[judasentinel]

This is my first post after the intro and I have a few questions relating to general routing.

1. I have a Porter Cable 75812 router mounted on a Triton table top. I had to make my own fence as I bought this table top used with no fence, etc.. I also have a PC 6902 router, which I am selling now (fixed and plunge bases). With the 75812 router, can I use 1/4" bits or should I use only 1/2" bits?

2. Since the 75812 is a variable speed router, is there any resource available to find out what speeds I should run different bits at and what wood should be routed at what speeds? Being in Canada, it is quite expensive to find exotic wood and I am generally limited to curved pine lumber. Home Depot here only sells cedar, pine, oak and maple, unlike the many other varieties that I have seen being sold even in small towns in Wisconsin, USA.

3. I have been trying to make jewelry boxes using the pine bought from Home Depot and it always ends up being crooked, due to the curved nature of the wood. What wood should I use to make these boxes?

4. My router table does not have that round insert thing that sits around the bit, and it is very difficult to change the bits on this router unless you turn it from under the table and then bring it up. Is there a cheaper solution to this?

5. What methods do people use to accurately measure and adjust bit height?

6. What clamping techniques are available for cutting small pieces of wood on a mitre saw (holding it down with bare hands too close to the blade is dangerous)?

Thank you in advance


Judas

 

[judasentinel]

Thank you, Stick. Much appreciated .


BTW, hope you will forgive me for buying a PC 75812 - I know and respect your opinion on them .

 

[judasentinel]

Thank you all for such a warm welcome and show of support. I am heartened to see this. Very different experience from car forums, where everyone starts to put you down and rather than offer help, start telling you to "SEARCH". Very different here. Positive and supportive.

I also wanted to share with you all that I have an old Triton RTA200 router table top. It is metallic, and I had to make a melamine fence for it that I bolted on to the sliding metal mini fence it had. However, with my PC75182 router, the table top doesnt have any option for me to either change bits without removing the router from the underside every time. The Porter Cable process for removing the motor from the base might be effective, but it is not the most convenient. On my Triton table, the shaft and the collet don't stick out enough for me to use the two wrenches for collet removal. And the hole itself is not large enough to insert even an offset wrench to get to the shaft nut. Besides, having a router lift would be a good idea to down the line and this table is all metallic, with no provision for a router lift. So I decided to buy a new table today.

It is a table made by a company named Felisatti. Does anyone know anything about it? All I have found is that they are originally Italian, then moved to Spain, and have very little support here in North America. Upon looking closely, their products seem to be spitting images of Freud products, especially the routers. Anyone else note that? Is this table worth it? I still have the option to return it if it's not a good buy since I havent opened it yet, and can go and get the Kreg portable router table (PRS2100). The Kreg thing is $301, and it is not a table per se, but a stand that goes on top of a work table. Wondering which option is better for the longer term.

The third option is the BusyBee Tools' own table. This one is priced well, but they had issues with the insert plate sagging on some units (the insert plate is hard plastic). The guy said that the sagging issue was sporadic and was a fault from the factory on some units, not all. Plus they already have a replacement aluminum insert out for $80 more.

Kijiji here also has a Freud table and router for $350. The guy will sell it if I say yes, but not sure.

Any inputs on the table would be appreciated. Even though I have th Felisatti already purchased, it is still unopened and I can return it and get something else. Getting a router lift is an important consideration for me for the future, if you guys think it is worth it.

Thank you all.

 

[judasentinel]

Munib; I was going to suggest that you pick up a copy of Bill Hylton's 'Router Magic', but then I checked Amazon.ca and the prices have skyrocketed.

It may be out of print now and suddenly everyone wants a copy...
Excellent book on routers, tables, pretty much all aspects of the tool and its uses. Tons of projects included (DIY router tables etc.)

I found a PDF version of the book and am going through it now.

As regards the table I got, I have finally installed it, but because I dont have a drill press, I ended up buying a countersink bit to use on the aluminium insert. Turned out a bit jagged, but I somehow sanded it down. The router is now held in place with 3 screws rather than 4, so I hope it is fine. The table is actually quite nice. Yes, it is ex-Freud, which I believe was bought out by Felisatti. Havent used it as such, except to check the construction and features. I quite like the split fence idea, which I think I can use to joint the edges of the boards.

One question, though...is it true that I cannot joint (square off) the two opposing edges of the same board on the router and have to use a table saw for the second one? I was watching a Youtube video of Steve Ramsey, who mentioned that you do joint one edge on the router and the other on the table saw. Doesnt make sense why I cannot straighten both on the router.

I am also in the process of building a router sled and sourced out a few sheets of 1/2" and 3/4" MDF, plus a scraps of particle board. So many different styles and designs out there, so will be spending the next little while finalizing the dimensions and design and then build it. I am doing this because lumber here is expensive for my situation and pine is the only thing that fits my budget. I'd rather, if I can, straighten the pine and use it to make things. Fingers crossed with the sled and the table.

Thanks to everyone for helping me through this.

 

[judasentinel]

I finally did it!! Proud of myself, hehe.

Made a router sled for planing/smoothing surfaces of boards so I can use them to build boxes. I also tried using my router table as a jointer with the 75182. Success on both counts. The MDF makes so much mess though, it was a blessing that I could do most of the routing in the backyard instead of the garage.

Now the next thing to do is make a few boxes.