My First Router(s): One midsize model vs trim & large combo

[Chris Fournier]

This is the thing I keep going back and forth on, and why I wanted to tap the experience of people who own all kinds of routers who have a clear idea of how they'd do it again if starting from square one. The thing I keep reading in reviews is that the midrange 2.5HP routers are not designed to do much work in a table, with most being unable to adjust from above the table via holes in the router base, needing an expensive lift for convenient adjustment, the inability to conveniently mount/dismount from the table for handheld use, and/or having ventilation systems designed with the assumption that they'd be used "top-side up", and that using them extensively in bases will eventually cause failure (something I've read about the DW718 more than once).

Now, if in your experience these types of complaints apply more to commercial applications or heavy duty woodworking involving a dozen hours a week of use, then let me know since that is not how I'll be using it. Hell, if I can find time two weekends a month to work on projects I'll consider myself lucky.

I consider the 2.5 hp kits to be jack of/all master of none tools - not enough poke for the big stuff and terribly unwieldy for for finer edge treatments and laminate trimming. Maybe I do more chamfering, radiused edges and laminate trimming than others here but for these very common operations the palm router excels and delivers premium quality because it is easiest to control. I would hate to have to use a 2.5 hp router for these operations.

For mortises, heavier pattern routing and edge profiling the 3.25 hp router is great although I tend to use a pin router, mortising table, or shaper in my shop at this point in time because they are available to me.

Everyone has their own way of working but buying at either end of the router envelope lets you work the middle ground efficiently - win win. Buy in the middle of the router offerings and the lighter and heavier processes suffer - lose lose. My opinion, best of luck with your purchase.

[lowell holmes]

Paralytic analysis.
Get one of the kits (2 castings one motor), play and then make judgements on next machine.

I had to look the words up before I knew what you meant.

I think your saying buy one and see what happens. I agree. I love my Bosch Colt. It is my go to router. Big horsepower in a hand held machine is scary.

[Chris Lukowski]

I had to look the words up before I knew what you meant.

I think your saying but one and see what happens. I agree. I love my Bosch Colt. It is my go to router. Big horsepower in a hand held machine is scary.

Do you have any qualms about using the 1/4" shank bits instead of the 1/2", at least in terms of flush cuts, roundovers, and chamfers?

[lowell holmes]

NO! I'm not at all concerned about it.

I have larger routers and sometimes use them. In my opinion, I believe you are over-thinking the issue.
If you know someone with routers, go try one out before you buy.

The bits in a router do not do the work that a stationary shaper has to do.

[Robert Parent]

I'll echo the 'what would you do with a 3+HP router?" statement above.... I have a half dozen routers with a 2.5 HP being the largest and have never needed anything larger. If you need that kind of power in a router for any extended work you really need to be looking at a shaper and not a router.

For router table use I prefer the plunge base. I tried the through the table adjustment bases and found them to be a pain. It's much easier to use the plunge adjustment to get close and turn the fine adjust knob to get it exact.

You stated that you are a doing this for a hobby. Get the combo kit and a laminate down the road. If you are doing mostly small items then reverse the order and get the laminate router first.

Robert

[Jon Shank]

I have to agree with the consensus, 2 or 2.5hp with 2 bases. It'll do everything a trimmer will but the trimmer won't do everything the mid sized will do. I have a Hitachi M12V, 2hp, fairly small and light for handheld use, not nearly as light and easy as the Colt I use for little stuff, but not a bear at all. It goes in the table just fine, I leave the fixed base in the table, not quite as convenient as the plunge, but this vintage of M12 doesn't have the above the table adjustment for the plunge anyway, so not a big difference and I feel like the lock up/accuracy of the fixed base is better even if it is a little figity sometimes. It has done everything I've asked of it. It has bogged down on occasion with some bigger bits, but it's always gotten it done. I could see a big router for the table somewhere in the future, but for my hobby use (and switching to more hand tools at that) I can't see it being a priority any time soon. I don't own one but I've used a big 3hp unit before and it is a beast if you try to use it for hand held work, table only as far as I'm concerned. The trimmers are great for the light work they are designed for, really handy, I would put one on the short list after you have all the capability you need for the kind of work you want to do. But if I was only going to have one it would definitely be the mid sized.

Jon

[Jim Dwight]

I have an old Ryobi R-500, 13.3 amp motor in my router table. I think it's fine, I see no need for a 15A motor but for purely router table work, it is a good choice. I would probably get the PC since I think my smaller 690 chucks fit it. But the Milwaukee is also reportedly very good and the Hitachi plunge is a great buy. But I wouldn't get the "monster" router first. It is a bit large for hand held work.

I also have a Bosch colt and use it a lot for small roundover and chamfer cuts. But the chuck is so-so and that plus the motor size limits it to really light duty. The newer DeWalt may have a better chuck but it is still a small motor not compatible with larger cuts.

I used my PC 690s for everything for several years. I have two and 4 bases. One used to be speed controled but that failed and I wired it for single speed rather than buy the board to fix it. I have a separate speed controller I can use for the rare case I need to reduce the speed. I used one of my PCs for router table use including with big 3 inch bits. You have to slow those down. You have to take an additional bite or two with a mid-sized router than a bigger one but It will spin the big bits fine. It will do the cope and stick cuts in one pass - you wouldn't want to have to do that in multiple passes. So the mid sized is big enough to do anything the really big ones do except that they need to cut in smaller bites with panel raising bits. They also do the little cuts the Colt will do, they are just heavier so not quite as handy.

I think the right path is mid sized first, then decide if you want a shaper for the big cuts or a bigger motor in a router table. I would get the Colt sized router last. The only real advantage is it is light. The disadvantage of mine is a marginal chuck and a pretty light duty motor. If you push this sort of router to do a bigger cut than it can easily do the bit may slip or the motor get hot. You may wish you used a mid sized. Properly used they are fine but they are not all around routers.

[Ken Combs]

I took a different tack. While I once had a big router in Norm's table and it worked, I sold it during a cross-country move. When It came time to replace that function, I found that a small Grizzly shaper was a better fit for me. It comes with a router collet for 1/2" bits and smaller shaper cutters are not that much more costly than larger router bits. It costs about $200 more than a router, but there is no lift or table expense, so it's about a wash. This was in about 2001.

Add a smaller trim router and you're set. Of course, budget and desire permitting, you can always get a midsize too, (or instead of the trim) if needed.

I still think the old standby PC 690 is hard to beat!

I've now added a 690 kit, an 890, a smaller Dewalt plunge (1/4"only), and an old PC310 and a 7310. Yeah, I like routers.

But, for most edge work, the shaper gets the nod.

Much quieter! The only drawback is it doesn't like small bits, just not fast enough.

[Jared Sankovich]

If I were to start from nothing, I'd get a small 1.x hp multi base kit and a 2.x hp multi base kit. I've done the same work with my bosh 1617 as my pc7518, though it might take a extra pass or two.

In full disclosure I got tired of routers for any significant stock removal and ended up with a 3hp and 5hp shaper.