Hi,
This is my introduction....I have used a small 1 hp router in the past, mainly for rounding off corners on shelves etc., and it's one of my favorite tools.
I recently started building an electric guitar, and I just purchased the Freud FT3000E plunge router. Seems like a solid machine, with variable speed, and soft start. I tested it out, and it's actually fairly quiet, and with some high-quality carbide bits, it is very smooth and easy to use.
I also purchased a Bosch RA1171 cabinet-style benchtop router table. This I have some gripes about. First of all, the holes didn't fit my router plate. So I immediately voided the warranty and drilled my own, and now it fits fine (though I had to remove one of the plunge handles for it to fit inside the cabinet).
Second gripe - the router table plate is mounted with threaded inserts, which are supposed to be used to adjust the height of the plate to make it flush with the table. Right away they stripped the particle board or whatever the cabinet is made of. It's a really bad design - the screws that mount the plate go right into the threaded inserts, and by tightening them, you invariably turn the inserts, thereby lowering the plate! I put a bunch of wood glue in the insert hole after leveling the plate; we'll see if that stays or not after I screw the plate on.
I will probably modify the cabinet, making it a little bigger (must be designed for smaller routers). The table top seems sufficient for my first project. The fence seems fine, and comes with 1/16" inserts for jointing (which will be the first thing I'll do on it).
For my electric guitar, I have a custom-built neck, which will extend to the back of the body (neck-through design), and the sides will be glued to that (after jointing). Then I will glue a top sheet of 1/2" flamed redwood (that I found in a creek!). I will also use the router to round off the edges on the back (the top will be hand-carved), and to route the control and pickup cavities, hollow sections (for weight reduction), and wiring channels.
I'm looking forward to getting started with the new router!
This is my introduction....I have used a small 1 hp router in the past, mainly for rounding off corners on shelves etc., and it's one of my favorite tools.
I recently started building an electric guitar, and I just purchased the Freud FT3000E plunge router. Seems like a solid machine, with variable speed, and soft start. I tested it out, and it's actually fairly quiet, and with some high-quality carbide bits, it is very smooth and easy to use.
I also purchased a Bosch RA1171 cabinet-style benchtop router table. This I have some gripes about. First of all, the holes didn't fit my router plate. So I immediately voided the warranty and drilled my own, and now it fits fine (though I had to remove one of the plunge handles for it to fit inside the cabinet).
Second gripe - the router table plate is mounted with threaded inserts, which are supposed to be used to adjust the height of the plate to make it flush with the table. Right away they stripped the particle board or whatever the cabinet is made of. It's a really bad design - the screws that mount the plate go right into the threaded inserts, and by tightening them, you invariably turn the inserts, thereby lowering the plate! I put a bunch of wood glue in the insert hole after leveling the plate; we'll see if that stays or not after I screw the plate on.
I will probably modify the cabinet, making it a little bigger (must be designed for smaller routers). The table top seems sufficient for my first project. The fence seems fine, and comes with 1/16" inserts for jointing (which will be the first thing I'll do on it).
For my electric guitar, I have a custom-built neck, which will extend to the back of the body (neck-through design), and the sides will be glued to that (after jointing). Then I will glue a top sheet of 1/2" flamed redwood (that I found in a creek!). I will also use the router to round off the edges on the back (the top will be hand-carved), and to route the control and pickup cavities, hollow sections (for weight reduction), and wiring channels.
I'm looking forward to getting started with the new router!