Quality of Edge Guides

garycurtis

Two of my routers have edge guides I've yet to use. What is the experience of people here on the forum regarding quality/rigidity?

I know that many factory products are junque. Assuming I would have much use for one, is the Micro Fence worth the money?

And are there problems with these fences flexing during heavy use?

This is my first day on the forum.

Gary Curtis

DeWalt 625
Milwaukee 5616
Makita 3616

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challagan

If you have the Dewalt or PC guide I would say it would be fine. Mount a hardwood block on it to give a good straight and stable edge to ride on. Micro fence makes an awesome one but over kill unless you just want it

Corey

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bobj3

Hi Gary

I have the ones below
Porter-Cable 42690 Edge Guide and the 42700 (for Models 100, 690, 691, 693, 891, 892, 893 Routers)

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-4...0081324&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Porter-Cable-4...0081689&sr=1-1

It's true as a arrow but I have only used it one time and I have had both for about 5 years or so,,,it just takes up room in my drawer like Corey it's be over kill unless you use your router for hand work...alot of the time...

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harrysin

On a saw they are very useful, but I can't think of a time that I used one on any of my routers.

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Harry

The best advice that I can give a newcomer to routing is, learn to use the router mounted, this can be as simple as a board held in a vice, with the router firmly attached and a simple fence held with clamps, and when he/she feels competant and confident in it's use and is familiar with all aspects of safety, THEN, and only then proceed to learn how to use the router hand held. This is MY opinion, and may or may not coincide with that of the forum management, but is based on a lifetime of woodworking.


http://members.dodo.com.au/~sharry02/

garycurtis

On the whole, I won't be doing much hand-held work. But a few instances, Dados in particular, might warrant getting an edge guide for my Milwaukee 5616 that I just bought. I have a DeWalt 625 and I've got their brand of edge guide, but that thing is so big and heavy that I wanted a mid-sized router (2 1/4 hp) for the times when I'll haul it out of the router table.

The DeWalt is mounted in my WoodRat up on the wall.

Gary Curtis

Joe Lyddon

I agree with Corey...

Keep what you have... play with it... when you find yourself really using it, then consider changing, if you want to. I use mine very little... hardly none at all...

Mike

Router edge guides were mostly done away with once inexpensive ball bearing guided bits were available. This is both a good and bad thing. Bearing guided bits can leave an impression on the edge of your wood. That doesn't happen with fences or edge guides. Edge guides are very useful when you want to cut flutes on table legs or columns and for some inlay work. Some edge guides are designed so you can flip them over and use them as circle cutting guides. Perhaps the best thing to say about them is this: When you need one, you need one.

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Mike
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bobj3

Hi Mike

Did you know you can get square ball bearing for some of your router bits and then you will not see that nasty bearing mark on the wood.. that's hard to sand out


===========

__________________
MLCS Instruction Pages & Videos
plus FREE MLCS Project Plans
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops.../instruct.html

Part Finder
find parts for your power tools
http://www.ereplacementparts.com/
Need some help replacing the parts
http://forums.ereplacementparts.com/

Many Router Tips from RWS
http://www.routerworkshop.com/router_tip_glossary.html
http://www.routerforums.com/email-ro...-members-only/

Router Tables ,Ready to use
http://www.rt1000.com/
http://rt1000.com/_wsn/page2.html

Bob J.

challagan

I still need to get one of those to try out. Nothing is as bad as the first router bits I had that had no bearing.. just the pilot molded into the bit. Those sucked big time and didn't take me long to get rid of those!

Corey

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garycurtis

Regarding the Micro Edge, a $200 accessory. Peppered throughout Bill Hylton's revised WoodWorking with the Router are photos showing operations such as cutting a Mortise. The edge guide shown is the Micro Edge.

I've already got an edge guide -- unused at this point - for my DeWalt 625. It looks well engineered and well built. The micro adjuster moves the fence 1/32" for each mark on the scale. Smaller increments would be easy.

My question, however concerns a different router. A Milwaukee 5616. It is the one I'd prefer to use because it is smaller and lighter than the DeWalt beastie. The edge guide made for it by Milwaukee has gotten horrible reviews. At $23, what can a person expect.

As I said earlier, I won't be doing much hand routing anyway. Perhaps I should just build my own Edge Guide with a load of Plexiglass Acrylic stock I've got sitting in the shop. A few lead screws, some guide shafts and clamps, and I'd be in business.

Gary Curtis