Looking for fun routing' need advice

Hello and welcome to the forums N/A...

About your desire to learn... We have some light reading for you...
As in, we've put some helpful information together at this here link to help you get up and running in the world of routers... We hope it to be useful to you... 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...


There is some information on dust collection w/ your health in mind at this here link if it you need it...

there's more here at this link on RT's than you'll be able to digest at one sit down (or many)...

Welcome. It's good to be cautious and to learn good technique for all tools. You might consider getting a Triton TRA001 router. It is 3.25 hp, has a built in lift, and really good safety interlocks. It is too heavy for my ageing hands to handle freehand, but that's work for a smaller, lighter machine.

A smaller router 2.25 hp with a lift will cost more than the Triton. If you want to see it in action, find Marc Sommerfeld videos on YouTube. The router has a safety interlock so that when you crank it up, it locks the power off.

Do make certain you handle the dust collection issue soon. Sawdust is nasty in the lungs.

I also suggest getting a couple of items if you don't have them yet.

A Wixey digital angle gauge (for setting your saw blade at a perfect 90 degree angle to the table.) About $30 on Amazon. The new ones use AAA batteries and have a backlight.

A Gripper. This is for guiding your workpiece through the table saw. It lets you press down, forward and against the fence all at the same time. Keeps your fingers a safe distance from the blade.

Last picture is of a Triton TRA001 mounted on a plate.

Glad you decided to join the fun. This isn't so much a hobby as it is an addiction. The most important thing is to make stuff. Every projece will teach you something. In fact, I made the same project several times at first, each time it turned out better.

Cutting dovetails on a Leigh type jig is done with a bit with a bearing on top. No need for a bushing. I have a similar jig made by Sommerfeld and it also does not require a bushing.

If I were in your shoes, I'd definitely go for the Triton and use the money saved to get one of the new Bosch GKF125CEPK Colt 1.25 HP (Max) Variable-Speed Palm Router Combination Kits (pix). At 1.25 hp it will do most of the hand held work for you. Or, go with the Bosch 1617 EVSPK kit, which is an all time favorite here among USA members. Bosch also has a great customer service reputation. There isn't much price difference between the two routers.

I had a 1617 in my table, but it is now on a shelf, unused for some time because I always prefer the safety of using the table mounted router. For everything else I seem to always get by with the smaller (Colt) machine.

One of thos naming conventions that I just cannot remember is whether the bearing on the bit is on top, or bottom. It is counterintuitive, so here's a pix that shows which is which. The last picture is a chart of many kinds of bits and the profile they cut. It's helpful as you're working out what you want the piece to look like when done.