Good 3hp Router?

[Russ Filtz]

Any votes for best raised-panel router to get? I know the Hit M12V used to be a good bet. All I've ever used is my trusty 1-1/4 hp PC. I assume something this large is mostly used in the router table? Along time ago I bought a separate electronic speed adjuster to slow big bits (never used it so far). Do most come with this built-in these days?

[Steven J Corpstein]

I have a PC 7518 in a table and have yet to come across anything that should be done in a router table, rather than a shaper, that it will not handle with ease.

[Frank Pellow]

I have read good things about the Milwaukee 5625-20 and I expect that I will eventually purchase one. I don't have a router table yet, but when(if) I get(build) one, this is the most likely router choice.

The September 2005 issue of Wood magazine published a cmparison of 11 "monster" routers and the Milwaukee 5625-20 rated the best for mounting in a router table.

[Roger Everett]

On your second question, yes, most router brands and models come with variable speed models.
I think it's pretty much accepted by most , that the PC 7518 3 1/4 hp, 5 spd. is the flagship for a powerfull. long lasting router for a router table. I've got one in my RT that is 13 years old and is practically indestructable. I saw in a mag., several years ago , ( I believe FWW ) where in a comparision of large routers for table use, they compared bearings, and the PC 7518 had the largest. And it is the bearing that take the load, and in this case bigger is best.
Roger

[scott spencer]

I know the PC 7518 has been a long standing favorite for table mounting, but am reading more and more about the Milwaukee 5625 having some advantages over the 7518. My 5615 is amazingly powerful for the amp rating, and have read that the 5625 follows suit.

I've got a Freud FT-2000E that's been great, except for the fact that the throat opening isn't big enough to accept 3" panel raisers. They've got a new FT-3000 coming out any day now that corrects this issue, plus has above table bit changes and above table height adjustment....a couple of features I'd be very interested in.

[Mack Cameron]

I've been using 2 - 3612C Makitas rated at 3.5 hp in 2 LV tables for well over 10 years now. They have both been great machines, an added bonus is the Makita repair depot is about 15 mins. away. Never had to use them yet though! Touching WOOD as I type this!

[Rick Schubert]

Doesn't the Milwaukee 5625 have above table bit changes and above table height adjustment? I've been thinking of this router when I get my RT built or bought.

Do those features work well enough so you don't need a lift? I hope I'm adding to this thread and not stealing it.

Rick

[Russ Filtz]

I just read an Amazon review on the 5625 and one guy had the raise mechanism strip out on him. Said it was plastic threads that stripped out. The lowering still worked. Then I noticed there were whole $200+ raise mechanisms on ebay for the 5625 by woodpecker (I assume also for other models too). Could be a flaw in the touted 5625?

[tod evans]

7518.....02 tod

[Frank Pellow]

Doesn't the Milwaukee 5625 have above table bit changes and above table height adjustment? I've been thinking of this router when I get my RT built or bought.

Do those features work well enough so you don't need a lift? I hope I'm adding to this thread and not stealing it.

Rick
Yes it does.

I have read that these features mean that a lift is not needed and I would be very interested hearing from folks who can either confirm or refute this assertion.

Rick, from my perspective, your question is adding to the tread.

[Brent Harral]

:D Mine, will not die. However, I really like the Milwakees (have three of the 2hps) and would probably go that route (5625) if I had to replace the big dog.

[Dino Makropoulos]

Any votes for best raised-panel router to get? I know the Hit M12V used to be a good bet. All I've ever used is my trusty 1-1/4 hp PC. I assume something this large is mostly used in the router table? Along time ago I bought a separate electronic speed adjuster to slow big bits (never used it so far). Do most come with this built-in these days?


Try WORX.
http://www.worxpowertools.com/products/core-range/plunge-router.htm


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EEWZ78/qid=1142791737/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-2004456-9856922?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hi&v=glance&n=228013

[Jim Becker]

I have a PC 7518 in a table and have yet to come across anything that should be done in a router table, rather than a shaper, that it will not handle with ease.

I'm also a fan of and user of the PC 7518 in the router table. It's a work-horse. Many of the lifts cater to it specifically, too.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I posted this review on TRIBE


At $329.00 a pop the tool should be good enough out of the box that one should not be contemplating the things one must change, alter, fabricate, and replace just to get the tool to perform correctly.

I’ll start off with the things that annoyed me first.
The router base plate has raised letters molded onto it so that they stick out sharply. It’s hard not to point out that this is just plain stupid.

The cap holding the hefty spring for the plunge seems to have a weak attachment to the body. It may last – maybe. But it’s not as robust as I’d expect. One hard thump and it’s curtains for that plunge spring retainer cap.

The plastic router base plate is fairly cheesy. It’s too thin and came slightly warped from the factory. I’ll replace that bit of trash with a real one made from 3/8 sheet PVC. I’ll probably have to do something about the screws holding the plate in as well. I’m thinking Heliciols with a detent.

The attachments that come with the tool are fairly worthless. The metal is plenty heavy, it’ll stop a 9mm at 30 feet. Triton ruined the attachments by using cheap plastic lugs as the clamp points which given the weight and power of the router won’t resist movement. The circle cutter is a hopeless joke. A small nail driven through a cheap lug of plastic is what holds back all three and a quarter of those ponies? It’s stupid. I would not trust it on a nice piece of lumber. I will likely replace the plastic clamp lugs with steel or brass and maybe it’ll be OK then – maybe not.

The winder mechanism is a tad stiff. Strong hands won’t have a problem.
The button in the right winder to engage free plunge is a tough push.
The plunge spring is over done. It’s a lot stronger than needed. Maybe they used poor quality steel and it’ll weaken with age?

The depth control stop mechanism is worse then worthless. The thing is a cheap cheesy plastic bit of garbage that will fail just as the user gets to trust it. There are two stop screws that one can set to different heights. The plastic body is attached to the base by one screw which becomes progressively looser as you rotate the plastic stops back and forth.
I won’t depend on it at all. If I want the depth stop option I’ll replace it with one I’ll make from brass and mount it more securely.

The spindle & collets are OK sort of. The engagement threads are a course thread. This is simply wrong. Engagement threads in this application should be fine threads not course. The thread quality is rough. It feels as though the dies used to cut the threads were dull. The parts make a grinding noise when engaged.

The ground surfaces seem OK. Router Bits settle in nicely and hold when the collet is tightened – though I haven’t had opportunity to run a lot of lumber through the thing yet. The collet has one single lonely slot. That one slot is all there is to tighten the collet around the bit. The stress on the collet is relieved by two grooves placed radial ly. It works but it’s definitely not quality.

The switch has an annoying plastic sliding cover one must slide away before engaging the power. The switch is ideal for table mounting as it’s a positive detent switch On/Off switch requiring the user to flip it off.


The thing is a little noisy more so than many routers but, it’s got a beast of a motor so I’ll let that slide.

POSITIVE aspects of the Triton:

The soft start is exactly that. My wife can start this tool up with no discomfort and that’s saying something. The switch is ideal for table mounting as it’s a positive detent switch On/Off switch requiring the user to flip it off.

The shaft lock works very well. It engages when the router is lowered to change a bit.

The plunge shafts are heavy a thick and have no perceptible wobble. The bronze bushings that guide the router body along the shafts are smooth and free running. The shafts appear to be pressed into the aluminum base with an interference fit – I didn’t try to remove them. It’s possible they are threaded but I seriously doubt Triton would have attempted engineering that sophisticated. I can only hope the fit was specced and cut well enough to walk the fine line between coming loose or stress cracking the cast aluminum base.

The winder is convenient, works well, stays put without, the need of the cam lock – even while cutting and the fine adjustment screw is an excellent idea.

The motor is – well – it’s a beast. Using this router is like shooting the Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum. If you aren’t ready for a big tool you won’t like it. On the other hand, if a big powerful hand shaper is what you wanted then it delivers. I wanted the 44 mag’ and I got it.
The first cut I made was to see if I could bog it down. I used a carbide two flute ¾” bit buried one inch in kiln dried pine. First, I plunged straight into the middle of the wood. Then I chewed my way around in a spiral, increasing the feed speed as I went. Then I increased the depth to 1.5 inches – same result. The Triton is stronger than I’d hoped. It’s like holding a miniature shaper in my hands. It’s a beast. Then I changed bits a couple times looking to hog as much wood off as possible with a couple large profile cutters. Again, it does wonderfully leaving a glassine finish in one pass.

I purchased this tool to go in a table and that’s where it’s going. It won't be run by hand very often.
As such, the issues with the spring, the spring cap, the depth stop, the stupid attachments and the cheesy base plate all fade away.

This leaves the collet as the primary flaw.

I always wanted a shaper - now I have a tiny one.

I am glad I paid the show price of $190.00

It's available at Amazon for $269.00 which I think is too high.

If I'd paid the full list of $329.00 I'd feel cheated because of the lack of sophistication, technical failings, design flaws, and poor shoice of materials.
Note: the Festool big gun is $400.00 - a lousy few dollars more and it needs no tweaking.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Do those features work well enough so you don't need a lift? it depends on what you are looking for. The built-in adjustment isn't quite as fine as you get in a lift (i.e., it moves more per revolution than a lift typically does). Also, you need to reach underneath and unlock the router in order for the above-table adjustment to work, and then re-lock it again.

This was fine by me, so for me the 5625 saved in the cost of a lift. BTW, it has the same hole pattern as the 7518, so they can use the same router plates (although you need to drill a hole for the adjustment mechanism).

[Jeff Geltz]

Don't laugh - but I've been using a Ryobi RE600 3 HP soft start router for about 15 yrs as a shaper. I've made thousands of feet of molding with it out of stock lumber and it just won't die. I was tempted to do the Milwaukee 5625, but I've heard and seen service issues with it. I then snagged a 3 HP shaper and ended my hunt. I guess I'll go to my grave with it in my shop. How embarassing!

[Frank Pellow]

...
I was tempted to do the Milwaukee 5625, but I've heard and seen service issues with it.
...

Jeff, can you be more specific about the issues that you have heard about and seen? This is the router that I have my eye on and, if I buy it, I am counting on it to last for many years.

[Michael Fross]

I picked up the green hulk. A Hitachi M12V (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000223K9/qid=1142802951/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-5932768-3191132?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=228013). I just couldn't pass it up for the price. 3.25 HP (if you believe that) and it has been wonderful. I just recently removed the springs from the plunge base and it has made it much easier to adjust in the table.

This is not a router I would plan on removing from the base and using it by hand. It's very heavy.

I'm sure there are better ones, but for $160, it's a heck of a deal.

If you'd like more details, please let me know.

Michael

[Jeff Geltz]

Frank,

A buddy of mine bought one a year or so ago and it put it in a nice Incra lift. Within a week it was dead. He brought it back to the dealer and after a few hassles they agreed to fix it. If I recall the problem had to do with the electronics. Can't tell if it works well or not as he has since moved and the router is still packed up. I've also seen other people posting service issues here and there. Not sure why people are having trouble with it as I normally hear good things about Milwaukee tools.

[Jeff Singleton]

I have a 518, 7518, 7539 ?, a Milwaukee something and a 2hp PC plunge, they all work great. All have plenty of power and weigh. The 518 has a mind of it's own and PC didn't have a clue as how to fix it. It would change speeds on it's own even after a new microprocessor. It's weird personallity kinda fits in with the rest of the shop though. I did a couple kitchens 15 years ago with a router and then bought some shapers. Oliver 285, 287 and a 3hp Delta. The 10hp 287 eats up raised panel like crazy. I have a set of Freud router bits for cope and stick and 3 raised panel bits that just sit in the a draw that will never to be opened again. Routers for paneled doors have their place but don't ever compare them to a shaper, it's not a fair comparison. It's like comparing a Delta Unisaw with a sliding table to an Altendorf F-45, it just isn't fair. Happy splinters.

Jeff Singleton
Singleton's Woodworking & Pattern Works;)

[John Kain]

I picked up the green hulk. A Hitachi M12V (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000223K9/qid=1142802951/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-5932768-3191132?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=228013). I just couldn't pass it up for the price. 3.25 HP (if you believe that) and it has been wonderful. I just recently removed the springs from the plunge base and it has made it much easier to adjust in the table.

This is not a router I would plan on removing from the base and using it by hand. It's very heavy.

I'm sure there are better ones, but for $160, it's a heck of a deal.

If you'd like more details, please let me know.

Michael
Just got mine a couple weeks ago. Very happy with it so far...........and I haven't used it in a table yet (since I'm in the process of building a new table). I've been only using it at speed "1" and it works OK for tableless routing but I'd not recommend it. I do like it so far and highly recommend it. It'll be fantastic in my table, where it will stay.

[Dave Harker]

I love mine, and it gets good reviews.

[Pete Harbin]

M12V here. No complaints so far.

Pete

[Steve Ash]

Don't laugh - but I've been using a Ryobi RE600 3 HP soft start router for about 15 yrs as a shaper.

Same here, been a good one for me. I just recently bought a used mini max 4 h.p. shaper.

[M. A. Espinoza]

Jeff, can you be more specific about the issues that you have heard about and seen? This is the router that I have my eye on and, if I buy it, I am counting on it to last for many years.

I'll jump in since I own a 5625. Couple of weeks ago I posted about a service issue regarding some play in the motor spindle that was corrected. A search for "Milwaukee 5625" should find it.

That notwithstanding the 5625 seems pretty solid and the adjustment and locking mechanism are what I prefer over the 7518 which I've also owned and logged a lot of time with. The 7518 is fine but the 5625 addressed the only issues I had with it.

New PC's aren't using the same bearings as once upon a time (China) so keep that in mind. Milwaukee's are Japanese which I prefer over Chinese bearings FWIW.

As a side note, I tried two 5625's that had the same spindle play before contacting Milwaukee directly. They then came up with a fix I'm comfortable with.

Best regards.

[Burt Waddell]

Russ,

I've owned both the PC 7518 and the Hatachi M12V and was not impressed by either. I currently have (in the 3 horse class) the Bosch , the Milwaukee, 4- Makita 3612c, the Triton and just added the Worx.

Prior to the Worx, the Milwaukee would have my pick followed closely by the Makita 3612c.

The Worx was a surprise and a half. It is rated 3 horse, 15 amp. Weight is a very light for a 3 horse - 10 pounds. All knobs are aluminum. There is a plastic coating on the plunge lock lever. I've only used this one as a hand held and it was extremely comfortable to hold. There is no vibration. The speed control is great. I set it on 5 of 6 and made a cut in red oak with the full cutting edge of a multi-form bit (I do this as a power check only and DON'T recommend that anyone else try it.) The speed controller maintained the starting speed and the cut was very smooth. Needless to say I was very impressed with the power of the Worx. The noise level is less than most 3 horse routers. From my limited use of the router, it rates with the very best of the 3 horse class. I would like to see a larger hole in the base.


Burt

[Dave Malen]

I've had one for about 6 years. Never had a problem. Now have it in a Jessum excel table. A perfect but expensive combination.
Dave