Router Question

[Jasun Brown]

I was given a PC 7518 for my BD last year. It has sat in the cabinet until last night. I was attempting to use the new Freud Quadra Cut 1/2" round over bit. The bit diameter is larger than the hole in the base. How do I go about getting/making a new base so the bid can be adjusted for height and fit below the base??
I have heard about sub bases but not sure where to get them, or for that matter, what they are exactly.
Any help here would be greatly appreciated!!!

[John Pahl]

The sub base is the plate that is attached to the base of the router. It is probabily black with a small diameter hole for the bit to go through. It attaches to the base with 3 screws. You would remove this if you were going to mount the router in a table for instance. I would get a sub base of PC that has a 2" diameter hole and is clear. I like the clear sub base because it allows you to see your work better. You can get this on line just about anywhere. Just do a google search for Porter Cable Sub Base. It will give you all the options you could want. Or you could go to a PC repair site. They usually have these in stock.

Hope that helps

[Jasun Brown]

John, did a search and found what I was looking for.
Thanks for the info.
Can you make these our of clear plastic??

[Steve Clardy]

Pat Warner, a member here, makes all kinds of router sub bases.

Very top notch

[J. Z. Guest]

Yes, you can make them yourself. the trick is getting the sub base so its hole is centered when you screw it down. The holes should either be centered, or should be counter-bored with flat bottoms so there's some room for centering adjustment.

Whatever you do, don't give into temptation and just run the spinning bit down through your factory sub-base. That base probably has the standard 1-3/16" hole diameter which accommodates guide bushings. If you rout that out, you can no longer use guide bushings.

I found that out and had to buy another one for something like $25 to use with my dovetail jig. :(

[David DeCristoforo]

"...Can you make these our of clear plastic??..."

Easily. Plexi or "lexan" make fine sub-bases. Use the "stock" sub-base as a template for the screw holes. As "J.Z." points out, you need to be sure that the mounting screws are properly countersunk. Then put a small straight cutter in the router and use it to "drill" a hole in the sub-base. The hole can then be enlarged with bigger bits simply by slowly "drilling" them through the sub-base. Wear goggles!!!!

Bagwan Rashneesh

PS Clear sub-bases are nice because you can see what's going on better.....
PPS Sub-bases do not have to be round! You can use square pieces of plexi which, if you need to run the base against a fence or jig, are better than round ones anyway.....

[Lee Schierer]

Yes, you can make them yourself. the trick is getting the sub base so its hole is centered when you screw it down. The holes should either be centered, or should be counter-bored with flat bottoms so there's some room for centering adjustment.:(

Make the mounting holes first so they fit tight. Then drill the center hole after you mount the new base plate on the router for the first time. Mark the center with a v-groove bit or centering drill mounted in the router chuck, the the hole will be perfectly centered. This will allow you to remove the base plate and get it re-centered each time you take it off without a lot of adjustment.

[Wayne Cannon]

Pat's bases are first class. They're nice and thick, unlike many other after-market Plexiglas plates that easily crack at the mounting holes or bushing if bumped or tightened a bit too tight.

Frankly, I somewhat prefer phenolic for bases (I haven't tried Lexan). Phenolic seems to slide a bit easier than Plexiglas for some reason, and Plexiglas plates get so scratched that I don't find them that useful for seeing the work.

[J. Z. Guest]

Jasun, One other thing. A router becomes 100% more useful if you have an excellent router book, such as the one by Bill Hylton.

There are lots of things which I have the feeling can be done effectively with a router, but I can't get my mind around how it is done. I refer to that book, see how it is done, and then decide if it is the most practical way for my circumstance.

One great side benefit of that book is that it shows how to make a cheap, quick, and effective portable "router table" for those who "don't have room or money for a router table." You just clamp it in your bench vise. When you're done, hang it on the wall or from the ceiling.

Another thing I realized after reading that book is that there is a sub-set of folks who are die-hard router fans. They like routers so much, they spend all their time making jigs, tables, fences for routers. Some folks have 10+ routers and just leave them set up with a certain bit.