[Serapheem]

i'm going to build my own poker table and do to so I need to cut through 3/4' thick oak. I don't want to use a jigsaw since my hands and my saw aren't all that steady. From what I've seen other people do using a router is the way to go. However I don't know much about them. What router would be good for cutting through the oak and plywood (both 3/4")? I want to try and keep the bits as small as possible to keep the gap between the playing surface and the racetrack as small as possible. (here is a link to a nice looking racetrack poker table
http://www.junell.cc/pokertable/14finishedproduct.htm]racetrack

I know you get what you pay for but I am on somewhat of a budget (around $100). Any and all suggestions are welcomed. I do want one that would work with the jasper jig 300 model. Any suggestions on what a good/economical straight edge guide would be would be great as well.


Thanks

 

[Mike]

Welcome to the forum. This may sound silly at first, but if you tell us what country you live in we will be in a far better position to make a recommendation. We have members world wide.

 

[Serapheem]

Sure thing.... Located in New York, USA

 

[Mike]

Your best bet is to visit your local Home Depot (HD) and Lowes. You should find plunge routers for under $100, perhaps a Ryobi, Skil or B&D. Normally we recommend people pass these up in favor of the 2-1/4 HP combo kits from Bosch, PC, Hitachi, etc. Since you are looking for a tool to perform a single job they will be up to the task. Your router should come with an edge guide and a removeable sub base plate. Remove the base plate and attach the Jasper jig. If needed you can drill new mounting holes in the jig using your sub base plate as the pattern. If the router you choose does not come with an edge guide you can clamp a piece of wood to your project and use it to guide the router in a straight line. Be sure to make your cut from left to right so the router pulls itself against the "fence". Remove no more than 1/4" in a pass then adjust your height and repeat until you get the depth you desire. I have seen nice home owner grade routers for as little as $67 at HD.

 

[Serapheem]

I did see this online

router

but when I went to HD or Lowes they didn't have it in the store. Is this one worth picking up?

 

[Mike]

The link is broken, please try again?

 

[Serapheem]

argh!!! ok, lets try this again... hmm sounds like most of my projects

http://bosch.cpotools.com/skil/1820.html



****edit****

Checked and this link seems to be working

 

[dietz]

Wouldn't seem bad for a beginning user who does not want to spend alot of money. The only draw back is that it says it has a 1/4" collet. This may be a bit light for thicker wood or for long term use. The larger the collet, the thicker the bit, ie: stronger and most important safer.

 

[Visteonguy]

Just a thought,,,, if you are not going to be buying the router right now,... why not take a look on EBAY or some site like Amazon to check the prices.. When I bought my Hitachi M 12V, back in 2001, I just went to LOWES and never checked around,,,, I am a better shopper now,,, I did not realize I got hosed pretty good on that router,, paid $237 and they had to special order it anyway so I still had to wait almost a week to get it,, I seen a couple of M 12V's going for $132 and $137 respectfully, last week on Ebay.
You may just find that you can get a higher quality router then you thought you could afford. And I would also recomend, if possible,,, try and go with a 1/2 inch collet. You will be happy you did.

 

[Serapheem]

Actually.. I need to make has small a cut as possible into the wood... otherwise I'll have a huge gap between my racetrack and betting area