[Woodenhearted]

Hello to all in the router forum.

I have considered purchasing a router for about a year now since retiring. My wife and I are considering this adventure for making a few signs, some shelves with heart details cut out etc.
We have absolutely no experience with this adventure, although we have been watching you tube video's on routers.

Since looking at many different types, I have yet to put 1 in my hands for personal preference and feeling. Both my wife and I have smaller hands so I'm sure what would work for me would also work for my wife if she ever wanted to try it out.

I am really considering the Dewalt cordless @ $229. simply because of the flawless reviews. My thinking is the cord could be a PITA when working on smaller projects.
To add to this, I currently have a couple Dewalt cordless tools already with 2 batteries and charger. ( brushless 1/2 drill and the 1/4" little impact tool which worked out great for our new deck build last year.

We have looked at the small corded bosh colt, and other corded/cordless routers along with a couple cheaper options on amazon.

We do realize the Dewalt cordless does not come with a battery or accessories and would have to purchase them separately with significant costs. ( Plunge tool and edge guide)
Being that we are just beginning, I would probably just do hand held projects until we can afford the complete set.

We also realize tools are of preference and many have what works for them.
If anyone could give us some insight to these routers, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Woodenhearted]

We appreciate the welcome into the forum.
Thank-you all.
We figured it would take some time in order to be accepted and therefore would not be able to respond prior to pulling the trigger on which router, bits, and set-up needed to get into this hobby.

It seems the 1 year wait time to make a decision was long enough as of yesterday after I made this post.
Having said that, I made the adventure and have purchased several things to get started yesterday.
If it comes back to bite me than, I hope to hang out with you folks to steer me in another direction while building on what I have now.

I do see the benefits of corded tools, that I cannot dispute. My thinking of cordless was more for less frustration with a corded model. I'm sure as my experience and passion for this hobby evolves, I will make better choices going forward.

I have looked at several very helpful posts that are available within the forum here. I appreciate the advice Chris posted to check out the Welcome to the forum page.
I still have more homework to do in these area's.

Hello Wayne, I have looked at several kits on amazon, some of what were unaffordable at the time with basically have no knowledge of what I really needed and wanting to do.
I hope that I made the proper choice for starting out with the little information I had to go on. I'm not an internet forum person, But I feel I found my place here to get started.
I'm looking forward to reading many more posts, getting educated with all things and hopefully bring something back to all that has helped me here going forward.

I will post a picture below of the router trimmer I purchased yesterday and the bits I plan on starting out with.
I still need to create an area to work within while looking into some sort dust collecting, I'm thinking Dewalt shop vac to start out with.
First, I will need a good work bench as well.

Thank-you all.

 

[Woodenhearted]

I think this will be a good start for many good things to come in the hobby. Still have a long way to go without a doubt. I think this forum will definitely help us make it the rest of the way.

 

[Woodenhearted]

My plan for the forstner bits will be to eventually purchase a small drill press for roughing things out, such as wood serving trays. Then use the router to clean up the inside profile and bottom. This is just my way of thinking currently.

The router bits sets are just from a big box store here in Canada. ( Canadian Tire ) The sets do have duplicates.
I was thinking, 1 set was the cheaper quality carbide ( Mastercraft) for soft wood.
The other ( Maximum set) would be for hard wood with the better grade of carbide.
This was my reasoning for buying both sets without spending too much on expensive brands prior to knowing what I will be using more of at the beginning, along with how to use them safely and properly.

The Steelex brand of forstner bits I bought on amazon, my same reasoning as above. Not overly expensive for starting out.

I will certainly be careful going forward with my purchases, This is why I'm excited to be a part of this forum here with all of you.
I think my next purchase will be a little drill press, but that may be a few months out just yet. I need to look at making a work bench to get started.

I appreciate all the feedback I am receiving here and will definitely take them all into consideration going forward.
From a hobby standpoint, I still have so much to learn. You all are helping me and I thank-you so much for that.
I hope to stick around here through out my retirement.

 

[Woodenhearted]

Do they offer the router in a kit in the Canada ?

this is a UK kit DEWALT DCW604NT-XJ
https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/de...rYpCZ2rSEaUC7l_TKlzVE7SW94e4lvMBoCav0QAvD_BwE


I didn't see a complete Dewalt kit as you show in the link above here in Canada. Reading most reviews, I was under the impression everything had to be purchased separately.
I ordered the plunge holder on amazon for $114.00 but will not receive it until Thursday.
Would have been nice to be able to get a set like you posted here in Canada if available, I just didn't see any or didn't do my homework well enough.

 

[Woodenhearted]

This is just my personal opinion (and you know what they say about opinions) but if you have electricity nearby and the job takes more than a few seconds then use a corded tool. Battery tools are handy, but they can't get the job done like a corded tool. Let's say your battery is getting low and you are in the middle of the job. What happens to the rpm of the bit? It starts going slower and then what happens. Your otherwise nice job gets ruined. Yes, you can switch the battery out but by the time you realize that something is wrong it's too late. A cord won't get in the way and besides you will find that if you mount the router on a table, you will never see the cord.

Very good point.
I really didn't think about the possibility of a job getting ruined when battery power begins to drop off. This is where my inexperience comes into play.
My thinking was more along the lines of the cord getting in my way and ruining my job from the reviews I read on this particular router.
Now looking at it from battery limitations, I will most likely buy another corded version once I get more experience with routing.
I would also like a router mounted in a table in time as well.
It will be a learning curve for sure.

 

[Woodenhearted]

I appreciate the advice on a table when doing the heart cut outs.
Jig saw never crossed my mind for the cut outs actually.
My plan was to drill/rough everything out with the forstner bits in order to get close to the heart template, then use a straight bit to finish the walls to the line, then a round over bit.
I'm currently still trying to figure out what tools are good for specific tasks, so I will add a jig saw to the list .
I have looked at some used little table top drill presses on Kijiji here in Canada, just need to figure out what is junk and what is good.
As for a drill press, I never used 1 before but,
I'd like a little Skil drill press or Porter cable since they have good reputation for tools but didn't see any used so far so a trip to Lowes may be in order soon.

 

[Woodenhearted]

I appreciate all the comments very much,

I have seen many small woodworking shop layouts on youtube with really cool benches and set ups for all the tools.
My plan is to buy all the tools I need prior to beginning any projects, that way I can set up a small space, have it functional and set up nicely.
Having said that,
Amazon delivered the dewalt plunge base today and everything fits together nicely. I'm really itching to start something but will hold off for now since I have so much more planning to do.
I have a couple questions,
I see an edge guide that goes with this plunge base for an additional cost, do you find that it comes in handy or could I live without it for now. The reason I ask is, I seen one made with a hinge on youtube (stumpy nubs woodworking). Would that be a better option than buying the DW6913 edge guide?

A second question, I don't have a planer to make wood flat or square and the dewalt planer is really just too expensive at the moment. Not sure if I would like the manual hand plane approach at this point either due to my age and other factors.

I would like to know what the easiest way to get a 2x4x8 or a 2x10x8 flat and square to a certain size for a work bench.
Do you think I could get the boards square with a small electric or cordless ( dewalt ) hand planer? I seen a few video's of people using a sled with their routers to get a piece of wood nice and flat, but square I'm not sure yet. Would a sled and router work better than the hand held planer for this application?

 

[Woodenhearted]

Thank you John,
The first thing I bought was some ear plugs, safety glasses, gloves and masks. Safety is super important to me since I really never did much work with tools throughout my working years. I own a 7 1/4" Dewalt corded skill saw, a little 20V battery powered Dewalt drill and 1/4" impact that came in the set with 2 batteries and charger. That is the extend of my power tools at the moment.

My only experience was in plastics, mainly plastic extrusion and co-extrusion. I also have some arthritis in my fingers, likely from setting water jigs in extrusion tanks filled with cold water. I'm hoping it doesn't get to to bad going forward. I find that I need something to work my hands with these days to keep the stiffness out. This is why I chose woodworking.

I looked at the Bosch Colt as well, the diameter would have been more to my liking I'm sure. If the reviews were as good as the Dewalt I probably would have gone that way as well. I just went purely off of the reviews since I don't have any experience with these tools yet.
As I need bit replacements, I will certainly look at the Freud, Whiteside and Yonico in the future.

 

[Woodenhearted]

While watching several video's on youtube last night, I came to the realization that a Table saw and Mitre saw would be a necessity for getting things decently square without a jointer (I think ).
I'm going to do some research on a good table saw and Mitre saw. I guess my fear of these kind of tool had me thinking, do I really need 1 of them.
I suppose, if I want to be able to cut longer pieces, my little skill saw won't be up to the task for accuracy if need be.
What do you folks think? Would a Dewalt jobsite table saw be much better than a big box store like Canadian Tire Mastercraft brand.
I would like to hear some thoughts and possibly what brand you folks are using in your shop and are happy with.

 

[Woodenhearted]

You folks just sold me on the Dewalt planer over the hand held type. I'm sure it will see some very good use once I get going.
I've also looked into the Dewalt table saw and Bosch table saw. I think the folding type with wheels maybe something I should consider if I happen to put up an 8X10 shed to start with.
I have heard stories of table saws kicking back, I don't have any experience with that but would certainly like to know how you folks get around those types of things happening.
Would you folks suggest the 8 1/4" blade or 10" blade table saw. Would the smaller blade be less likely to kick back at me?

 

[Woodenhearted]

In Ontario, about half hour south of Owensound.
Will certainly do some research on the Jessem stock guides and other safety items.
Desert rat Tom suggested the push block that I will certainly be purchasing as well to keep my fingers out of the way.
Was hoping and kinda had my mind set on something new that would work well out of the box.
Buying used in my situation could be more hassle then its worth possibly, if it would need work or fixing to get nice cuts. I will check out Kijiji here in Canada to see what is currently being offered used.

 

[Woodenhearted]

Had a look on Kijiji here in Ontario.
Appears to be several Craftsman and Delta tables saws for reasonable prices. Would it be safe to assume that all table saws have the option to tip the blade on a certain angle ? Or are some models just fixed to cut in the uprite position only?

 

[Woodenhearted]

Most saws will tilt. If you post links to what you are interested in, I'm sure that you will get feedback as to whether or not it's a good saw and price. I took a look at Owen sound Craigslist but didn't see anything. You can always save your search and have Craigslist notify you when something comes up.

We really appreciate all the assistance.
I will certainly post a few in the coming weeks, I need to be patient my wife says. So, im holding off for now, making a list (ouch the list is getting long) until my wife and I come up with a new budget.

 

[Woodenhearted]

The wife and I have come up with a new budget and have been considering what our next purchase should be.
At this time, I put the Dewalt planer on the back burner with hopes to flatten boards that come cupped with hand plane if need be for a while before purchasing.
We feel as thou a table saw would be a much better tool to add for now until we get going. We do have plans for a drill press, RO sander, jig saw, sliding compound mitre saw and possibly a small 10" band saw. We are in the process of looking at the WEN brand for the drill press, and bandsaw. The others tools, will likely all be Dewalt corded, although I do like working without a cord. I especially like our cordless drill and 1/4" impact, I never use my corded drill anymore.
On the fence at the moment on corded or cordless for sander, jig saw and mitre saw.

I understand the older saws are built much better with cast iron top and would last much longer than anything new, but, really need to take the weight into consideration as well. My wife and I are lightweights, so smaller, lighter is much better for us, especially since I can bring it outside on nice days throughout the summer months.
We did take a look at the Saw Stop line up which some have mentioned in another thread. Just way out of our budget for the entry size table saw they offer considering this is just a hobby for us folks.

For this reason, we pulled the trigger on the Dewalt 7485WS for $565 bucks taxes in. Its only and 8.25 diameter blade and won't accept dado blades.
We don't really see the need to have that type of blade system option with our planned projects.

Would have preferred the height of the blade to go higher from the table top in the event I would want to cut a 4x4 but I need to be realistic of cost. The 10" Dewalt with stand dwe7491rs- $825. is just a bit much when considering other tools that I need to buy as well.
I managed to sweet talk my wife into sneaking the very much needed grr-ripper push block into the purchase since I settled on the smaller saw.

I think we made a good decision and hope it works out, should have the saw by the 9th of March. We are excited about a spring/early summer start up and hope the decisions become much less stressful.

Thank you all for the advice and guidance

 

[Woodenhearted]

I never thought about having 2 table saws really. This is just a hobby for us. I will just have to change the blade and setup for each project.
Needing some other tools at the moment so just 1 thing at a time for now.
I do understand that most folks do have several routers, a couple table saws and the like.
This is the saw that we chose, nice a lite and has the safety features as well. So we are hoping for the best with our start up in the next few months.

 

[Woodenhearted]

Hi Tom,

I totally forgot about the plunge tool for the cordless router. My wife and I made up a new budget along with a new list. It seems as thou we missed putting it on the new list and forgot to buy it separately.
We are planning a shopping day this morning to pick it up at home depo, then off to Canadian tire for some chisels, along with a 3/4 drill bit for our upcoming work bench build.

We had a look at your dust collection in another thread and have priced some out. I will do the same and build a small extension onto the back of the shed to house that and a compressor to keep the noise down inside the shed.
We have all the safety gear including a fire extinguisher since that was the most important purchase prior to buying our first tool.

I was surprised when I began speaking to my wife about this woodworking adventure early on. We were looking at dirt cheap tools at the time on Amazon, Canadian tire, walmart ,etc . Geez, I had a whole list of things I could get for around $1800 back when covid first started.
I recall the 10' Mastercraft drill press was on my list at $129.00 but now looking at the 13" Jet or 12" V/S Wen model, we knew we had to come up with a new budget rather than take a chance on the low budget tools.
She did mention at the time, the $1800. was alot of money to spend in the event we don't like it or know how to use these tools and give up on them.

Fast forward to now, We blew just over 1/3 of that budget just on the cordless router, bits, forstners, 2 5ah batteries and a 50' 12ga extension cord.
Although, Christine mentioned not too long ago that we should buy good tools in the event we don't like it and decide to sell everything, that led us to looking at the Dewalt, Bosch, Makita, and Milwaki tools.
In that case we both agreed to go with the, as my wife will say "Bumble Bee" yellow and black theme.
Now I have to figure out how to make a Bumble Bee out of wood for a shed sign in the not to distant future. My wife is currently drawing up the sign. Bump'in Bumble Bee's shop

Too be completely honest we are going into this totally blind, we have so many questions to ask but we don't want to bother you folks to much with stupid questions.
We are truly thankful with the replies and support we are getting here so we are continuing to move forward.
My wife has been my best friend since day 1, when decisions have to be made we always do it together which works so well in our marriage.
I am grateful in so many ways its been an incredible journey.

My wife and I will certainly try to find some posts that the Outofthewoodwork couple made here later this weekend perhaps.
I will try to post some pictures of our new purchases later this afternoon.

 

[Woodenhearted]

Turns out my memory has faded yet again. Good thing my wife keeps track of things and does much better with that than I do.
Was planning on picking up a plunge base for the router along with a few other things yesterday. Then my wife says, come with me. Opens the closet door to the linen closet, points down to the lower shelf and says " Do we need two of these?"
Sure enough, we had already bought the plunge base back in February at some point .
How does that happen. She already knows that a plunge base is for the router.
I was shocked actually.

But, you guys brought me say.
From what I have been reading on the forum and understand is, most folks have 2 table saws, several routers and bandsaws etc.. Please, come take a read with me here haha.
Then she smiled and said, I'm busy with the grandkids but we will read the comments later. I'm learning from you guys haha.
No better way to get a couple extra tools when I won't feel up to changing cutters and blades lol.

So off I went to the store, just picked up a couple packages of auger drills, brad point drills, set of chisels and called it a day yesterday.

 

[Woodenhearted]

Other than the plunge base and newly acquired table saw.
I just picked up some things that would go with the hobby.
Hopefully we will have more to come in the weeks ahead.