You have $150 to spend and you need a router to build some bookshelves

[Ryan Swanson]

And you are a relative beginner with few tools.

Do you:

a) Buy a $150 router (probably a 2.25hp fixed or plunge) Probably Makita, DeWalt, or Porter Cable. Buy bits needed for the project

b) Buy a cheap router (Sub $80) and spend the balance of the money on good quality bits.

c) Buy a $140 router/router table combo (Craftsman) and buy just bits needed for the project

d) other ideas?

Router will mainly be needed for rabbets/dadoes, maybe a cosmetic edge or two.

[Andrew Jordan]

You can either grow into, or out of tools...buy the good one now, and you'll save buying the good one later and having a crappy one to get rid of! :)

Andrew

[Jerome Hanby]

I'd hit the 'bay and find an Hitachi combo kit. Seems like I got mine for less than $75.

[Joe Chritz]

Is the lowe's deal on the Freud still going on?

It was $107 shipped to my house for a fix base and plunge base combo. It also has from the table height adjustment.

Very nice router for $100. That gives you a little to get some bits, but really all you need is a 3/8 straight bit for doing dados.

Joe

[Brian Kent]

a) Buy the best router you can find for the money, including used if you want the risk or reconditioned if you want a warrantee. This is the part that is not disposable. It's better to get a great car with cheap tires than a cheap car with great tires.

Get buy with a couple of cheap bits until you can afford exactly what you need in a premium brand.

A router table made out of mdf does a great job.

[Jason White]

Buy a Porter Cable 690 for about $100 and get some decent-quality bits.

JW


And you are a relative beginner with few tools.

Do you:

a) Buy a $150 router (probably a 2.25hp fixed or plunge) Probably Makita, DeWalt, or Porter Cable. Buy bits needed for the project

b) Buy a cheap router (Sub $80) and spend the balance of the money on good quality bits.

c) Buy a $140 router/router table combo (Craftsman) and buy just bits needed for the project

d) other ideas?

Router will mainly be needed for rabbets/dadoes, maybe a cosmetic edge or two.

[Brian Kent]

I can't find it at Lowes but Woodcraft has it or $99.

[Jim Kountz]

Not "B" or "C", thats for sure. Get yourself a good one and dont look back. Get yourself a crappy cheapo and you'll cuss it everytime you use it. Do your nerves a favor man!!!
Im a firm believer of buying bits on a "as needed basis". I bought one of those 66 piece kits like 15 years ago and no kidding there are STILL bits in there I have never used.
The Hitacho combos are going to be the cheapest decent kits out there. But for a few dollars more you can probably do a little sleuthing and score something better.

[David DeCristoforo]

Read what Brian said. Then re-read what Brian said. Then, read what Brian said. If you are still in doubt after that, read what Brian said.

[Tony Bilello]

Always buy the very best tool you can afford. When your bits wear out, do you want to be stuck with an inferior tool?
Buy a router for the full $150, say "oops, I forgot the bits" and go and buy the bit you need even if it's a cheap one to just get you through the job.
A good laminate trimmer router is better than an inferior full size router.

[Jim Kountz]

David help me out but Im getting the feeling you agree with Brian, would that be a fair assumption?? LOL

[Tom Majewski]

If your location was in your profile and you were near me, I'd lend you one of my 5 routers.

[frank shic]

ryan, here's another: pocket screw the shelves into the sides with the K2 kreg jig which is listed on amazon for 89.95. the cheapest alternative would be to just butt joint the shelves and screw through the sides of the bookcase and plug the holes afterwards.

[chris dub]

The hitachi 3 1/4 HP plunge has dropped to $150 on Amazon. It's big but would be all the power you will need for a while.

[Ryan Swanson]

Thanks for the input everyone-

Sounds like the consensus is to get the nicest router I can afford (Not really surprised by that, of course...)

Let me clarify a little about my situation as well and see if this changes any minds.

I am a relative beginner, but also there are no guarantees I will stick with woodworking as more than just necessity...I can't see myself deciding to work on projects out of anything other than necessity, nor really putting in the hours to get good enough to do true heirloom quality complex pieces (like a china cabinet or something).

I've just moved into a new house and there are a few main projects - shelving, built-ins, that we need and I am doing them because its way too expensive to pay someone else.

If I just complete 3-4 projects with this router, am I really going to see that big a difference if I go with a cheaper option?

Also, re: the porter cable 690...thats a 1.75 HP router...seems like I've read online that I should stay north of 2hp. What say y'all?

[Mike Heidrick]

Risking runout on a cheap router is not a good thing. I have seen people use the 690 for everything. That being said the 618 3-base router setup is a great first router kit and is 1 1/4hp. It will let you use the fixed base in a table and give you a fixed D-handle router and plunge router above the table. It runs $229 or so usually but the extra $79 is well spent as the set is like having three routers in one. I always go to Mark Strickland at heavydutytools dot net (Strickland plumbing and supply in NC) and ask what deals he has at the time on the 618s. He has made some AWESOME router deals for me and my friends. Tell him Mike Heidrick from Bloomington IL sent you and maybe he can find a deal for you somewhere. I really believe all beginners should start with a great first router - much safer, easier to use, and the results will encourage you to use it more and more.

[Dave Potter]

Ryan:

Don't know if this fits your needs, but I pickup up this Milwaukee (http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-5615-24-1-75-Horsepower-Multi-Base-BodyGrip/dp/B000QV35AK/ref=pd_cp_hi_1_img?pf_rd_p=413863601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000QV1CXW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0N67J37N8MC4FJXT0E8W) multi-based router kit recently. I'd not been considering a router just yet, but a little windfall came my way and I decided to go for it. It's not high-end but it's a solid performer.

Good luck!

Dave Potter

[Lance Norris]

Also, re: the porter cable 690...thats a 1.75 HP router...seems like I've read online that I should stay north of 2hp. What say y'all?

I have 2 690s and for handheld duty, they are all you will ever need.

[Ryan Swanson]

From what I have read on here, it seems a router table might be an imperative for cutting accurate dadoes. Not true?

[Lance Norris]

You dont need a router table to cut accurate dados. There are plans for a number of jigs to help you with the cut. A simple straight edge clamped down will do the trick. Maybe a good router book with the money you have left over will help.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...Im getting the feeling you agree with Brian, would that be a fair assumption??"

Very fair. It was this line:

It's better to get a great car with cheap tires than a cheap car with great tires.

that clinched it for me.....

[Jim Kountz]

"...Im getting the feeling you agree with Brian, would that be a fair assumption??"

Very fair. It was this line:

It's better to get a great car with cheap tires than a cheap car with great tires.

that clinched it for me.....


True true. Same thing applies to just about everything when you really think about it!!

[Darius Ferlas]

The amount of money you spend really depends on what exactly it is you want to do and how you want to implement it.

I only started getting some tools, but I had a project last Summer that needed to be completed with or without tools.

The only power tools I had at the time were a 20 year old Makita drill, a 15 year old Skill Saw (circular but not a TS) and a new 2HP Mastercraft router (two bases) I bought on sale for $99. I bought a raised panel bit set for $59, a 3/4" straight bit and a small ogee for $3 each.

I ripped some pieces using a level or other pieces as guides and then I used the straight bit to clean the edges. Rails, stiles and raised panels are very difficult and dangerous to make without a router table, so I made one - very primitive mix of a laminate shelving and a piece of 2x4. It worked well nevertheless. Dados were made with the 3/4" router bit against a level clamped to the material.

The results aren't anywhere close to some of the masterpieces I have seen on this forum, but everything is straight, clean and solid. In fact the boss and the daughter liked the result so much that I have been given green light to buy a TS and other tools.

Still ways to go for me to have all the toys I'd like to have but you gotta start somewhere. Just make sure you have enough patience and measure twice before you cut once. Otherwise, no matter how may times you cut that piece of material it may be still too short ;)

Good luck.

[jeff begin]

Another vote for the Hitachi M12VC combo. It's a 2 1/4 HP motor that includes both fixed and plunge bases and 1/4" and 1/2" collets, plus guide bushings for templates. I purchased the kit back in October when I was in the same situation you are in (bought a house and didn't want to deal with the cost of hiring out some of the finish carpentry that I wanted done. I also didn't want to waste money on Ikea furniture or save up years to buy the good stuff.) For the price, I've been very happy with the router. It's plenty powerful, but easy to handle. I haven't yet used the plunge base or template stuff though.

[Tony Bilello]

Your statement ......"If I just complete 3-4 projects with this router, am I really going to see that big a difference if I go with a cheaper option?"

The answer is a definate YES.

Inadequate tools can get frustrating because especially as a beginner, you might expect more from them. Then you will push them to their limits and that could lead to a dangerous situation.
I can tell you as a furniture maker, the easier the tools are to use and the better they perform, the more enjoyable the tasks become.
Think of it this way....if you buy a cheap set of wrenches to do major automobile work, even if for only one rebuild, you will end up with banged, bruised and cut knuckles. The job will be a nightmare and take forever, but you did save money on the tools.

Only you can be the judge if the cheaper tools were worth it.

[Brent Leonard]

Get a good router, mid range price such as the Porter cable. Don't bother with the high end like Festool or a 3.5HP units. Even some of the craftsman combo kits have excellent reviews on different forums. Get the combo, with both fixed and plunge bases.

Avoid "cheap" like the plague. Such as Harbor Freight. Personally I don't like Ryobi either, but many people seem to have great luck with Ryobi. I also don't really like refurbished (I saved on a nice sander, that has always had gremlins in it).

Then, buy the small basic set of bits from MLCS (10 piece I think). DO NOT get one of the large sets. You will use every bit in that small set and save a few bucks on the "basic" bits. Then buy different bits one at a time there after.

IMO, that is the most economical and wisest way to start, without buying what you don't need or want.

Make your own router table.

[Don Bullock]

...
I am a relative beginner, but also there are no guarantees I will stick with woodworking as more than just necessity...I can't see myself deciding to work on projects out of anything other than necessity, nor really putting in the hours to get good enough to do true heirloom quality complex pieces (like a china cabinet or something)....

You won't stick with woodworking for sure if you buy cheap tools. Beginners have a bigger need to stay away from cheap tools than anyone. They lack the skills and experience to know what they can and can't do with a tool.

Years ago I bought a cheap router that lasted just past the warrantee before the collet broke. There was no way in those days for my wife and I to buy another one. Loosing that tool took any fun I had for woodworking right out of me and I quit all but very small projects for over twenty years. Now, I'm retired and have a little more money than I did back then. I'm buying the best tools that I can afford to set up a new shop. I wish that I hadn't "lost" all those years.

[Brian Kent]

My first two routers were the cheapest available. My impression was - danger noise, out of control. Then I got a Porter Cable 890 series - smooth, controllable, quieter, especially with variable speed. When I made my router table I built a sound-box around the router and it is actually pleasing to use.

It made a huge difference in my first couple of projects. If I did not like it, I could get a lot of the money back by selling it, especially since I bought it at a low refurbished price.

[David Keller NC]

"If I just complete 3-4 projects with this router, am I really going to see that big a difference if I go with a cheaper option?"

Ryan - Yeah, but not for the reason you think. An el-cheapo router (like anything branded "Ryobi") is worth $10 at a garage sale, no matter how little you've used it. A good router, such as a Bosch, Dewalt, Mikita, Hitachi, and to a lesser extent, the new Porter Cables, will bring about 60% of its purchase price on SMC classifieds, Craig's list, etc..., provided you sell it before the "next big thing" hits. Although in Raleigh, NC, you will be able to sell a Bosch or Dewalt router and accessories pretty much instantly to local contractors (other brands not so much) - our construction industry isn't doing nearly as well as it was 2 years ago, but it's a heck of a lot better than just about any other place in the country (or North Carolina, for that matter).

Regarding dados and a router table - while you can use a router table to make rabbets, it's just about impossible to make dados for shelves on a router table - the sides are too long, and since the grooves are perpendicular to the sides, you run out of router table long before you run out of grooves to cut.

The best way to do this is with a simple jig made of plywood - see Glen Huey's "Dirt Simple Router Jigs" on the Popular woodworking site.

[Greg McCallister]

I bought the Ridgid router combo R29301 (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100634368&N=10000003+10401010) - fixed base and plunge, soft start, led lighting, above table height adjustment etc. on sale for $150.00. Some people may comment that it is not a PC, Bosch, Festool... but I have found the added features were well worth it and uses PC attachments. Have the fixed in my table saw router extension and the plunge when ever I need it with a quick change.

[Rick Fisher]

The great thing about routers is that the difference between a really great one and a lousy one is usually only $75.00

If you where buying a bandsaw or a tablesaw, the difference between a poor choice and a great can be thousands.

Look at this as an opportunity to get a really great tool for a small upcharge.

[Alan Frazier]

I would suggest getting a good 2 base router set. I have found many uses for the router and it gets used a lot. I used to use a cheap craftsman and since getting my hitachi I find I use the router much more. I would suggest the hitachi 2 base set which has variable speed (the nice thing about this one is it's not very loud for a router) or the porter cable 2 base variable speed set. The variable speed is very useful when your doing more precise work. Also I would never buy one of those craftsman router tables or similar I made one out of a couple scraps of plywood and a piece of mdf with plastic laminate on top and attached the fixed base under it and it's great. That way you have a lot more work space I feel too cramped using one of the store bought ones. When I'm not using it as a router table I lower the router and use it as a workbench.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I bought the Hitachi M12v on Amazon for $89....shipped free cause I have a Prime membership. I have put that router through hell in the table & on a few decks out in the field....hasn't given me a second's trouble and is every bit the router that the Bosch it replaced was.

[Ryan Swanson]

Hey folks,

Thanks again for the tips - I ended up grabbing a Porter Cable 690 for $105
shipped and am thrilled with it - one thing I guess I didn't take into account before was the difference in handling/maneuverability between this size router and one of the 3+ HP beasts. As this is all handheld work at this point, I must say I am thankful to have the smaller size.

Can anyone point me to the best resource for bits? I've seen TONS of sets online, some showing up as "half" price (whether or not this is true, who knows) but I just need some basics...I'm not cutting raised panels or anything too decorative at this point.

Or, would you just buy bits as I need them?

[Scott Wigginton]

Buy them as you need them, but some you can see needing ahead of time depending on your work (ie. dado set, roundover set, rabbet set)

Start off with the Woodcraft $5 bit bins. Once you dull a bit then you'll know you use it enough to justify buying a quality one like Whiteside at Holbren (http://www.holbren.com) (SMC10 code for 10% off) or RouterBits.com (http://routerbits.com/)