help with buying a router

[jeff oldham]

I am interested in getting me a router and I would like to have the plunge base also,,and the overhead adjustment to raise and lower it if I decided to get a router table,,which im also looking for advice on that as well,,im looking for one that comes mostly assembled that has the hole in it to raise and lower your router,,,and in the benchtop form,,, I have limited space and being able to close it or fold it up would really be nice for me,,,and neeedless to say I would like for the router to be compatable with the table,,as to where the holes line up,,,can anyone help,,,racking my brain here,,lol

[John TenEyck]

You'll probably get lots of opinions. Mine is that the Bosch 1617EVSPK is a great all round package. For around $200 you get a 2-1/4 HP router with fixed and plunge bases and 1/4" and 1/2" collets. The fixed base has a huge opening in it and is one of the few routers that will accept 3-1/2" panel raising bits; and it accepts a wrench for above the table height adjustments if you install it in a router table. That wrench is included in the kit, too. Plenty of power for most jobs, the variable speed control is really good, and typical Bosch quality. Lots of accessories available for it, too.

John

[lowell holmes]

I have a Porter Cable, Dewalt, and Bosch router. My current favorite is the Bosch. Go handle them, they all are good.

I like the Bosch because it is more compact than the others. There are no magic answers. Go handle them and make your mind up.

Plunge bases are available on all three. A clean bench, good light, and good rest are a requirement for all of them.

I recommend you shop and make your mind up. :) And also, ear protection is recommended.

[Ben Rivel]

The Bosch 1617 kit is a tried and true setup. You cant go wrong there.

[John K Jordan]

I use a Porter-Cable in a portable router table that I pull out and set up on the bench when I need it. For a plunge router I have a Festool - excellent machine.

I have a couple of Craftsman routers too but by comparison they are fairly "clunky."

I've never looked into putting the Festool into a router table so I don't know how that would work out. The Porter-Cable is a lot cheaper and works fine in the table. I don't much care for it's plunge features, compared to the Festool.

JKJ

[Patrick Irish]

You'll probably get lots of opinions. Mine is that the Bosch 1617EVSPK is a great all round package. For around $200 you get a 2-1/4 HP router with fixed and plunge bases and 1/4" and 1/2" collets. The fixed base has a huge opening in it and is one of the few routers that will accept 2-1/2" panel raising bits; and it accepts a wrench for above the table height adjustments if you install it in a router table. That wrench is included in the kit, too. Plenty of power for most jobs, the variable speed control is really good, and typical Bosch quality. Lots of accessories available for it, too.

John

Exact kit I got. Lowes priced matched it for me. Great kit. Lots of Rockler add-ons fit it because it's a popular router.

I don't think a dust collection attachment comes for the plunge or the fixed, cant't remember, but one was missing. Not a huge deal. The little flip up see through window to block dust and wood shrapnel gets in the way. I have the fixed base mounted in my router table and use the plunge outside. Works great in the router table. Careful with the fine tune up and down function while in a router table. Once it bottoms or tops out, the little C-clip will pop off and you'll wonder why it's loose.

I need to get a better router lift that doesn't rely on using the routers mechanism. It's really designed for above table adjustment I feel where the weight of the router's motor is not fighting gravity.

[Malcolm McLeod]

When I reconciled myself to the fact that I would have more than 2 routers, I settled on Porter-Cable as my standard, mostly so I can share parts and pieces between them.

I also have a couple of others, including an old, inherited Dewalt DW621. This week I finally tossed the Dewalt in the trash because of the shaft lock. It was a 'single wrench' design; the wrench fit the collet nut and a shaft lock button pressed a key into a hole in the shaft. The key wallowed out the collar it rode in and the hole in the shaft also had worn - to the point that you could not get the collet nut tight. To fix it would have required a complete tear down and replacing both the collar and the 'shaft' (aka the motor). The last bit I used in it was almost tossed with it, as it was nearly impossible to remove.

All Dewalt routers look nearly identical, but I don't know if they all follow this lock design? Anyway, I strongly caution against one that you can't put a back-up wrench on.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have a bunch of routers....

My table mounted one is a Milwaukee 5625-20.
Plenty of power for the large panel raising bits.

My go-to hand held, for 90+% of the time is the DeWalt 611PK combo.
For the other roughly 10% of the time I use a hand held (which would be for using a 1/2" bit), I have a Porter Cable 690.

Google Pat Warner and check out his web site for the best info on routers.
When it comes to routers, Pat has forgotten more in the last half hour than most of the world will ever know in their lifetime.

[Matt Day]

I have 2 Bosch 1617's and they're great. One has a plastic dust collection adapters that work good - must have been an accessory but it works good.

I used to have it mounted in a table and it didn't have any above table raising built it, like I *think* you're asking.

[Nick Decker]

Another vote for the Bosch 1617 from me. If you go with a "trim" router (Dewalt 611, Bosch Colt, et.al.), I think you'll soon feel limited by its lack of power, and it's not a good choice to put in a table.

The Bosch 1617 will certainly work in a table, but it doesn't have a lift, as such. You can adjust bit height while it's in a table, but you're using the same adjustment mechanism that you would use with it hand held. It's an excellent all around router, though. Good place to start, and if I could only have one, that's what I'd go for.

[Bill Dufour]

look at the cost of all the stuff you are talking about buying and use the money to buy a shaper instead. You can get a used 1.5hp shaper for around $200-300 and it will include a good fence, height adjuster, motor and switch, and table. All of those would cost extra for a router table set up
you have to buy a router collet arbor for the shaper. Just make sure that the shaper can use interchangeable arbors.
Bill D.

something like this one on CL
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Delta-HD-Shaper-3-4-spindle-3-4-hp-3-phase-motor-/182551017469?hash=item2a80e377fd:g:BpkAAOSwIgNXqQS W

[andy bessette]

My routers include: Porter-Cable, Stanley, Ryobi, Rockwell and Bosch. Get the Bosch.

[Edwin Santos]

When I reconciled myself to the fact that I would have more than 2 routers, I settled on Porter-Cable as my standard, mostly so I can share parts and pieces between them.

I also have a couple of others, including an old, inherited Dewalt DW621. This week I finally tossed the Dewalt in the trash because of the shaft lock. It was a 'single wrench' design; the wrench fit the collet nut and a shaft lock button pressed a key into a hole in the shaft. The key wallowed out the collar it rode in and the hole in the shaft also had worn - to the point that you could not get the collet nut tight. To fix it would have required a complete tear down and replacing both the collar and the 'shaft' (aka the motor). The last bit I used in it was almost tossed with it, as it was nearly impossible to remove.

All Dewalt routers look nearly identical, but I don't know if they all follow this lock design? Anyway, I strongly caution against one that you can't put a back-up wrench on.

I think that particular model is really an Elu router which DeWalt branded into their line when Black & Decker bought Elu in the 90s. I like it a lot especially the depth adjustment system and the dust collection, but I hope what happened to you doesn't happen to me, or I will join you and stop liking it.

In response to the OP's question, the Bosch 1617 kit is a very good suggestion. The DeWalt 618 2 1/4hp series can be a good deal because they sometimes package it as a kit with the fixed base, plunge base and D handle at a very good price.

[Jim Becker]

To start out, one of the multi-base kits with the 12 amp motor "2 hp" is the way to go for versatility, IMHO. I have the DeWalt 618 version and am very pleased. Once a router table becomes a serious part of the shop, I believe a dedicated, variable speed 18 amp ("3hp") router is the best choice. Mine is the venerable PC 7518. Of course, over time, woodworkers tend to employ multiple routers...my go-to for most things is the Festool OF1400, but on some projects I use multiple routers to keep setups for multiple cutting profiles ready be just swapping the tool. Routers can be habit-forming!!

[Guy Belleman]

I have several Craftsman routers, a Dewalt 618, a Milwaukee, and have used the P&C and the Bosch. The Bosch is fair. The best; however, by leaps and bounds, is the Triton. Put the 2.25 hp in a small table. The smooth adjustment mechanism worked great, but the quiet performance was amazing. So, since I have two shops, I put the large Triton in a full size router table and enjoy using every time. Those other routers sit on the shelf gathering dust.

[Doug Landphair]

Ditto on the Bosch 1617. I've got 2 of them and never had any problem with them. One I use in my router table and the other for unmounted work. Last time I looked, Lowes had these for around $225 but they go on sale elsewhere regularly. You might even be able to pick them up used on your local craigslist.

I've not had experience with any of the others but have heard very good things about the Porter Cable models. Definitely go with a router that will handle 1/2 and 1/4 inch bits. All of my primary router bits are 1/2-inch shanks but I do have a few 1/4-inch. The larger shanks are stiffer and less likely to break.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I think that particular model is really an Elu router ....

Due credit... It was a really good router for 20+ years. Then it wasn't.

[Andrew Howe]

I agree with the bosch recommendation. I really like mine and as a bonus, with a very minor grind on the base, it will fit on the Festool LR32 system! !!

[Steve Reich]

FYI, Rockler as the Porter Cable 690 LR on sale for $129.99 plus free shipping.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have a Porter Cable 690 dual base set and an 890 dual base set. The 890 mostly lives in the router table because of the through-the-base height adjustment you can use with their fixed base. The 690 is mostly for hand held use, with a variety of bases including a D-handle and a plunge on an M-Power base plate.

That said, I also got a Triton a while back, and when I get around to making a Paulk Workbench, I plan to use it for a router table there.

Doc