[credmond311]

Hi all!

Happy I found this forum. I've got some woodworking experience but looking to buy my first router, a table-mounted router. As a complete newbie to the world of routers, I look forward to learning!

Chris

 

[Stick486]

Hello and welcome to the forums Chris...
We're happy you found us...

About that inquisitiveness of yours... We are all over that, we can help, we can, w/ have some ''light reading'' for you...
Gathered together is a bunch of pertinent/relative information in this here link ... You should find everything (at least most) quite useful, a lot of help and get you off to a running start in the world of routers... Enjoy...

Do take some time and read the safety PDF's... PLEASE!!!
Blood and trips to the ER, we find, are very annoying... Not to mention – expensive...

We do welcome all questions on about any subject you can come up w/ too....
Not only that, we excel at spending your money...

 

[old55]

Welcome to the forum Chris...

 

[difalkner]

Welcome to the forum, Chris!

We do like photos so show us your shop, tools, projects, etc. whenever you're ready. What sort of woodworking are you planning or doing?

David

 

[RainMan 2.0]

Welcome to the forum Chris , you came to the right place

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

Hi Chris and welcome.

 

[DaninVan]

Hey, Chris; welcome! And a big thank you for filling out some bio!!
You might want to consider one of the routers that come in a kit with both fixed and plunge bases (for example the Bosch 1617EVSPK).
You won't need the plunge base for the table setup, but there are a lot of things you can do with a freehand plunge router that are just easier.
There are two camps here at the Forum; one side hardly ever, and don't like, freehand routing, and the other side (myself!) that do a lot of freehand routing. Neither group is right or wrong, just personal preferences.
An example might be doing roundovers on the corners of a an 8'-2x12...say a bookcase solid wood gable. That's a heavy chunk of wood1 Laying it flat on a work area and freehand routing the edges with either a bearing guided bit and /or an edge guide is simply more practical than trying to muscle it through a table.

 

[Semipro]

Hello and welcome to the router forum Chris

 

[sreilly]

Welcome aboard Chris and ditto on Dan's post. I have 2 of those and the Bosch Colt trim router. No complaints at all.

 

[Multiwood]

Welcome to the forum Chris.

 

[credmond311]

Thanks for the links Stick, that is exactly the kind of detailed info I was looking for!

Hi David, I will gladly get a few photos up sometime soon of my shop. I've done some furniture building, but stayed pretty basic with mainly pocket screws for joinery and lumber from a big box store. We're re-doing our kitchen now, and I'm planning on building the cabinets. I am trying to temper my excitement because I know I'm about to hit a pretty steep learning curve when I try to make rabbet and dado joints for the first time. I'm even thinking I might try to make raised panel doors, leaning towards cherry at this point. In other words, I don't really know what I'm getting into, but have a wife that's willing to put up with it, and she's also excited we'll be able to customize cabinets for a fraction of the price of buying them.

Thanks for the recommendation Dan for a kit and the example for when freehand would be easy. I saw a few of those that looked interesting, will have to take a second look.

 

[JFPNCM]

Welcome aboard.

 

[MEBCWD]

Welcome to the Router Forums Chris.

 

[DaninVan]

Chris; if you're overwhelmed at the door making prospect, keep in mind that there are cabinet shops that make doors exclusively. You might consider that option down the road; they're certainly cost effective.
Here's a link to one of my local shops...no help to you down there, but it may give you some inspiration.
https://www.epicdoors.ca/

 

[DesertRatTom]

Welcome to the Forum. I have learned a lot here, but the best help came from watching the videos of Marc Sommerfeld, which are online at YouTube. Like most demonstration videos, he as removed the safety devices you'll read about in Stick's pdfs. But he uses very simple materials and methods to make things. I bought all of his videos and always watch one or two if I'm going to do something new to me, or something tricky that I haven't done in awhile. He sells router bits and jigs, so he uses his own products, but they are all so generic and he is so non-promotional that you won't be put off. But do use the featherboards and jigs and methods in the pdfs to play it safe.

 

[Herb Stoops]

Welcome Chris. You might look at MT Stringers posts here he is the pocket hole king for building cabinets and has made to ton of them and posted the builds here. He is a husband and wife team + grand daughter,and grandson too at times. you will find him here:
https://www.routerforums.com/profile.php?do=editattachments&u=79327&showthumbs=1
Herb

 

[jw2170]

G'day Chris, welcome to the forum.

 

[marecat3]

Welcome to the forum

 

[roxanne562001]

Welcome to the forum Chris

 

[credmond311]

Thanks all for the welcome.

Dan, I certainly may end up buying doors, but am playing it be ear for now. Looks like a good local shop you have and is giving my some interesting ideas.

Tom, thank you for the Sommerfeld recommendation. I have heard his name come up quite a bit in other threads I've read, so plan to check out some of his videos shortly.

Herb, it's good to know there are some pocket hole building plans in case I decide to go that route, thanks for sending the link.