Help me choose a router please

[Luke McFadden]

I'm fairly new to woodworking. I have a mix of hand tools and power tools. The more I learn, the more it seems like a router would be a great general purpose tool to have. I think I would use it a lot for trimming up edges, for working with jointing, and for making nice edges on things.

What would everyone recommend? I'd like it to be as afforable as possible, but I don't want something that will not do the jobs I will need it to.

Also, how benefitial would a router table be? Or what are some alternative methods for using it like one? Meaning, are there jigs that would help me make the cuts for joints? Or is this something fairly easy to do?

Any tips are welcome, I've ordered a few books that have sections on routers, but they are taking to long to get here!

Edit: In browsing I've noticed that some people use their router w/ a table as a small jointer. I'm very interested in this. I would probably always be doing boards 1.5" or less. Would I need a better router for work like this? Table recommendations?

Luke

[Mike Heidrick]

check out Pat Warner's website at www.patwarner.com (http://www.patwarner.com) for the authoritative source on routers in my opinion.

My recomendations is:

Dewalt 618-B3 3 base set to start - it will give you a D-handle fixed base and a plunge base to use above table and you can mount the two handed fixed base to your table for now and move the motor to whatever base is needed..

Then add a Porter cable 7518 or Milwaukee 5625 latter on when you want to build a dedicated 3+hp router table and leave a big router dedcated to it.

[Ted Miller]

Luke, It depends on the work you are doing, a plung router you will be able to do more with and working by hand go with 2 1/4 hp or below and for your table it would be nice to go 3 hp if you are doing rails and stiles. You can edge joint with your table as well if you like. Its a good idea to purchase a good router that has both plung and fixed base, D handle base is also very nice to use for control with various jigs...

[glenn bradley]

A rule of thumb often heard is 'if you only get one router, get a plunge'. This may still be true but some of the combo units now available allow you to have both. DeWalt, Bosch and others offer good 'kits'. Google router reviews and you'll get quite a bit of data.

[Kerry Wright]

Just a little typo, it's www.patwarner.com

[Tom Hoffman]

I wholeheartedly agree with Mike Heidrick's recommendations. The only thing I'd add is to go with a Bench Dog table and fence when the time comes for a router table. You can't really joint edges without a router table.

[Doug Shepard]

If you're only doing pieces 1.5" or less I'd either go with a laminate trimmer instead of a router, or a table mounted router. Trying to use a plunge router on pieces that narrow is difficult at best and can even be dangerous. Table mounted would be the safest but a lam trimmer's base is small enough that you can control it from tipping on narrow stock easy enough. You'd still want to make sure it's clamped down though and the clamps will interfere with the routing so you'd have to stop and reposition clamps every so often.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Luke,
My inexperienced $.02 is shop around for the best deal on a 2 1/4 HP.

The more common ones:
- Freud
- Dewalt
- Bosch
- Porter Cable
can be found at either Lowes or Home Depot and often will have some promotional offers to sweeten the deal.
I narrowed my search down to the 3 base Dewalt and the Freud 1700.

I ended up with the Freud simply beacuse of the price.
It was $169.00 at Lowes and came with an offer for a free plunge base.
My wife and I are in the midst of rehabbing a rental and had to pick up materials for the job. We had a 10% off coupon for Lowes, so I bought the Freud at the same time. The total bill came to around $1200.00 for all the materials. With the 10% off money, I pretty much ended up with the Freud plus a plunge base for about $20.

Also look at the features each mfg. puts on their products and how they will apply to what you want to do.
Again, I went Freud because of the above table adjustment features.
At some future point, I plan on mounting mine in a table as a dedicated table unit. I reviewed the information at Pat Warner's site, and decided to hold off on the Dewalt for the time being. Not that it isn't a terrific tool, it just (the 3 handle offering) didn't fit into my current needs.

P.S. - You might want to consider something else. You should probably think along the lines of "What router should I get first" ;) The Freud is my third router - and I'm a real noob @ woodworking. I found out real quick though, that some jobs require an enormous amount of setup time.
I have my cheap Ryobi ($99 Router/table combo) dialed in perfectly for running 1/4" grooves for pegboard. My on again/off again project of putting together a workplace in the garage calls for a lot of pegboard.
Since I only have a couple of hours a week to work on it, I hate to waste time going through the setup.

[JayStPeter]

I agree with the others to get one of the multi-base kits. I have the Bosch and like it.
I personally dislike the router table for edge jointing. It is a pain to set up to get good results and really only useful for small pieces that are already very close to being straight. If using the router for edge jointing, I use a pattern bit guided by a straight edge handheld. A router table is extremely useful for many things though, so I wouldn't discourage you from building one.

[scott spencer]

Hi Luke - To get started, a router kit that offers both a fixed base and plunge base is probably the most versatile set up. Most of these kits are ~ 2hp and have sufficient power for the vast majority of your needs and still have enough manueverability for hand use. Most also offer variable speed which is essential when you need to spin larger bits.

Ideally, two routers is the way to go. A table mounted router is the most convenient, accurate, and safest way to operate a router. It's obviously advantages to run the biggest router possible in the table, but it's not essential to doing good work. In fact I've had two 3hp routers mounted in my table, but currently use my 2hp Freud FT-1700 because of the superior above table features it offers over my well regarded and powerful Milwaukee 5625.

There are several good choices in a dual base kit from PC, DW, Freud, Makita, Bosch, Craftsman and Hitachi.

The Hitachi kit is a good entry level set with good features that's on sale thru Amazon for $140 shipped.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0002ZZWX8.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_V62681399_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-KM12VC-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B0002ZZWX8/sr=8-1/qid=1169994011/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-0666017-4028638?ie=UTF8&s=hi

The Freud FT-1700 also offers a plunge base now, and is the most user friendly router I've used for table use. The going rate is ~ $170.
http://www.epinions.com/content_228357738116

The best bang for the buck in a big router is likely the Hitachi M12V2 for $160 shipped.

Keep your eyes peeled for other good deals...hard to go wrong with any of the more respected names. Good luck!
http://www.epinions.com/content_245903494788

[Marc Prudhomme]

I have a cheap skill 1 3/4 horse dedicated plunge.I mounted it to a home made router table and I have no problem with it

[Richard Keller]

Routers are like clamps - you can't have too many.

DW621 2-1/4HP plunge is a good start though.

Richard.

[David Wambolt]

I have the Dewalt DW621 and it's a really nice router. I especially like the coarse and fine adjustments on this router as it makes setting your routing depth extremely simple. It's only a 2hp model, but it will cut a 3/4" dado, 3/8" deep in plywood without any sign of struggle. It runs smooth, and the ergonomics are the best I've found. The plunge is super smooth and the dust collection works excellent. I have mine connected to a Fein Turbo-III.

I use it on the EZ Smart SRK and am tempted to buy another one for free hand work. The only recommendation I'd add is plan on spending a bit for a larger base, whether it be a standard circular one or an offset base. The router has a small foot print which if you read online can make it a bit difficult to handle. Mounted on my EZ Smart SRK, with the EZ Glide it routes beautifully. I would not use it on a table though.

Another kit to consider is the Ridgid R2900 at Home Depot for $199 and sometimes on-sale cheaper. It is super smooth and has plenty of power. It comes with the fixed and plunge base, with above the table adjustments if you need one for a table. Additionally it has LED lights on the bottom that really light up the work. I have not tried the dust collection, but it's a super nice router for the price. This is a good choice if you want a freehand and table based router system.

[Kathy Engholm]

In general, I like Porter Cable tools, but I'm not so crazy about the two PC routers I have. I got along with just the small one for years and years, though it doesn't plunge. I made a simple table for it and did lots of projects. Advice: Put your router table surface at nearly chest height. Easier to see what you are doing and you don't get sore from leaning over.

Got a 3-HP, variable plunge model before building our new house. It was that or a used shaper. I decided on the router because I really wanted plunge capability. The little router wouldn't have survived the hours of using large bits to shape all the baseboards and backsplashes and making the stiles and rails for dozens of cabinet doors.

My beef with both my routers is how inconvenient it is to use two flat wrenches to change the bit. They slip off the nuts too easily. Also, plastic parts on the 3-hp unit broke too easily. (depth indicator and the plunge-stop lever)

[Richard Keller]

I have the Dewalt DW621 and it's a really nice router. I especially like the coarse and fine adjustments on this router as it makes setting your routing depth extremely simple. It's only a 2hp model, but it will cut a 3/4" dado, 3/8" deep in plywood without any sign of struggle. It runs smooth, and the ergonomics are the best I've found. The plunge is super smooth and the dust collection works excellent. I have mine connected to a Fein Turbo-III.

Hmmmmm......... I connected mine to my Fein Turbo I which I just got and was promptly disappointed. Any secrets to making it work? I know it's not the vac, because I use it with my DW423 sander, and couldn't be happier.

Richard.

[David Wambolt]

Hmmmmm......... I connected mine to my Fein Turbo I which I just got and was promptly disappointed. Any secrets to making it work? I know it's not the vac, because I use it with my DW423 sander, and couldn't be happier.

Richard.

I do have my DW621 mounted on the EZ Smart router base which encloses the cutter a bit more than the stock base. I'm using a Mr. Nozzle hose kit with a step down adapter. You can see a few pictures of the DW621 here:

http://www.dmwtech.com/gallery2/v/welding/wood/ez_smart/smart_table/

Its working flawless and I'm getting very good dust collection. Also make sure you have the plastic ring installed on the dust collection set up to better enclose the cutter. I can make a 3/4" dado and I'd say 95+ percent of the dust is being drawn into the vac. I'm using bags with the 1 micron filter.

[Jim Becker]

My personal recommendation for a "first router" or one to complement the "beast" in the router table is one of the multi-base kits. There are many times when a fixed base is preferable for lower center of gravity and stability (like dovetailing and edge work) and other times when a plunger is better. We are very lucky these days that all of the major manufacturers offer excellent 13 amp (~"2.5hp") kits with at least a fixed and plunge base...and sometimes a D-handle, too, which is great for "one-handing" during certain edge operations. My kit is the Dewalt DW618 and I've been very pleased with it. I most often use the fixed base or D-handle (I have two Festool plungers) but am pleased with the plunge base, too.

[Greg McCallister]

Well I am not router expert but I am very happy with my Ridgid 2930 (http://benchmark.20m.com/reviews/RidgidR2930RouterKit/RidgidR2930RouterKitReview.html) (review). 2 1/4 horse, soft start, variable speed, above table adjustment, lifetime warrenty, two bases - fixed and plunge. LED lighting (helps to see what you are doing), Dust collection and uses PC fixtures. So far I love it. Got it on sale for $169.00.

[Greg Cole]

TRITON is a fairly new name that isn't overly priced and reviews well.... it's worth a look.