks used to widen the workpiece to be mortised that the router rides on.
Lataxe
Thanks Lat_axe
I’m still on the steep part of the learning curve with woodworking. 2021 was a great year for me on the table saw. I learned a ton and am now fairly adept and comfortable using it.
I’m aiming to make 2022 the year of the router. So I got a nice table and lift and put my router in it. From there it seemed like there were only 3 options:
1. Have a single router and extract from table/lift as needed. I can’t see myself doing this, it seems like too much of a pain. So, not really an option.
2. Put my router in table/lift permanently and get a second router. This is where the idea of a compact router came in. But I wasn’t sensing rousing support here, so I moved to…
3. Get a new router motor for table/lift and keep my first router for free hand (fixed based and plunge). So I started looking for router motors for mounting in table and saw a lot of relatively expensive, really beefy motors that seemed overkill for my needs. That’s when it occurred to me, another option…
4. Get another Bosch 1617evs. This seemed like a great option. I like it and am familiar with it, people here give it good reviews, it was relatively inexpensive, and I can use an edge guide and bushings I already have.
This is how I arrived at two of the same routers :)
I think eventually I will get a compact router, but not now. I’m going to learn the ABC’s with that I have.
I have no idea how many routers I own. Too many. My earliest Craftsman has the same bit in it for years, and does one task only.
My most often used is that same Bosch, with a fixed base. Great router. It lives mostly in a table, but I use it for dad's and sliding dovetails, using the same Rockler plate for a base.
Plunge routers are great. I have at least 3. But they are more top heavy than a fixed base, and can be off-putting. Sometimes you just need the plunge capability, but sometimes it's just awkward.
I have the little Milwaukee cordless router and use it quite a bit. Most often it just has a round over bit for easing edges, but it's nice for hinge mortises too.
I have three routers. A 3.25 hp router in the router table that can handle large bits, the Bosch router you have for general and heavier work like dados and grooves, and a lightweight, corded 1.25 hp Dewalt, similar to the one you were going to buy, for light duty work like hinge mortises where I want more visibility and control. The Dewalt came with an optional plunge router base which is probably the base I use most often.
I think a midsized router, like the Dewalt DW616PK, with both fixed and plunge bases will give you more versatility without the awkwardness. Trim routers are great, but a little more limited.
Consider the used market. I bought most of mine used. I probably have more than I need.
As much as I am a cordless fan, I'd consider looking at the corded DeWalt DWP611. For me it's good compact router that has enough power to run through most light/medium work. DeWalt also offers a good selection of bases.
If you do decide on the cordless DCW600b, I'd throw in extra batteries to keep the tool from dying mid-project.
I see the matter is decided, but would add a vote for the Makita cordless trimmer. I've owned this for 6 months now and it is now my favourite router. I use this with a 1/4 inch spiral upcut for any work that bit can handle. It never misses a beat. Perfect for small slots. I have used it for cutting 1/4" mortises in cedar (doesn't even notice the wood) and Walnut (no worries)
Of note, I have been advised that the plunge base is no longer available for this machine, which does make it less appealing than other options if you are not already bought into the Makita battery system.
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