Drew Pavlak
01-30-2014, 9:11 AM
Hello all,
I haven't posted in a while, been too busy with daughters softball and building a new shop. Shop is coming along and my mind is starting to look into the setup of said shop and specifically a Router Table. I purchased a table and plate from Rockler a while back for a Dewalt 618 (Rockler Class A plate) and now I am wondering if that was the right choice. Let me start off by saying that I am a hobbyist, I am not going to be cranking out a ton of cabinets or anything. Reading around the forum a lot of people prefer a 3-1/4 HP router for their table. From what I can tell it has to do with running larger panel bit in the router itself.
I guess the questions I have are mainly this,
1. Not having a router table currently, is a dedicated router worth the extra cash? Anyone out there only have 1 router and swap it out, or once it is in does it stay in?
2. Is 3-1/4 HP really needed? would a 2-1/4 hp work for a hobbyist?
3. Any one modified a Rockler base plate to fit a router it wasn't meant for? I believe the plate I have is a Class A plate and will work for the following routers - Makita 1100; Milwaukee 5615-5624; DeWalt 616-618; Bosch 1617-1618; Ridgid 2930 Combo Kit; Hitachi M12VC (fixed and kit); Porter-Cable 690, 890, 7529, 97529 and 8529. Note: Current models of the Porter-Cable 892 require at least two screws to be 1/2" long versus 5/8". Could this be modified for a Milwaukee 5625?
4. Lastly I am looking at the Milwaukee 5625 or the 5616 router. is the function where you can adjust the height with a wrench from the table top really going to work well? or is this not really all that practical. In other words buy a router lift as well.
My concerns are setup time and accuracy. I don't want to have to spend hours (maybe an exaggeration) setting up a cut on the router. or have it be such a pain that I never want to use it. Also trying to see if I can still use what I had originally purchased.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Drew
I haven't posted in a while, been too busy with daughters softball and building a new shop. Shop is coming along and my mind is starting to look into the setup of said shop and specifically a Router Table. I purchased a table and plate from Rockler a while back for a Dewalt 618 (Rockler Class A plate) and now I am wondering if that was the right choice. Let me start off by saying that I am a hobbyist, I am not going to be cranking out a ton of cabinets or anything. Reading around the forum a lot of people prefer a 3-1/4 HP router for their table. From what I can tell it has to do with running larger panel bit in the router itself.
I guess the questions I have are mainly this,
1. Not having a router table currently, is a dedicated router worth the extra cash? Anyone out there only have 1 router and swap it out, or once it is in does it stay in?
2. Is 3-1/4 HP really needed? would a 2-1/4 hp work for a hobbyist?
3. Any one modified a Rockler base plate to fit a router it wasn't meant for? I believe the plate I have is a Class A plate and will work for the following routers - Makita 1100; Milwaukee 5615-5624; DeWalt 616-618; Bosch 1617-1618; Ridgid 2930 Combo Kit; Hitachi M12VC (fixed and kit); Porter-Cable 690, 890, 7529, 97529 and 8529. Note: Current models of the Porter-Cable 892 require at least two screws to be 1/2" long versus 5/8". Could this be modified for a Milwaukee 5625?
4. Lastly I am looking at the Milwaukee 5625 or the 5616 router. is the function where you can adjust the height with a wrench from the table top really going to work well? or is this not really all that practical. In other words buy a router lift as well.
My concerns are setup time and accuracy. I don't want to have to spend hours (maybe an exaggeration) setting up a cut on the router. or have it be such a pain that I never want to use it. Also trying to see if I can still use what I had originally purchased.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Drew