[123rp123]

Hi, should have checked first but I returned and exchanged my new Bosch 1617EVS as it felt underpowered for a set of doors I was trying to do the panels for...anyway, I bought a Porter Cable 7518 3 1/4HP and as I excitedly tried to set it up, I realized that the plate for the 1181 does not fit the hole pattern for the Router.

A bit of research seems to indicate this is a well known issue... and options included drilling my own holes into the Router Plate.

Is that what you would recommend, or should I return it and get a different one? The local store I bought it had only two other 3 1/4 HP routers - the Triton 3-1/4 HP Dual-Mode Plunge Routerand the Makita RP1800 3-1/4HP Plunge Router... Are they worth replacing the Porter Cable with? Or should I just try to drill my own holes into the Router Plate ?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Rama.

 

[Stick486]

welcome rp...

most here would drill...
most would have kept the '17...
others would up grade the PC to the Triton...

I say drill and go back and get your '17 back...

if you decide to keep the PC, be aware that the bearings and speed control in leave a lot to be desired since their buy out and now are made in China...

 

[123rp123]

Hi Stick, Thanks for the quick reply.

I returned the 17 because routing with the Freud door panel bit (also new) kept kicking back (and the bare-minimum recommended HP was 2 1/4 )... Don't think I want to get it back...

The Triton is actually $100 cheaper than both the PC and the Makita... but the Rockler guy in the store was not too sure about its performance.

Thanks,
Rama.

 

[Stick486]

1... Freud door panel bit (also new) kept kicking back (and the bare-minimum recommended HP was 2 1/4 )... Don't think I want to get it back...
2... The Triton is actually $100 cheaper than both the PC and the Makita... but the Rockler guy in the store was not too sure about its performance.
Thanks,
Rama.

1... UT-OH!!!
we need to examine your methods...
to start... go to this link...
in it is a collection of information that will do you well and may keep you out of the ER...
the '17 is a 2¼HP router...

2... there are Triton users here that swear by it...
search here for information on the new generation 7518's...
key search word is '' ceramic ''...
search out the Triton also...

 

[Stick486]

Freud door panel bit (also new) kept kicking back
Thanks,
Rama.

got some questions..

what is you level of exposure and experience w/ a router table???
what is your material???
what table do you have???
are you using a fence or just going off of the bit's guide bearing???
are routing between the fence and bit???
what is your feed direction???
what is your router's speed???
are you feeding the material from right to left or left to right???
do you have full material support... (little or nothing hanging off of the table)???

see the Freud PDF..

.

 

[123rp123]

Fairly a beginner...been using routers for mainly cutting groves for making some frames etc ... very infrequently for a couple of years. This is my first 'real' project - my 'lockdown' project is to do a armoire/dresser with hardwood (Red Oak) on the Drawer fronts and doors, and it is my first time using such a wide router bit, so I am fairly certain I am making mistakes also...

In preparation for this project, I upgraded my old 1 1/4 HP router to the 2 1/4 Bosch 1617 router a couple of months ago.

The current setup:
Material : Red Oak 3/4"
The Router table itself is a Bosch 1181,
Router Bits: Freud 97-254 Ogee Raised Panel Bit.
The Router: Bosch 1617 2 1/4 HP
Fence: The original router table fence
Speed setting (1) : 8000RP
Regular right-left direction, not trying anything fancy.


I had hoped that the 2 1/4 HP Bosch 1617 (even if it was the bare minimum recommended HP for the bit) would be sufficient if I make the cuts in very small increments, but I found that was not the case.

Initially, I had fair amount of success routing one door with the bit showing only 1/16 from the plate and then raising the height over about 8 steps to bring complete it. I figured 8 steps is a bit too much so I changed the way I was trying to route the 2nd door.

For the 2nd door, I left the bit at its full height, and moved the fence in front of the bit until it is cutting only a portion of the material, and then was going to move the fence back until it is flush with the bearing in about 4 steps. The very first cut was having issues...even as small as 1/8th of an inch.

I tried both reducing my feed speed and increasing it... not a lot of difference... and a couple of times the bit almost stopped rotating ... which was a bit scary / weird.

Thanks,
Rama.

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

Lots of people make up to 5 passes to get the full profile with a bit that big. Some also run the panels on edge on a table saw with the blade tilted so that it cuts most of the waste off first.

 

[123rp123]

Thanks Chuck for your reply.

If I do end up going back to the 1617 (which may be what I end up having to do as I don't necessarily want to drill holes into the plate or buy a new plate)....

I am struggling to figure out which option I should use:

1. Should I try to do the passes as I had done with my first door - which was with the bit lowered into the table and raising it in small increments, or
2. Should I have the bit with the whole profile showing and the fence in front of the bit hiding all but say 1/8th increments of it.

Raising the bit in Option 1 was fairly painful and prone to error so I was hoping to use Option (2)... maybe I should just have been more careful and do in much smaller increments.

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

Rama asked me to show what I meant by trimming some of the waste off with a table saw so here is a diagram and explanation:

You would mark the edge of your panel with the profile of the ogee raised panel bit. Then adjust both the fence and the angle on the blade to just miss your profile line. This will get rid of most of the waste your router would have to chew through and the saw is much more efficient at doing that.

A disclaimer: DON"T leave a bunch of blade sticking out like I showed in this illustration. It's both unnecessary and dangerous to do that. I wasn't thinking about that when I drew the diagram. Expose just enough blade to get the job done and no more than that.

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

If you intend to use that method to remove some of the waste when doing that profile it would be a good idea to first make a jig for pushing and controlling the panel with a home made jig like the one in this pdf that Stick sent me.

 

[123rp123]

Fantastic Chuck ! Really appreciate your response.

I will try this on a scrap and see how it works out. Should definitely help with what I am trying to do...

To complete my story from the start of this thread, I did go back and return the 3 1/4 HP, and started using the 2 1/4 Bosch 1617 again. I went thru two panels - raising the bit about 1/16" or so (approximately 1 turn of the router knob) and really had to go very slow - really really slow ... but did finish the job. Took me a long time but it did get the job done - took me about 3 hours or so.

Have about 8 more to go... so removing the 'waste' material using the saw should definitely help.

Thanks,
Rama.