I have a small router table, haven't used it yet, and want to upgrade from a 25 yr old 500 watt router. Found one at a nearby shed and once I got it out of the box, discovered that it can't be made to run permanently switched on. It has the commonplace safety device of only operating if you are pressing on the switch. Obviously, that can't work in a router table. (Or have I misunderstood the whole thing?) Is that universal now? If anyone can recommend a router for occasional use (like, less than =A3100) that can work underneath a router table, I'd be very glad to hear about it.
router and router table
Sep 01, 2009
8 Replies
If it's for occasional use, why don't you just use some duct tape?
Pretty much, low end anyway.
Do something unpleasant to it (preferably tiewraps rather than gaffer tape) and hard-wire a decent switch into the cable, a couple of feet away from the motor. Then permanently attach this to the table.
A separate switched isolator and a no-volt release are very strongly recommended. Use a rotary isolator with a round knob, so that it can't be knocked on by accident.
1/2" collet, easy screw-thread depth adjustment (not just pushing up to a threaded depth stop). It's also useful to have one router permanently dedicated to use in your table.Otherwise anything goes. Cheap is OK. Power figures are a fabrication. Speed control is nice, but you can live without at first.
Freud is a good start for a "good" router (150 ish), as are Triton (snap them up while you can) and some DeWalt models. Trend is overpriced.
If its just for the odd small job how about
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have the more 1/2" one and it works fine.
Handy to have the switch near your knee so you can switch off when both hands are full
about
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I have the more 1/2" one and it works fine.
Yet another Chinese copy of the old ELU 96 design. This has two shortcomings: 8mm collet rather than 1/2", so you're restricted to
1/4" tooling. Secondly there's no depth adjuster.It's still hard to find a router with a decent depth adjuster unless you start paying "real" money.
... or you have no fingers for whatever reason. :-)
You just need to make sure your span of attention exceeds the time the tool is switched on. I must say I worry about today's multi-tasking (butterfly-minded) generation in that respect.
I just use a small block of wood and a G cramp to keep the switch down - the (Aldi) table has its own switch.
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