Router Recommendation

[Ed Gibbons]

While using my Leigh dovetail jig, my Bosch router is difficult to finely adjust the height of the bit. Can anyone recommend a router where the bit height can be easily & finely adjusted.

Thanks.

[Ron Selzer]

Porter Cable 690's work for me have two dedicated to the Leigh dovetail jig. Getting harder to get now about a year or so ago they were severely discounted of course it was after I bought mine used
Ron

[Christopher Herzog]

I also use two d handled porter cable routers. They have treated me great while using the leigh jig.

[glenn bradley]

The PC 690 is a light, reliable and comfortable router. A pair dedicated to the jig would be a real asset. I would look to used after the last few years of PC's decline. If shopping new I would look for "uncomplicated" adjustments like on a Milwaukee or a DeWalt. There are some great adjustment systems out there for things that will change a lot during use. Your requirement is an accurate setup that will change rarely. The rotating ring on the PC 690 is hard to beat. The big rubber knob on the Milwaukee makes fine tuning a breeze as well. I could also see the value of a d-handle setup for jig use as long as the trigger lock was easily engaged. Fussy trigger locks may as well not be there.

[George Yetka]

the festool stuff while expensive is very good with adjustability. the only other routers i have are palm and one in a lift.

[Charles Lent]

I use two D handled DeWalt 618's. I prefer the D handles because of the trigger and because they are a bit more stable, but the D handle isn't that important, just nice because I have them.

What is important is to put a piece of tape on the top of each motor with the shape of the bit installed, so you don't pick up the wrong one. DAMHIKT. The DW618 routers are bigger than really necessary, but routers with 1/2" collets are very necessary, because 1/4" bits flex to much for cutting good dovetail joints. I also draw an arrow on the top side of each base and point this arrow at the jig when cutting the pins and the dovetails. Doing this will negate any slight router bushing to router base offsets. I center the bases with the centering cone, but then do this too for an extra guarantee that my dovetail joints will fit together perfectly. It's always a good Idea to make two passes just to be sure that you haven't drifted off the guide anywhere as well.

Charley

[Robert Engel]

If you can find a PC I wouldn't buy one I would be concerned about future parts availability.

That said, I own 5 and don't think I've ever fixed anything on any of them.

[Tom M King]

Two dedicated 690's here, too.

[Lloyd McKinlay]

I have a Triton in my router table which has a fine tuning adjustment knob. Works well.

[Jim Becker]

A fixed base router with either standard or D-handle is excellent for use with dovetail jigs as the height adjustment is easy by just twisting the motor body and then locking it as well as the center of gravity is lower than a plunger, making it more stable for the work.

[Curt Putnam]

I bought a Festool, in large part, because of frustrations with trying to set bit height in a PC 690. The OF1400 has fine thread screws in each turret position for the ultimate in easy and very fine adjustment. YMWV

[Dave Cav]

Two dedicated 690's here, too.

Same here.

[Bill Dindner]

I haven’t used many larger routers out of a table other than The Festool OF 1400, quite happy with it, super versatile especially when you get the track mounting attachments and their edge guide. Only issue is that it doesn’t have a built in light. It’s very expensive, especially when you get all the attachments, but everyone’s budgets and needs are different.

[Jim Becker]

If you want a plunger for the Leigh jig and use the 8mm shank cutters that Leigh recommends, the smaller Festool OF1010 has clean adjustability and is less weight with a lower center of gravity than the OF1400. Personally, before I sold my Leigh jig, I used both a DW618 fixed base and the OF1010 as the go-to routers for the jig.

[Curt Harms]

If you can find a PC I wouldn't buy one I would be concerned about future parts availability.

That said, I own 5 and don't think I've ever fixed anything on any of them.

Parts could become a problem but I'd think there are 3rd party sources for the most likely failure items. Bearings and brushes are certainly available 3rd party. Elaire makes P-C collets, maybe better than P-C. Switches could become a problem I guess. Yes low center of gravity is useful for jig use and one of the downsides to the P-C 890 series routers, they're pretty tall.

[Andy D Jones]

For me, with guide or template routing, it's not so just low center of gravity, but also low, strong grips, of which there are several fixed base routers. I have and like the Milwaukee 5616 in a fixed base, but for a router dedicated to this purpose, I'd probably prefer the 5615.

I too would not buy a PC router, unless I already had several, and wanted continuity (or a backup supply).

PC, by driving their product line out of business with poor quality and no innovation, gave the ultimate middle finger to their customers.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Mike Kees]

For me, with guide or template routing, it's not so just low center of gravity, but also low, strong grips, of which there are several fixed base routers. I have and like the Milwaukee 5616 in a fixed base, but for a router dedicated to this purpose, I'd probably prefer the 5615.

I too would not buy a PC router, unless I already had several, and wanted continuity (or a backup supply).

PC, by driving their product line out of business with poor quality and no innovation, gave the ultimate middle finger to their customers.

-- Andy - Arlington TX
Andy ,Porter Cable did not run their tools into the ground. Dewalt did, the decline happened after Dewalt purchased them.

[Curt Harms]

Andy ,Porter Cable did not run their tools into the ground. Dewalt did, the decline happened after Dewalt purchased them.

What I'd read - don't know how true it is - is that Black & Decker who owns DeWalt and Porter Cable was going to make the yellow tools the "professional grade" line and the gray tools the consumer line.

[Jim Becker]

Curt, I think it's more likely that DeWalt stays pro where it has a huge presence and Craftsman is the consumer line. That puts PC in a precarious position...

https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/our-businesses/our-brands

[Mark Woodmark]

Curt, I think it's more likely that DeWalt stays pro where it has a huge presence and Craftsman is the consumer line. That puts PC in a precarious position...

https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/our-businesses/our-brands

Could it be that PC will disappear altogether? I agree, with the lines of B&D, Craftsman, and DeWalt, there is no room for PC.

[Alex Zeller]

Some brands have an exclusive deal, like Milwaukee being sold in Home Depot but not Lowes. I could see where having two different brands could be useful, one at each big box store. But DeWalt is sold everywhere. With Craftsman now being pushed in Lowes it does leave the PC brand a limited place in the market. Chances are they will just die out.

Reminds me of AEG, a German company. I have a corded screw gun that's at least 25 years old now. It's been used on commercial job sites for years and has never skipped a beat. Then the Chinese company that owns Milwaukee and Ryobi bought them. With Milwaukee being their premium brand and Ryobi their entry brand it left AEG tools out of a place. I read that they rebranded the tools as Rigid for the US market but I'm sure they have nothing in common with what Germany was making. I wouldn't doubt one bit if Rigid tools were made in the same factory as Ryobi. With Lowes having Craftsman (same company as PC) and HD having Rigid I don't know where PC would find a home. Plus add the Black and Decker brand name into the mix, that's 4 brands (not including the Stanly name) with PC being at the bottom of how well known they are.

[Andy D Jones]

Andy ,Porter Cable did not run their tools into the ground. Dewalt did, the decline happened after Dewalt purchased them.

Ultimately SBD (Stanley Black & Decker) owns what's left of PC now, along with DeWalt and Craftsman.

So, in a sense, your are correct. But PC had a choice, and sold out their customers, along with themselves. PC cared about their customers and their quality right up until that decision, when they took the money and ran.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Jim Becker]

Could it be that PC will disappear altogether? I agree, with the lines of B&D, Craftsman, and DeWalt, there is no room for PC.

That's been my thinking for a while now since the routers went "poof". It will be interesting to see how this plays out. There are honestly a lot of brands out there in the market and having too many under one roof may not make financial sense in the same way that GM had to downsize its brand stable for what were essentially multiple nameplates on the same general vehicles.

[Ben Grefe]

I’ll give another vote for the Festool OF1400. I know they’re spendy, but once I picked one up off Festool Recon I basically stopped using every other router in my kit (except for my cordless Makita trim router). It’s just that good.

[Mike Henderson]

The thing I didn't like about the early PC690's was that they didn't have soft start and really torqued on startup. One almost got away from me because of that one time.

I think they added soft start to the later 690's.

Second comment: I find that I use a trim router most of the time now. I only use a full sized router for big things. The small trim router have a lot of power and they're easy to handle and use. I use the DeWalt trim router. I have six of them - four corded and two cordless. The cordless are used the most.

Mike