Router question

David Johnson

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Carthage,Mo
Looking to invest in new 1/2inch collet router. Have three 1/4 inch routers but want the bigger for my router table. What are some recommendations?
Looking at DeWalt but not to sure. Unit would not get heavy use , just a hobby type .
Thanks for the input.
David


YescI did have good birthday with family. Now to recover.
 
Looking to invest in new 1/2inch collet router. Have three 1/4 inch routers but want the bigger for my router table. What are some recommendations?
Looking at DeWalt but not to sure. Unit would not get heavy use , just a hobby type .
Thanks for the input.
David
YescI did have good birthday with family. Now to recover.
The Makita 3612C, 3 1/4 hp is a 1/2" monster in a router table! That's a good thing! I had 2 of them in LV router tables at one time. They did everything I asked them to do.

Everything I did was hobby!
 
In my table I have the Porter Cable 7518 with speed control. Plus the Woodpeckers PRL-V2420 router lift. I have had it for 10 years now and haven't had any kind of problems with either one of them so far. I know its close to 700.00 for the pair and that's a lot of cash to dish out at one time. I use it on about every project I have done over the years from swinging a 1/8 in straight bit up to and including the massive 3 1/2 in raised panel bits for doors and drawers.......
 
The Porter Cable 7518's have a loyal following as do the Milwaukee 5625's. Other folks have other favorites. I use a 6525 in a Woodpecker PRL. If you are not ready for a lift, the Milwaukee comes with a t-wrench and =above the table adjustment features. Its not equal to a lift but, I used mine this way for quite some time before making the move to a lift.
 
Yeppers. PC 7518 plus the Woodpecker lift system. Cat's pajamas sort of a real shaper. However, for some a bit less robust and a bit fussier, any 3 1/2 diameter router motor body of any brand (that uses bearings, not bushings) will do fine. I had PC 690's in router tables for years. Occasionally my PC 890 lived in one for a bit. Got stuck on Porter Cable years ago because of a school workshop program had them and they never broke. However, manufacturing is no longer that robust, so pick the color you like and go for. Variable speed is well worth the bucks as well.
 
I can't find a US made router. Seems they all outsourced to China.

Makita "might" be made in US, or any number of other countires.

I have had a Hitachi M12V in my router table since er- about 2003 or so. Never had a single problem with it.
 
Looking to invest in new 1/2inch collet router. Have three 1/4 inch routers but want the bigger for my router table. What are some recommendations?
Looking at DeWalt but not to sure. Unit would not get heavy use , just a hobby type .
Thanks for the input.
David


YescI did have good birthday with family. Now to recover.

The Porter Cable 7518's have a loyal following as do the Milwaukee 5625's. Other folks have other favorites. I use a 6525 in a Woodpecker PRL. If you are not ready for a lift, the Milwaukee comes with a t-wrench and =above the table adjustment features. Its not equal to a lift but, I used mine this way for quite some time before making the move to a lift.


While I am similar to above (picked up my first 5625 via a Black Friday sale, years ago, my second was on Ebay and the guy thought it died, symptoms listed told me otherwise), the Porter Cable is more the standard and tends to have more of the default additions for its baseplate.

That said here, let me go against the grain here................

You said for the router table, but you didn't say DEDICATED to the router table. That makes a HUGE difference in my view, as you could want a larger collet at some point in a hand held router. If that is the case then there are a couple good Dewalt models (multibase or plunge), as well as the Bosch 1617 series, with multiple bases, that I would recommend.
Do you really need a 3+ hp router for the table yet, or a stronger 2+ hp to use either freehand or in the table?
 
I also have the 5625 in my table with a PRL, and that might be my recommendation (it was preceded by a 7518 in the same lift). But the 5625 I have is an older one that was made when Milwaukee was an American company. Not sure if the new ones are up to snuff, but I guess that applies to all of them anymore.
 
Randai, yes I do plan on dedicating this router to the table. Have 3 others for hand work. Can't really see humungus horsepower for the unit as not a lot of wood hogging being done. I can't see shapers and that sort of things in my future. DeWalt looks like it will fill the bill at reasonable price.
In researching this question seems variable speed is highly recommended. Optional base I don't know about. I'll keep looking. Don't have to do this until spring thaw.




David
 
Since you say it will not get heavy use I would recommend the Bosch 1617 EVSPK router kit. That way you get the fixed base and a plunge base and both the 1/4 and 1/2 collets. The fixed base can be mounted in a table and the height can be adjusted from above the table. I have one kit and one standard router, not variable speed. and I really like the router. The Bosck plunge is very smooth and it is one of the easier routers to change over.

I have two porter cable 7518 in router tables and they are a way over kill for what you need. Yes, you will have to take a few lighter cuts with the Bosch if doing raised panels. It will also fit the less expensive JessEm router lift and the Rockler lift if you later deside to get a lift. I also have and use both. The Rockler does have an aluminum plate and it also goes on sale regularly.
 
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