Yesterday I asked about jig saws - today I'd like some feedback about routers, please. What to look for, etc. Considering this will be my first router (and I'm not sure all the ways I'll use it), will I be served ok with a moderately priced one for a couple of years until I really know what I want? Then, I would go for the better, more expensive models.
Thanks for your continued help! Squanklin
Most any router from Porter Cable, Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt would serve you well.
Definitely one that has a 1/2" collet, 1/4" too is nice. Probably 1
1/2 - 2 HP since you want a moderate price. That HP is entirely adequate for just about any non-table task.Your real decision will be fixed base vs plunge. If I were buying a first router AND if I intended to buy an additional one later I'd get a fixed base. Mine was and I used it exclusively for 20 years before getting a plunge router. The advantages of fixed base routers are that they are generally smaller/lighter and have a lower center of gravity. You can even plunge with them if you know how and are careful.
One that I particularly like is the Dewalt #610. I don't have it but I do have its father - the Black & Decker Industrial (only 7/8 HP, no 1/2 collet but I've been using it for close to 40 years). One thing I particularly like in both is the rack & pinion height adjustment; another is the toggle switch. The motor of either will fit in Porter Cable's accessory plunge base...a relatively inexpensive way to have both varieties.
The Dewalt 610 costs about $150.
-- dadiOH ____________________________
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I agree with everything said here. Just to add, avoid Ryobi and the Craftsman made by Ryobi. They are notorious for problems holding the bits accurately.
Want to see what a router can do? Check
I generally avoid all Craftsman and Ryobi like the plague, but that said...I have a (much) older Craftsman that I still like for feel and balance better than any other I've ever had or used...while I've heard some complaints, I've never had a problem with the switch cable and I like the trigger grip handle much better than any of the other arrangements...it's just a 1/4" shank, however, which may be OK for the stated purpose but I find I don't use it nearly as much any more for that reason--all my bits have evolved to be 1/2" shank as I haven't replaced worn out 1/4" ones...whether any of the current crop of Craftsman are very good I don't know, I just liked the old handle style very well...I would definitely steer away from the no-name Chinese imports, however in the interest of cheap...I wouldn't trust the collets and the runout. It's real easy to get a serious injury if something happens to a tool spinning at 20k rpm.
Decide on whether you need to use it in a table, or just free hand. Routers also come in the plunge or no plunge variety. Plunge routers allow you to raise the bit above the work, start the motor, then plunge it down at any spot in the piece (there's a stop that you set to control the depth). If you were to cut a dado in a piece that didn't go through to the end of the board, you would need a plunge router.
HP is of course important. If you're going to raise some panels using a large panel bit, you'll need a bigger machine than say 1 hp. If you're just going to use a 1/4" round over, 1HP would be plenty.
Go to eopinions.com to get reviews on specific products. You might also want to visit rec.woodworking
Agree on rec.woodworking. Starter router that includes both fixed and plunge bases for about $200.00 would be the Porter Cable model. Has both 1/4" & 1/2" collets.
On 17 Dec 2004 15:26:21 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.comtosspam (Joe Bobst) wrote:
>Definitely the deWalt 621. Plenty of power for bits 1.5" diam, built-in vacuum port for the huge amount of chips it will toss, and silky-smooth (best I've tried, by far) plunge mechanism. 1/2" and 1/4" colletts.
May well be all you'd need.
John
"dadiOH" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:
You can get 1.5 HP models with BOTH fixed and plunge bases;PC 690 series is one that comes to mind.
IIRC,there was a router eval article in Wood magazine recently. Visit your local library and check the back issues of woodworking mags,most of them do tool evals.
Someday someone will actually say what they intend on using the tool for. Then they might just get an intelligent answer.
You need a rather different router for doing a few roundovers than for making raised panels for your new kitchen.
"toller" wrote in news:_rHwd.8488$ snipped-for-privacy@news01.roc.ny:
Yes,trim routers are much lighter,and now they are very inexpensive.
D-Lync and Lynksys are both excellent routers
On 17 Dec 2004 05:27:09 -0800, "Squanklin" wrote (with possible editing):
Since you don't specify what you're going to use this for, it makes it a bit difficult to answer. That said, probably the best all-around machine that meets your limited criteria (first router) is the Porter Cable 690 series. You can get a plain or plunge base (or both), and is a good medium duty router.
I've been living in an apartment complex, and the gal next door never stops talking. I mean, like never. Well, the one day we got an earthquaqe tremor, and she shut up and started to look around like she was worried about something.
Well, I picked up on the idea, and so I'm looking for a home use jiggler. I want something that I can plug in and leave it in the kitchen (cause the noise would keep me awake if it was in the bedroom) and it will make the apartment building jiggle.
That is the only way I can think of to get a good night sleep. I might also be able to answer the phone now and again, maybe she will pause long enough to let me use the phone.
I know they used to make jigglers for fat women, they used to use them for exercise machines, wtih the wide srap that goes behind their butts. I notice that gals don't talk as much when they are on the fat jiggler. But the gal is next door, so I have to jiggle the entire building.
I was trying to start the car the other day. Well, it gives me trouble all the time. I've gotten good at the routine, I just jump out and spray some ether, and then come back into the car and it starts right up.
I even got good enough, that I don't have to open the hood, any more. I just give it about a ten second blast in the general direction of the hood, and the engine starts right up. saves me getting greasy opening the hood.
So t his time, the lady next door comes out and she lights a cigarette right in front of my car. I had no idea that ether would go so far! Well, sure enough, there is this big explosion. It blew the groceries off the top of my car, and broke windows for two blocks in any direction. And so there she is standing there, it blew her shirt and coat right off, and burned the hair off her head. So, now I need hair restorer. Not for me, but for the gal next door who won't stop talking. I think she looks good bald, but she just kept hitting me with her purse and screeching at me. Lucky for me, the cop came by and pulled her off of me. I sure get tired of laying on the ground and trying to fend off purse blows. She's got a purse that looks big enough to hold a bowling ball.
What is a good brand of hair restorer? Preferably in a flat package I can slip under her door. She doesn't like me very much any more. Maybe I can spray some hair restorer on my windshield to hide all the cracks it got after the explosion.
Can I get one from Ronco the same way I got a power ball rotator?
Nikola Tesla did that.
Tap on the building, and get the exact time it takes for the sound to go through the building and return as an echo. With that timing, you can create such a device as you are seeking. Calculate the resonant frequency with the timing you got, and then put a steel arm on the shaft of a motor that will cause a vibration equivalent to the resonant frequency of the building. Mount the motor solidly to part of the structure support, so that the vibrations will not be damped by soft connections to the structure. You may need to do some speed control on the motor to fine-tune it to the right frequency of vibration. If it's a large building, hide it in a water fountain case secured well to the wall or floor.
Start it up, let it run for a while. If you've got the timing right, a vibration will be created as the previous one returns to its source, so you'll be adding a little to the pulse each time.
Or you could give the girl an anonymous present.
I think you should wait.
If you're asking for beginner advice I'm guessing you don't need a router yet, unless you're planning to jump right into building custom furniture. You need a good drill, a circular saw and a bunch of hand tools for home handyman work.
I've made it my policy to buy tools when I have a need for them. It's much more likely you'll get the tool that has the features you need when you have an actual project in mind.
If you find yourself getting excited in the local home center, rest assured that there are plenty of other things to pick up first. I guarantee you'll need a toilet auger, a set of work lights, safety glasses, a speed square, a shop vac, a pry bar, saw horses, several sets of drill bits and even some power tools (a sawzall, for instance) before you need a router. Plus a hundred other items.
Good luck.
Greg Guarino
Actually, a simulated earthquake is possible. Years ago I went to a rock concert at a nightclub. (Thats when they still had rock & roll, not this crap they call rock music today). The band announced that at the end of the night there was going to be an earthquake. Everyone laughed, and expected they were going to do a drum solo or something. The final song started, and they went into a long jam session. Then came the quake. They had a huge sub-woofer behind the stage. They hit a few notes, I am guessing to be somewhere in the 20 or 30 cps range while kicking in several thousand watts of amp power, with a reverb type delay. The experience was something I can not describe. The whole building appeared to shake, and my whole body seemed to float and shake all the way inside. Talking or yelling was like being in a tunnel of something because it sounded hollow and blended right in with the pulses of sound. Of course everyone was yelling and the sound of the yelling was like buried in this deep bass sound.
I have never experienced anything like that, and it was awesome !!!
I stuck around after the show and got to see the huge speaker and some real hefty amplifiers.
Mark
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