which roater?...opinions needed

[alpha]

Hello, i'm new to this group and am seeking advice from experienced woodworkers on which router i should buy. I am new to woodworking and plan to make it my career. I intend to start out with making furniture and progress to anything go's. I want to buy a router only once and so cost is relativly unimportant. I want a router which:

can be attached to a router table can be attached to a radial arm saw when i can afford one can be detached from its base and used for carving is a reputable brand name has a massive range of added extras, templates, guides etc is not too heavy has fine adjustment fence has quick set multiple depth stop screws for cutting in stages can be serviced

I am unsure if i should buy a industrial 6kg router because i am concerned that this is too heavy for furniture making....any experiences? can i get away with a heavy (6kg) router when making furniture??? or is this a definate no no?.

many thanks if anyone can advise....

A

[FriscoSoxFan]

Feel free to go with the 6kg. Just please send pictures of you using it detached from its base for carving.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

If it is going to be your career, plan to buy two or three routers as needed.

Porter Cable, DeWalt, and a few other make changeable bases and see them as a kit.

PC, DeWalt, Bosch, Milwaukee, Hitachi, probably a few more.

This is why you may end up with more than one. Light for hand routing, heavy duty for the table.

[Will]

In all fairness I think he was referring to using it for carving the roasts and the turkeys.

Can you imagine...? :-)

FriscoSoxFan wrote:

[Leon]

With the above questions, you are NOT ready to decide on "1" router yet.

You may as well have announced to a medical group that you are new to medicine and want to do Brain Surgery for a living. You only want to buy a scalpel "1" time, which one do you buy.

Basically, you and most experienced wood workers that do this for a living have no idea if the possibility of only buying 1 router and have it do what you want it to do for here on out, is even possible.

[Will]

We have three - not sure you could be qualified as a woodworker if you have less. As it is not sure that we even qualify.

Let's see ...

The old Black and Decker (single speed .. i.e. tooooo fasssstt) The King 8367 (3 1/4 horse variable speed -- our newest) The King Rotary Tool dressed up in its Dremel "mini plunge router" housing. (in "Dremel Drag" as it were)

All have different uses - the big King (M12V knock off) now gets most of the work.

For Carving? The Rotary tool -- not in drag.

Not sure you can get along with less -- unless you are going to restrict your self to "large" furniture pieces and cabinetry. Wouldn't want to do that -- would you?

Not sure why you would want to attach it to a radial arm saw -- except to carve a piece while working the blade back and forth... nack and forth...back and.....

Nice troll though LOL

[Greg O]

Ain't it the truth! I was on a construction site the other day and one of the finish carpenters had three routers plugged in a ready to run. Each one had a different cutter in it so when he needed a different cutter, he just switched routers!

I guess if I were to limit myself to one router it would be a Porter Cable

690 series, probably one with the plunge and standard base. Maybe opt up to the 890 series for the variable speed. Greg