Recommendations on a Plunge Router?

[Meph]

As the topic says, I just can't get by without a router any longer.  I'm about to start 3 wall mount jukeboxes and a slimline mame cabinet so I am going to really need a router.  Prices vary so much that I really don't know where to begin.  I have never used a router before so I don't really know what features I need/want.  Educate me please so i'm not out buying another in 2 months.

[TopJimmyCooks]

They stopped making the kit that I would recommend if you had to settle for just one router.  (porter cable 690 kit with both fixed and plunge bases)  They have newer versions of the same kit but I haven't seen or used them. 

For the type of work you're talking about you can go with the following spec's:
1/4" collet is fine; bits will be cheaper too.
anything over 1 hp is fine
Stay away from quick release collets. 
Fixed base is nice to use but as you noted, if you just have one get plunge.  you can do everything you can with a fixed base with a plunge base but not vice versa. 
Go normal sized, not bosch colt or laminate trimmer sized.  the weight really helps with control. 

It's a slippery slope, you'll end up with more than one before you're done with 4 cabs. 

[yaksplat]

My rule of thumb when buying tools is, "buy it once and use it forever".  I avoid cheap tools like the plague.  For safety reasons, do you really want to trust somethat that was cheaply made?

I bought this 9 years ago and it hasn't shown any problems for the countless projects that i do.  There's never any issue of it bogging down when removing a lot of material.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B00005RHPD

Router table:
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-RA1181-Benchtop-Router-Table/dp/B000H12DQ6

[TopJimmyCooks]

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-694VK-4-Horsepower-Plunge-Variable/dp/B00009OYFG

This is what i was referring to.  its basically identical to my go-to router with a few updates which I haven't used but look fine to me.  Bosch is another excellent brand for routers. 

[GregD]

I have a Hitachi kit as well as a Bosch.  The Hitachi is not quite as polished as the Bosch but it isn't far off.  It is well made and very powerful.  They can be found for a decent price as well.  The model is KM12VC.  That said, if you can't get it for $160 or less then get the Bosh 1617 or the PC 693.

[Unstupid]

My rule of thumb when buying tools is, "buy it once and use it forever".  I avoid cheap tools like the plague.  For safety reasons, do you really want to trust somethat that was cheaply made?

I bought this 9 years ago and it hasn't shown any problems for the countless projects that i do.  There's never any issue of it bogging down when removing a lot of material.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B00005RHPD

Router table:
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-RA1181-Benchtop-Router-Table/dp/B000H12DQ6

Quoted for truthiness!

Bosch 1617 = yumm... but are you sure you need the plungeing ability?  You can save a few $ is you get the one the one that dont!

[kahlid74]

Go with Yaksplat's Bosch.  It's a great brand and will last you time and time again.

I bought a Ryobi 2 HP plunge router and I've actually been really impressed with it's useability and working ability.  Long term I may have to buy another router but I'm pleased so far with this one.  If you can't buy a 200 dollar one then this one would work reasonably well - http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100064372/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=ryobi+plunge+router&storeId=10051

Now that I think about it, I probably won't be buying another router because I'll have a fully functional CNC machine in a year and I won't need a mobile router anymore period lol.

[Unstupid]

Now that I think about it, I probably won't be buying another router because I'll have a fully functional CNC machine in a year and I won't need a mobile router anymore period lol.

Still easier to cut slots for t-molding with a hand held router than on a CNC machine! 

[kahlid74]

Now that I think about it, I probably won't be buying another router because I'll have a fully functional CNC machine in a year and I won't need a mobile router anymore period lol.

Still easier to cut slots for t-molding with a hand held router than on a CNC machine! 

Aww snap that's right!  I forgot about that!!

[Meph]

Looks like i'll be getting the Bosch =)  Thanks guys.

[GregD]

Bosch also makes a router for Craftsman that you may beabe to get for a lower cost.  Just sayin.

[Sparkolicious]

I have a craftsman, porter cable, and a Makita.  If it were me, I would spend $$$, because you really do get what you pay for.  My Makita is probably 25 years old and still kicking.  The porter cable is my fav.  Real quality tool.  The Craftsman is okay, but it doesn't have that quality feel to it.  I don't own a Bosch router, but I do on several bosh tools.. jigsaw, angle grinder, sander, and they are really quality products.  A lot of guys have some serious brand loyalty when it comes to power tools, but the truth is, anyone of the top names are good.  Once you get the router, THEN you have to find bits... that is a whole other topic.  It can get expensive, but if you want it right, you have to come out of pocket.

[kahlid74]

I have a craftsman, porter cable, and a Makita.  If it were me, I would spend $$$, because you really do get what you pay for.  My Makita is probably 25 years old and still kicking.  The porter cable is my fav.  Real quality tool.  The Craftsman is okay, but it doesn't have that quality feel to it.  I don't own a Bosch router, but I do on several bosh tools.. jigsaw, angle grinder, sander, and they are really quality products.  A lot of guys have some serious brand loyalty when it comes to power tools, but the truth is, anyone of the top names are good.  Once you get the router, THEN you have to find bits... that is a whole other topic.  It can get expensive, but if you want it right, you have to come out of pocket.

Spark's got good words here but you know what's funny, it must be that the amount of wood working I do is so low that the Ryobi Plunge router/bits work quite well for me.  I realize they aren't mid to top brand but man, they just perform well for me.

[Mysterioii]

I like Ryobi stuff for the very infrequent homeowner-sorta stuff I do, I have quite a few of the 18v battery powered tools and am very fond of them but I understand that's not the way to go for frequent heavier-duty use.  I actually have a ryobi router (non-plunge) that I bought last year and haven't even taken out of the box yet, but based on this thread I put it in the car this morning to try to take it back for store credit so I can pick up a better product with the swappable standard and plunge bases.   

[yaksplat]

I'm the epitome of brand loyalty when it comes to tools.  Bosch for all power tools and Freud for all bits/blades.

[Mysterioii]

Just dont have a Freudian slip or you may lose a thumb...   

[Sparkolicious]

@kahlid74  man... Ryobi just has a reputation in the construction field.. not a good one.  I actually have a pressure washer made by Ryobi. I used it twice and then it sat for a year or so. Fired it up, and it blew the nipple off of the hose coupling    I was able to get a replacement, but it chapped my booty for a minute.  Now.. all that being said, that dang Pressure washer fires up every single time you pull the cord, and to be honest, ANYTHING sitting up for a year is in danger of just slap failing due to disuse.  I suppose the deal here is I was a finish carpenter, among other things, for a long time.  My whole family is in the business. Dad, uncles, grandfather, etc., so the tools I have were used every day give or take, and they had to work, and work accurately when I needed them to.  Maybe for some light duty work Ryobi tools are great! Kinda like Black & Decker, but different! Certainly can save $$$$ for sure.   Or maybe I am just a power tool snob lmao!   Hell I have a crap load of DeWalt tools, and B&D owns them.

Now Ryobi's Homelite lawn care products are garbage!!  No way anyone can argue this point!!   

[yaksplat]

Ryobi = disposable.  Expect it to break at some point.  Hopefully not injuring you in the process.
bosch & dewalt = buy it once and use it for life

[Mysterioii]

Yeah well ok, sometimes you still have to think about how often you're going to use something and how much money is in your budget.  I like to have the right tool when I need it, but at the same time I can't afford for all my tools to be top of the line tools.  I am perfectly happy with the ryobi stuff I have **for lightweight occasional use**, some of them maybe once a year or less.  If I was actually doing things professionally then yes I wouldn't cut the corners.  But as a typical homeowner doing occasional fix-it projects then I have to save some money where I can.  Some of these ryobi tools I've already had for like a decade and from the looks of things they'll be fine another decade out.  And they're onhand when I need them.

Each person has to evaluate their needs and their budgets.  If the tools were providing me income then yeah I'd be buying better tools (and writing them off as a business expense).  As I said, you all have convinced me to return the unopened ryobi router and pick up something better.  But my used-once-a-year ryobi jigsaw still strikes me as a perfectly fine use-once-a-year jigsaw.  If I used it daily, well that's a different matter.

Haha I'm sure I sound defensive, and in truth I have a lot of ryobi tools (mostly the interchangeable 18v hand tools).     I've never had one break.  I love to have the right tool for the job whenever things come up...  If something breaks around the house I take pride in being able to fix it without making a surprise trip to the store or borrowing/renting tools from someplace.  But for rare stuff I don't think you need top of the line and I really can't afford to buy the best of everything when some of these will be used so rarely.  If you plan to get a lot of use out of your tools then yeah you have to pay for quality, I can't argue that.

[Sparkolicious]

But my used-once-a-year ryobi jigsaw still strikes me as a perfectly fine use-once-a-year jigsaw.  I

Until you use a new Bosch, and the skies part, while heavenly angles float down, and shower you with super l337 angel sprinkles, and your projects start to cut them selves just for the pure joy of having been sawed in two by quite possibly the best jigsaw every known to man... 

[Mysterioii]

Haha I really do hope to be in a position one day when I have a lot of time to spend on my personal projects and the cash to spend on high quality tools.  I actually probably will get that Bosch router kit linked above, it seems like something I will use more.  Funny though, if you check the reviews the very first guy is complaining that his Bosch router has bit wobble and seems off center in the base...  That's what gets me about amazon, because there are so many reviews then no matter how good a product is in general you'll always find someone that has a problem...   

[lordnacho]

People like to complain in reviews, a small percentage come back to write a good review.  I must admit to this as well.

This thread just made me order the router. 

[TopJimmyCooks]

Here's how I break out on brands as a 15 year woodworker and general contractor:
Routers:  Freud, real porter cable (not what sells at Lowes right now), craftsman
Router bits:  cheap 25 bit set, and about 20 real, individually purchased nicer bits. 
laminate trimmers:  dewalt, harbor freight, rotozip. 
Dremel:  traveling tool sale kit (i.e. makes harbor freight look nice.  wear eye protection)
Nailers, staplers:  Porter cable x2, senco x2
drill press, ts, RAS, jointer, bench belt sander -  all 1960's vintage craftsman passed from family. 
Bandsaw: Grizzly
Jigsaw:  barrel grip bosch - best I've used and only one I would buy again.
Circular saw:  real porter cable
Corded drills:  hitachi x2, dewalt X1
battery powered drills:  3 dewalt, 2 ryobi.  All the batteries are dead regardless of brand. 
hammer drill: dewalt
power hand planer:  bosch
biscuit joiner:  Freud
Sanders:  black & decker belt, B&D ROS (nearly dead), and Porter finish sander
air tools:  all harbor freight, don't use them much.

I've got some very high quality tools and frankly some junky stuff I don't use much.  sometimes even regret buying or never use.  Any $100 router is going to be so much better than no router for occasional use on arcade materials, it's a home run. 

If you don't get help from bosch, get help somewhere.  Brand loyalty not important unless you have a local tool repair service that covers that particular brand.  Otherwise, i go with the best deal available at the time/place and rarely seek a very specific item.

here's this 15 year woodworker's opinion on how the hand power tool brands run from best to worst:

Festool/Fein/Hilti
bosch/metabo/Freud, milwaukee, bostich
Dewalt, porter cable (real), Makita, ridgid, hitachi, senco, paslode,
Porter cable (lowes entry level), black/decker
Ryobi, gmc, husky
Harbor freight-only if a store's close by for returns!
traveling tool sale imports at the national guard armory on a saturday morning. 

Craftsman varies widely, some tools are good quality and a good deal, some less so.  they buy from several factories/designers.

 

[yaksplat]

i wouldn't trust harbor freight for anything that spins, reciprocates, is pressurized, strikes or has force applied to it.

I think that leaves a ruler and maybe a cone. 

If you buy a ruler there, double check it against another ruler.

[walker_tr9]

So is DeWalt a crappy brand?  That's most of what I have now, thought I don't have a router yet.

[kahlid74]

Thanks for the advice guys.  If I take a step back and examine myself personally, I find that I get super excited/ancy when I work on something and need to do it now and often times the great price on a piece of equipment requires me to wait several days and by then the euphoria of what I wanted to accomplish has worn off.  So that's where I find myself buying some of my cheaper tools.  As I use something more I discover I need it more and begin to pursue it to a higher level.

I'm not sure if I'll ever go with a different router for my use.  The plans right now after getting a compressor/nail gun are to build the 3k CNC table.  Then after that maybe a new table saw, a big ass one.  Who knows, the possibilities are endless!

[TopJimmyCooks]

Walker, Dewalt is fine.  They are the pro-sumer tool line of the black and decker company and are made alongside Porter Cable (the better lines) in the US.  They are not known for their routers (advantage porter cable/bosch)  but in general they are decent tools with a good rep for durability.  I would check reviews for the individual tools you are buying rather than go by brand. 

[walterg74]

But my used-once-a-year ryobi jigsaw still strikes me as a perfectly fine use-once-a-year jigsaw.  I

Until you use a new Bosch, and the skies part, while heavenly angles float down, and shower you with super l337 angel sprinkles, and your projects start to cut them selves just for the pure joy of having been sawed in two by quite possibly the best jigsaw every known to man... 

I caved in and ended up buying a Bosch for my soon to start project today....

I think I got a good compromise between the models available in my country and the prices... It is a GST 90 BE jigsaw.

I also got a cirvular saw, GKS190.

[TopJimmyCooks]

BE series is the heavy duty Bosch line.  Sounds like you've got some quality tools there.  I prefer barrel grip Jigs, but 90% prefer top handle.  You won't go wrong.  Make a few practice cuts then get productive and enjoy.

[darthpaul]

Can't go wrong with Porter Cable, I had a Craftsman and Black & Decker and ended up giving them away.

[walker_tr9]

My rule of thumb when buying tools is, "buy it once and use it forever".  I avoid cheap tools like the plague.  For safety reasons, do you really want to trust somethat that was cheaply made?

I bought this 9 years ago and it hasn't shown any problems for the countless projects that i do.  There's never any issue of it bogging down when removing a lot of material.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B00005RHPD

Router table:
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-RA1181-Benchtop-Router-Table/dp/B000H12DQ6

Ok, yaksplat.  I got this router.  Now I'm a bit scared to turn it on since I have to take my hand off the knob to flip the switch.  Is it going to jerk a lot?

[Unstupid]

nope... "Soft-Start"

[yaksplat]

There's nothing wrong with holding it with one hand.  When in the plunge base the tip isn't exposed in the up position.

[bsktbllmn23]

I have been perusing the isles of knowledge here, and trying to get ready to build my first cab. I want to start this weekend on the main cab parts.

I have a Dremel 4000 kit and was thinking about getting the router attachment to do the T-Molding. I can borrow a router from a friend, but he is in the middle of some projects of his own and will be using it this weekend. But I think I can borrow his slot bit.

Down the road when money is growing on trees, I will be getting something better, but for this weekend I want to start the cab build since all my electronics are put together.

Thoughts? I know it isn't even close to ideal, but will it work? If I go slow? (That's what she said)

[Unstupid]

Can the dremel 4000 even use a shot bit with a 1/4" shank?

[bsktbllmn23]

I believe that the shank only goes to 1/8". Not worth it?

[yaksplat]

I don't think it would work well on this scale.  Save your money up for the proper tool.

[wp34]

I bought this 9 years ago and it hasn't shown any problems for the countless projects that i do.  There's never any issue of it bogging down when removing a lot of material.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1617EVSPK-4-Horsepower-Variable-Collets/dp/B00005RHPD

I've got this same Bosch kit and love it.  My only complaint is that removing the motor from the base is a PITA.  I assume there is a trick I'm missing.

[yaksplat]

I've got this same Bosch kit and love it.  My only complaint is that removing the motor from the base is a PITA.  I assume there is a trick I'm missing.

Lift and twist?  Mine comes apart quite easily.  Possibly take it apart more often?

[wp34]

I've got this same Bosch kit and love it.  My only complaint is that removing the motor from the base is a PITA.  I assume there is a trick I'm missing.

Lift and twist?  Mine comes apart quite easily.  Possibly take it apart more often?

I played with it a little yesterday and and noticed the problem occurs when the router is just in or almost out of the base--just prior to the twist.  The motor just jams at that point like there is not enough room.  Once I get it twisted it slides right in.  It probably just needs worked in.  I mostly use the plunge base and have just recently started using the fixed so it has not been removed many times.