Routers for raised panels

[Ron Hampe]

Looking for recommendations. I'm downsizing my shop and after selling my shapers bought a Grizzly sliding router table. I also have a Woodpecker fixed table with their router lift
Now looking for routers that will handle large raised panel bits and thinking 3.5hp but which would be better a plunge router or fixed base for the sliding table? Thanks

[Thomas Wilson]

My preferred is a fixed base and a lift but either will work. Having a router dedicated to the router table is most important to me.

[Ron Hampe]

Thanks and both will have dedicated routers.

[Jim Dwight]

I use the big PC 15A router table motor in my home made router table with built in lift. Works great. But despite it's power, I always take at least 3 cuts to raise a panel. I once made a whole kitchen worth of cabinets with oak raised panel doors using a router to make the cuts. It works, you just have to go slower.

[Greg Quenneville]

476258I used a Triton TRA001 router, allegedly 3 hp, to raise panels in my new old house. Really, lots of panels. I used a bit from Infinity and cut them in one pass on MDF (paint grade, obviously). We have a panelled library, staircase and doors. At least 400 panels in total. The results were very very good.

This is my third router table because I keep quitting woodworking then do something dumb like decide to build a period house. I chose the Triton for its self-raising feature more than anything.

I touched up the bit at least three times using small diamond plates by the way, and a pro re-sharpen.

Oh yeah…I also did a bunch of panelled shutters in cedar. Two passes there because real wood.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have a Milwaukee 5625-20. It's a fixed base.

Glenn Bradly correctly called the big Milwaukee - "Raw stupid power". I agree with that 100%.

[Jim Becker]

I'm also preferential to a big, 15 amp fixed base router motor with a lift for this application. If I was interested in doing a little more engineering. I'd consider an air cooled spindle with a VFD like I have on my CNC for the "ultimate" in control. :)

[Tom Bender]

Just curious Jim, what's the voltage and HP on your CNC?

[Lee Schierer]

You can also cut raised panels on your table saw.

[Jim Becker]

Just curious Jim, what's the voltage and HP on your CNC?

My spindle is 1.7kw. The machine connects to 240v, 30a, 4-wire. (L14) The next step up in offered spindles for the machine is 3kw and that steps things up to 40a. This is for steppers. Folks who upgrade to servos only need 3 wire.

[Bobby Robbinett]

My spindle is 1.7kw. The machine connects to 240v, 30a, 4-wire. (L14) The next step up in offered spindles for the machine is 3kw and that steps things up to 40a. This is for steppers. Folks who upgrade to servos only need 3 wire.

You can make raised panels on a CNC if you have a decent size machine. The shop that I work in doesn’t have a CNC but we often talk about what all we would do if we had one. We could mill raised panels, cut and dado our hardwood face frame stock, make one piece MDF doors among many other useful things.

[Billy Stray]

I have 2 PC speedomatics, one plunge one fixed base , the fixed base lives in the router table . I've had them both over 20 years , can't kill em . I laugh at the price tag on the comparable festool 2200 every time I use either one...

[Rick Fisher]

I have 2 PC speedomatics, one plunge one fixed base , the fixed base lives in the router table . I've had them both over 20 years , can't kill em . I laugh at the price tag on the comparable festool 2200 every time I use either one...


I have a couple Porter Cable 3.5hp fixed base and a Festool 2200. The Festool would be wasted in a table. The Festool is extremely user friendly and precise. Its also heavy. I used it to cut patterns in 3/4" plywood for a curved staircase, the router is a work of art. Its just too heavy for a regular user.

I tend to agree with you lol.

[Jim Becker]

Yea, that 2200 is a beast of a machine...really awesome when you need that extra braun and power, but not a 'daily user' for general tasks unless one is a total gorilla in arm strength!

[Ole Anderson]

Still using my old 3.5 hp Hitachi M12V plunge router in a Woodpeckers lift designed for it.

[Curt Harms]

I'm also preferential to a big, 15 amp fixed base router motor with a lift for this application. If I was interested in doing a little more engineering. I'd consider an air cooled spindle with a VFD like I have on my CNC for the "ultimate" in control. :)

That doesn't seem like a bad idea. Would a spindle be happy running upside down? I've never seen a spindle up close. Be able to rig some sort of spacer to mount one in a router lift?

[Greg Quenneville]

Yes, a spindle can be used that way. Chris Parks, who has posted here before on this subject, made one using a water cooled spindle which is used in a busy school setting. I may do the same. The water cooled ones aren’t really any more complex, but they take dust damage out of the equation.

My Triton has needed lots of maintenance due to dust.

[Ron Hampe]

The one thing I didn't like about the sliding table was that its not set up to use a lift so I've decided to replace the existing cast iron table with a phenolic router table that has a cut out for the router lift and will post pictures of it when its done. It also dawned on me that I have perfectly good 3.5hp Milwaukee router on my cnc that will be replaced very soon with a spindle and I'll use it if I can find mounts that will fit my woodpecker router lift.

[Alex Zeller]

The wife bought me a cast iron router table from MLCS as a "reward" for making raised panels out of PVC for a bump out in the kitchen that never got sided. The table was alright but it wasn't set up for an insert. So after having it for a few years I decided to cut a hole in it for a lift plate. At first it was intimidating but it was easy. Cast iron isn't like steel. It's so much easier to work with. I laid everything out with masking tape. The rounded corners were 1 1/2" so I just used a hole saw to make them and then a 4 1/2" grinder with a cut off wheel to make the cuts between the holes. Finally a metal file to smooth it out. Finally I used two 1/4" holes countersunk at each corner to hold a flat piece of steel on the underside for the leveling screws.

As for a router, I would use a spindle with a remote VFD to control it. The challenge would be to find a lift that will hold the spindle. Matching the two diameters may not be easy, or it could be< I've never looked. The advantage of a spindle is noise. Yes it'll still make noise when the bit is cutting the wood but you're not going to have a screaming universal motor. Also with a VFD you'll get accurate speed control with a digital readout.