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303 Posts
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I have had good luck with Bosch tools but their table lift design needs work imho.
I had a Bosch 23 and the 1617 kit. Both models use the same lift design. I used the Bosch 23 in a table for several years. The issue I had that when the unit was new I could un-clamp it, adjust height and then re-clamp the unit. I could trust my fine adjustment to be right. As the unit got older and more used, the unit would never re-clamp in exactly the same spot. I would try to adjust for a height change of .020 inch and I might get .010 or .030 inch.
The thing is that Bosch makes their motor bodies with a relatively rough outer surface so they do not slide well in their bases. You need to keep the base to motor body surfaces lubricated but finding a grease/oil that does not attract sawdust can be a challenge.
The other issue is that the fine adjustment rod that lifts the motor body is attached with a little C clip. If the motor binds very much as you do your fine adjustment, that C clip will pop off.
You will then have to pull the router out of the table and play hide and seek with that C clip.
I use the 1617 for free hand routing and I really like it. I have a PC unit with a JessEm lift for my table but that increased my cost quite a bit.
I have no experience with Triton but a lot of forum people like to use a Triton for a table router. They say it has a built in lift mechanism that is much more reliable than Bosch’s and is a cheaper way to get started with a table.
I have had good luck with Bosch tools but their table lift design needs work imho.
I had a Bosch 23 and the 1617 kit. Both models use the same lift design. I used the Bosch 23 in a table for several years. The issue I had that when the unit was new I could un-clamp it, adjust height and then re-clamp the unit. I could trust my fine adjustment to be right. As the unit got older and more used, the unit would never re-clamp in exactly the same spot. I would try to adjust for a height change of .020 inch and I might get .010 or .030 inch.
The thing is that Bosch makes their motor bodies with a relatively rough outer surface so they do not slide well in their bases. You need to keep the base to motor body surfaces lubricated but finding a grease/oil that does not attract sawdust can be a challenge.
The other issue is that the fine adjustment rod that lifts the motor body is attached with a little C clip. If the motor binds very much as you do your fine adjustment, that C clip will pop off.
You will then have to pull the router out of the table and play hide and seek with that C clip.
I use the 1617 for free hand routing and I really like it. I have a PC unit with a JessEm lift for my table but that increased my cost quite a bit.
I have no experience with Triton but a lot of forum people like to use a Triton for a table router. They say it has a built in lift mechanism that is much more reliable than Bosch’s and is a cheaper way to get started with a table.
