Any router recommendations?

[GMM]

Looking at rebating hinges and other light jobs. I already have a hefty 1/2" router but when I cleared out my father's shed after he died I snaffled his performance power 1/4" router, thinking it might be useful for lightweight jobs like this. Put a cutter in and the guide bush in it today - the cutter is diagonally off-centre by about

2 - 3mm. So far off in fact, even SWMBO could see it wasn't straight. Reversed the guide bush - same result, so the base plate it sits in is clearly off centre, with no adjustment. No point in using that for a job that wants to be accurate to the mm.

So I'm looking for a new one - lightweight (for accurate cutting on door frames etc), not necessarily very powerful but good enough. Although I'm a convert to quality stuff (Makita etc), it's difficult to justify spending serious money on it, so I'd rather keep it under a ton. The only real contender I can see is the Trend T4 (at Machine Mart for about a ton), but someone may know different. Not in any great rush as I'm too busy at work to get stuck into the job this weekend, but I'd rather not wait for anything through the mail (as there's never anyone home when these things get delivered).

Any suggestions out there?

[PeterC]

A possibility for light jobs

if you really want to rout the cash and ½ collets and 2 bases.

[John Rumm]

The T4 is still a fair size...

Slightly over your budget, but:

(Note sometimes Axminster flog customer returns on ebay for a bit less).

I have one and rather like it for trimming and hinges etc. Very easy to use one handed. Some people have had trouble with the collet breaking, so the moral seems to be do not tighten the chuck without a cutter in there. The included accessories are rather nice with a good see through wide plate base for doing edges and keeping it all stable.

Other than that, there was not much else available that was comparable last time I looked. (search for "laminate trimmer" to get more examples of similar things)

[GMM]

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That looks like a nice little tool: I'd seen it at Screwfix, but it was seriously more expensive than that, so maybe it's worth a punt. It seems to me (and I may be wrong) that the only thing missing from a laminate trimmer vs a router (apart from the light vs heavy duty issue) is that laminate trimmers don't seem to have the capacity to fit a guide bush. Of course I may be wrong there, never having had one (!)

[GMM]

That's quite tempting given the price. I wonder what they see as superficial damage - one person's superficial could be another person's completely wrecked! I somehow doubt Trend would sell it if it was compromised functionally though.

I think pile of poo is quite a good summary of many of the PP tools, though I've fallen into the trap of going for them in the past on cost grounds, when I've wanted them for a specific job. I've normally regretted that down the line though: It's even more difficult to justify splashing out on a good tool when you already have a working, if inadequate, version of the same thing. Apart from the poor alignment, the other issue with the PP router seems to be a very stiff plunge action, which would make setting a depth rather tricky. I could have lived with that though, for a few doors, if I could reckon on getting a straight cut.

[GMM]

Horses for courses really isn't it? My standard mistake is underestimating how useful a tool is, buying a cheap one just for one job, then winding up stuck with it because I can just about get by so can't justify upgrading it to a good un. I really should make the effort to drop more of them on the garage floor!

[NT]

Get some wood veneer, glue pieces onto the base to make it aligned. Finish with epoxy for toughness.

NT

[NT]

Maybe better to stick a piece of plastic to a cutter at an accurate 90 degrees. Apply epoxy to base, rotate cutter manually to get an accurate new base level.

NT

[GMM]

Sorry - perhaps I was unclear: The issue is with the centring of the cutter within the guide bush, rather than how square that is to the base. In some routers, the position of the collet can be adjusted but certainly not this cheap one.

[The Natural Philosopher]

No one ever got sacked for buying a Cisco.

[Rick]

for handheld I use TREND T5 and use 8mm shank bits

[John Rumm]

I tend to think of my T5 as being a "proper" router rather than a light small palm router... bit big for waving about single handed.

[larkim]

I was about to recommend a TP-Link or Cisco, but I guess I'm in the wrong newsgroup :-)