bellaw

Hi guys, I'm fairly new to routing and have a question; Is it best to use a fixed base router or the plunge router for table routing? What leads me to ask this question is the fixed base part of the Ryobi RE1802M 3 piece kit worked great until problems started showing up! The locking lever wont stay locked and the highth adjusting ring became very hard to turn. I have adjusted the locking mechanisim and have taken the motor out of the housing and cleaned, polished and lubricated the highth adjusting system. This router appears to be just a POS. I repair tools of all kinds in my small repair shop but just can't seem to turn this "sow's ear into a silk purse"! I began looking at the plunge base that came with the kit and noticed a more positive locking lever and highth adjusting system, is this what I should have been using from the start? Maybe I should just scrap this cheap stuff and just go buy myself a real router! What do you recomend?.....Thanks,,,, Tom

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FineHomesCarpentry

Buy yourself a good quality router. I have had problems with Bosch Speed controllers letting me down. I will be going over to Dewalt.

Spacemanspiff

I use the DW621 in my table and have had absolutely no trouble with it. Well, maybe some trouble but that was more operator error (forgetting to lock the height adjustment on more than one occasion). I don't use a router lift or anything fancy, I just set the height once and drop it into the table. If the cut is more than recommended I set the fence up to take the first cut and just continue to move the fence back until a full cut is taken. After 4 years of doing it like this so far so good!

Hope this helps,
Aaron

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The speed of light travels faster than the speed of sound, that's why people appear intelligent until they open their mouth ...

-Sam-

Do you mean the Bosch router itself, the speed controller on it? What do you mean letting you down? I was just curious because I hear Bosch routers are good. Later...

Boricua

Woodnut65

I prefer a plunge router for table mounting, because most fixed base routers must be
turned to adjust the hieght, which changes the position of the on/off switch.
take the springs out of the plunge router base and mount it into the table. As far as
tools made by Ryobi and Skill, I think you are right in deeming them POS.
I prefer PC, Makita, and Dewalt myself, I use these tools to make a living.

Good Luck, Woodnut65

Exboss

I purchased the Porter-Cable 895PK router, plunge base plus fixed base with one motor. Using a Oak Park 11" base plate, which by the way is drilled for the router and has micro adjusting holes that align for precise above table adjustments using the fixed base and adjusting tool. This frees up the plunge base for the free hand routing chores simply by swapping motors, a mere 20 second event. I also had a Ryobi ruter and have sent it out to pasture due to the same basic defects.

JohnnyTest

I use the PC 895 and have to say it is a fine piece of machinery. I use the fixed base in the table, this gives you over the table adjustments and bit changes. Plus the horsepower is perfect for just about any job.

bellaw

I really appreciate the words of wisdom from you guys, that's what these sites are for! I think I'll take the advice and get a good quality router and put this Ryobi stuff aside, maybe try to either return it to Home Depot or put it on E-Bay. I've been checking out the Dewalt 625 Plunge and will probably end up with it. I'm going to build my own kitchen cabinets and can't afford to have a tool that might let me down in the middle of a project like that! I have built a really nice router table I'll send some pictures of when I get back from vacation. Thanks again and I really like this Forum...Tom

Putzger

There's really no doubt about it -- "scrap the crap" and "go good".

I've been seeing some Porter Cable 690 router combination kits at local Sam's Clubs for $189. (That's the motor, fixed base and plunge base set.) Those are still available at many Home Depot's as well (for a bit more).

Rockler's has been running some sales lately and has been having some reasonably good prices on the newer 890 router combination sets.

Regardless of which top brand router you do get, just be sure to go with a good one -- it's just "so worth it". Especially with what it probably the most useful of all power tools.

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Steve
www.apachetrail.com/ww/
Mesa, AZ

scrollwolf

I too purchased the Poter Cable 895 PK. I had Ryobi/Craftsman before that. Stick with the Porter Cable. It is the best



scrollwolf