Motor for Router Table

[derek labian]

I'm using a Porter Cable 1.5HP, but I was thinking about replacing it with a 2.25HP or larger.

I'm curious what motors SMC's are using in their Router Tables? Please post your setup and if you feel it has enough power.

[Jim Dwight]

I have a Porter Cable 7518 in mine. Works great. Very powerful and smooth.

[Ralph Okonieski]

PC 7518, same as Jim.

[John Lanciani]

Old made in Switzerland DeWalt (Rebadged Elu) 625 here. Silky smooth and tons of power.

[Jim Becker]

PC 7518. If it ever dies, I'll probably go with the Milwaukee or maybe one of the no-names. I prefer a big, heavy 15 amp router motor in the table.

[johnny means]

IMO, the 7518 is the only real choice unless budget is a real issue. Maybe the 5625, if a good deal presents itself.

[derek labian]

It looks like the 7518 and 7519 were discontinued.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I use a Bosch 2.25 hp (well they call it that but we all know that's very embellished).
I have the Porter Cable 7518 that I had in my table before I obtained a router lift. I managed to get a nice top, fence and lift for free from a friend. The only problem is it doesn't fit the PC 7518.
The Bosch works great and has done well even with 3" bits for raised panels and such. However, one day I'm going to upgrade my lift and put my PC back in the table.

[derek labian]

Incra sells the Milwaukee 3650-20 with the Master Lift as an option. It also seems like a pretty good 3.5hp choice.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Milwaukee 5625-20.

Glenn Bradley sold me on it when he described his as "stupid raw power".

I just two weeks ago bought a 1/4" collet for it and have been using a number of 1/4" bits. Man what a difference there is over using those bits in a 1.75 hp Ryobi in my smaller table.


It looks like the 7518 and 7519 were discontinued.Yeah - Porter Cable in their relentless drive to compete with Harbor Freight have shed the last few quality tools they offered.

[Curt Harms]

It looks like the 7518 and 7519 were discontinued.

There are motors that look like they'd replace the 7518 motors in lifts. Here's one, there are others but I wouldn't be surprised if they all come from the same factory. A concern I'd have with any of the chinese motors would be replacement collets. It'd be nice if they used the same collet as Porter Cable or Milwaukee or Bosch or something like that.

https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/u-turn-lift.html#router_motor_anchor

[Chuck Saunders]

The Bora is a cheap direct replacement, got one after one of the 7518's died shortly after they announced the discontinuation of the line. Got an ad from Woodpeckers today announcing that they have one now. I have the Milwaukee and it's a beast.
Chuck

[Jim Becker]

It looks like the 7518 and 7519 were discontinued.

Yes, there are no Porter Cable routers being made any more. The Milwaukee that you identified is a common alternative with a similar sized body for lift compatibility. There are also bare router motors being sold as "house brands" and from alternative brands like Bora.

[Frank Pratt]

I have a Milwaukee 5625 and it does indeed have 'stupid power'. Although big & somewhat heavy, it also is a very nicely balanced router & is a pleasure to use freehand as well. It also seems less prone to that awful high frequency chattering vibration that often happens with many routers.

[glenn bradley]

My original Milwaukee 5625 is still running in the table since it was installed in 2006.

[Doug Colombo]

I use a Bosch 2.25 hp (well they call it that but we all know that's very embellished).
I have the Porter Cable 7518 that I had in my table before I obtained a router lift. I managed to get a nice top, fence and lift for free from a friend. The only problem is it doesn't fit the PC 7518.
The Bosch works great and has done well even with 3" bits for raised panels and such. However, one day I'm going to upgrade my lift and put my PC back in the table.

+1 on the Bosch. I also have the Bosch 2.25HP and have had no issues with what I have done (including 3" raised panel bits).

[Bill Winter]

I have a Porter Cable 7518 in mine. Works great. Very powerful and smooth.

+1. I cannot find anything wrong with it. It's mounted in a JessEm Rout-R-Lift II.

[Bob Jones 5443]

I picked up my 7518 last year on eBay and got an unusually low price for it from someone who said it had been used in a church workshop. Sure enough, it was in pristine shape and has really upped my table's clout from the 690 I've used for years. I'd keep looking for used. Maybe there's a woodworker's club near you? People retire all the time...

[Mike Wilkins]

I just viewed a video from Woodpeckers showing their new router which is similar to the 7518; same diameter as the PC unit with variable speed and precision machined collets and interchangeable adapters for various size shank bits. Looks promising.

[derek labian]

I have a Bosch 2.25HP and I like it. I recently bought the Festool OF 2200. In both cases, the added cost is in all the attachments I have for plung, fixed, edge, etc. Thats why I'm looking for something that was more or less just a motor, and If I'm going to just by a motor, I might as well go with the 3+ HP.


There are also bare router motors being sold as "house brands" and from alternative brands like Bora.

I looked at that Bora quiet a bit but the bad reviews had the same issues, and I didn't want to deal with problems down the road. Same reason I didn't want to go with a no-name Chinese brand. The Bora was more expensive than the Milwaukee too. Seems like there may be some quality issues.

"Installed this router in a Woodpecker table. Within 30 minutes of use, it started dropping power for a second or so, then start back up. Under load, it would do that every 5 to 30 seconds. I contacted support and they suggested that I take it apart and look for loose wires. There were no loose wires. Then they asked for a video of the router when it was failing. Having already removed it from the table, I set it up and let it run. With no load, it took about 80 seconds before it started failing. It did it three times in 2.5 minutes. I sent the video to them and 12 days later, no response. I wish I had read all the negative reviews before ordering this junk. I have owned it too long for Amazon to take it back. I'm going to replace it with a Milwaukee router and, if I ever get a PortAMate replacement, I'll sell it on eBay."

"What a P-O-S! I should’ve known better to
take the cheap route. This unit is extremely loud, it vibrates my entire cast iron table, and it has so much runout. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m so disappointed in my decision. I’m most likely going to throw it in the garbage. I already bought a Bosch 1617 and it rocks! No comparison! It’s really crappy that a company like this is putting inferior product on the market. There’s a reason why it’s cheap! Stay away like grim death!"

"I had a lot of issues with this router. had it mounted on a table. cable inside of it kept going loose because it vibrates quite a bit, and I had to open the top and tighten the connection. finally something shattered inside of the housing and plastic pieces went flying out of the housing."

"This router motor is complete, garbage, stay away. I used it for about 2 months without issues, then was using a patterning bit to shape a piece of (very soft) redwood. The bit grabbed, as happens occasionally when using a router, and took a chunk out of the redwood. Shouldn't be a big deal, this is normal operation for a table router. However, it spun the main bearing, destroying the router in the process. If a minor incident like that can destroy a router, I don't know how anyone could safely use something like a large panel raising bit."

"I purchased this router motor on another site; it stopped running after just one hour of light use. I assumed that was a one-off fluke, and was ready to order a new on from Amazon. However, I first read the reviews and came to the conclusion that it is simply an unreliable product. I've ordered the Porter-Cable router motor from Amazon instead; hopefully I'll have better luck than I did with the Portamate."

[Alex Zeller]

I'm thinking about switching to a spindle driven by a VFD. So much quieter and the speed control can be moved (VFD) can be easy to reach. The ER style collets offer more flexibility.

[Jim Becker]

I'm thinking about switching to a spindle driven by a VFD. So much quieter and the speed control can be moved (VFD) can be easy to reach. The ER style collets offer more flexibility.
Brian Holcomb was looking at doing that. You'll want air cooled for this application, however, because of the inverted position as compared to a CNC machine where you can also opt for water cooled if you want. These spindles do generally use an ER collet which is a benefit, IMHO. Likely either ER-20 or ER-25, depending on the particular spindle, unless you opt for a "monster".

[derek labian]

Interesting, the SpinRight 3.25HP spindle seems like a much better deal if the quality is good. Same HP and $120 cheaper. Any thoughts?

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?293823-Spin-Rite-router-table-motor

https://www.woodpeck.com/spinrite-router-motor.html

[Jim Becker]

Derek, even though they use the "spindle" word for the Woodpecker's SpinRight, it's just a router motor with soft start. It just happens to use a standard collet system (ER-20) which is quite desirable, IMHO.

[derek labian]

Derek, even though they use the "spindle" word for the Woodpecker's SpinRight, it's just a router motor with soft start. It just happens to use a standard collet system (ER-20) which is quite desirable, IMHO.

I guess the real question is how reliable/performant is it.. and its probably too new to know.. whereas the Milwaukee is well received.

[Jim Becker]

I guess the real question is how reliable/performant is it.. and it's probably too new to know.. whereas the Milwaukee is well received.

Yes, very new, but there's a "likelihood" that it's sourced from the same place(s) as other similar products based on the design of the plastic cover on the top, including name brand, similar motors. The one uniqueness seems to be the adoption of the standard collet system.

[Alex Zeller]

Brian Holcomb was looking at doing that. You'll want air cooled for this application, however, because of the inverted position as compared to a CNC machine where you can also opt for water cooled if you want. These spindles do generally use an ER collet which is a benefit, IMHO. Likely either ER-20 or ER-25, depending on the particular spindle, unless you opt for a "monster".

I would think something like a flex pipe for a dryer connected to the bottom would be all that's needed to pull in fresh air but not be too much to impact a dust collector if the spindle is inside a box for dust control.

[Andy D Jones]

Yes, very new, but there's a "likelihood" that it's sourced from the same place(s) as other similar products based on the design of the plastic cover on the top, including name brand, similar motors. The one uniqueness seems to be the adoption of the standard collet system.

Or just more evidence that illicit copying* is rampant in China.

*Often employing inferior materials and/or processes to maximize short-term profits.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Norman Pirollo]

Triton 2.25HP Plunge Router. Removed spring before installing. Been using it for 14 years now, no problems.

Norman

[roger wiegand]

Couldn't find the PC as they went out of production and ended up with the Milwaukee 5625 in my new Incra/Jessem lift. Absolutely no complaints, works like a champ.

[Jim Becker]

I would think something like a flex pipe for a dryer connected to the bottom would be all that's needed to pull in fresh air but not be too much to impact a dust collector if the spindle is inside a box for dust control.

I mentioned air cooled because you really cannot invert the water cooled versions I suspect...although I could be wrong about that.

[Chuck Saunders]

Water cooled spindles are pumped coolant and as long as the air is purged should have no issues running in any orientation.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I use Bosch MRF23EVS for my router table: link from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-MRF23EVS-Electronic-Fixed-Base-Trigger/dp/B002LASDGK/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=bosch+router&qid=1632762805&sr=8-12).

Plenty of power and it avoid a special router base plate as I attached directly the router and its fixed base at a DIY base (it is possible to adjust cut deep from the bottom of the base).

[Justin Rapp]

Has anyone tried using any of the following routers:
Portamate PM-P254, Grizzly T32461 or the Spinrite? They are all the same router basically with a different paint job. We know the PC7518s are gone and the Milwaukee 5625 seems to be out of stock for quite a while.


I will go into a router table.

[Justin Rapp]

Has anyone tried using any of the following routers:
Portamate PM-P254, Grizzly T32461 or the Spinrite? They are all the same router basically with a different paint job. We know the PC7518s are gone and the Milwaukee 5625 seems to be out of stock for quite a while.


I will go into a router table.

I did find out the Spinrite from Woodpecker does have a better er20 collet over the PM-P254, as well as a soft start. While they look identical, they are not. Portamata now has out a new model, the 6200 that has those two features.

Either way, I ordered a woodpecker router table today, but will set it up for now with my porter cable 690 and upgrade to the bigger router later. I just need new pads which are about 30 bucks to make the larger router fit.

[Steve Demuth]

I use a Bosch 1617EVS in a cast iron table. Has served well for close to ten years. But I don't do high duty cycle production work, so my experience doesn't really speak to that.

[michael langman]

I got a Hitachi M12V a few years ago for 200.00 new and it came with a nice fence, 2 collets and some centering attachments. Dust shroud works well with my shop vac and the 15 amp motor sounds smooth and not that loud to me. It can be adjusted from atop the table with a 1/4" drive square hand extension because I ground down a cheap collet and inserted it into the router where the lifting screw goes. You have to reach under the table and lock, unlock the locking mechanism when making adjustments, but it is not that bad at all to do.
Don't know why it is not that popular a router.

[Robert Hayward]

Milwaukee 5625 seems to be out of stock for quite a while.

Grizzly has them. (https://www.grizzly.com/products/milwaukee-3-1-2-hp-router/h7022?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VGWdJccFk5L1C wOx-z4i0gc719918Sz_ghf8jJxKJ7uFVnP2ZP3Kg4aAkX4EALw_wcB ) According to their web site anyway.

[Justin Rapp]

Grizzly has them. (https://www.grizzly.com/products/milwaukee-3-1-2-hp-router/h7022?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VGWdJccFk5L1C wOx-z4i0gc719918Sz_ghf8jJxKJ7uFVnP2ZP3Kg4aAkX4EALw_wcB ) According to their web site anyway.

Seems they do. For now, I'll just use my 690. It's been powerful enough so far. In talking with woodpecker's rep said they only had a couple, out of hundreds or so that were a problem. He said 1 customer order a few of them and is using them in production cnc work with no issues.