brandon.nickel
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 241
Dave,
If the PC 7518 "used to be the standard", what's the standard now?
-Brandon
If the PC 7518 "used to be the standard", what's the standard now?
-Brandon
How do people use their routers?
- Thread starter Tom the Remodeler
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
i am a pro and therefore have a router for almost every bit....... plus one more for the next bit I am going to buy.
I have 3 bosch colts for round over, flush trim and ogee. just grab and route mo messing with bit changes.
I have 5 tables... makita, pc 690 hitachi and the triton 2 1/4 I just put on the new sommerfeld table that I really like, the triton 3 1/4 sucked and did not turn to adjust right, it now sits on a shelf.
have the festool 1400 for the hole jig and for fluting, I need to buy another one so I do not again have to change bits, becuase I use these 2 features a lot doing custom bookcases etc.
I also have another 10 routers just sitting around that I have used before but don't now. I had the pc set up for the holes for bookcases till I went with festool.
I also have a bosch plunge with a flush trim bit.
several makitas laying around collecting dust.
also have an old craftsman, my first router I bought back in 86 i think. oh I also have the milwalkee.
I am a router nut. but almost all of my work I do routing on them. round overs, ogees, making cabinet doors trim pieces etc. I love to add the extra touch that routing does.
I used to go to the woodworking shows and still go. every time I go I bring back some new router bits that look really cool,,,,, then I open my storage case (festool systainer) and lord and behold I already own that same bit several times over!!!! i must have 5-6 of the same type of designs.
my next set is the sommerfeld doormaking set for shaker type doors, and the festool set for making doors. and then that is about it for now.
I think I have enough don't you?
OH, i FORGET I also have 2 of the pc battery routers set up for hanging doors. the batteries can handle approx 9 doors before a charge. one is set up for the hindge templetes and the other for the latch. this way I do not have to mess with the alignment each time. have used them for 6 years+ and have had great success.
I have 3 bosch colts for round over, flush trim and ogee. just grab and route mo messing with bit changes.
I have 5 tables... makita, pc 690 hitachi and the triton 2 1/4 I just put on the new sommerfeld table that I really like, the triton 3 1/4 sucked and did not turn to adjust right, it now sits on a shelf.
have the festool 1400 for the hole jig and for fluting, I need to buy another one so I do not again have to change bits, becuase I use these 2 features a lot doing custom bookcases etc.
I also have another 10 routers just sitting around that I have used before but don't now. I had the pc set up for the holes for bookcases till I went with festool.
I also have a bosch plunge with a flush trim bit.
several makitas laying around collecting dust.
also have an old craftsman, my first router I bought back in 86 i think. oh I also have the milwalkee.
I am a router nut. but almost all of my work I do routing on them. round overs, ogees, making cabinet doors trim pieces etc. I love to add the extra touch that routing does.
I used to go to the woodworking shows and still go. every time I go I bring back some new router bits that look really cool,,,,, then I open my storage case (festool systainer) and lord and behold I already own that same bit several times over!!!! i must have 5-6 of the same type of designs.
my next set is the sommerfeld doormaking set for shaker type doors, and the festool set for making doors. and then that is about it for now.
I think I have enough don't you?
OH, i FORGET I also have 2 of the pc battery routers set up for hanging doors. the batteries can handle approx 9 doors before a charge. one is set up for the hindge templetes and the other for the latch. this way I do not have to mess with the alignment each time. have used them for 6 years+ and have had great success.
Frank Pellow
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 2,743
1) A Festool 1400 for hand-held use and for use on a guide rail.
2) A Triton 2.25 hp for use in my home made router table. This has all the power you will ever need. There is absolutely no need to move up to the Triton 3.25 hp. The 2.25 hp that I have supports above the table fine adjustment and very easy router bit changing.
3) A Bosch Colt trim router is on my wish list and I will proably be buying one at the Toronto Woodworking show at the end of this month.
2) A Triton 2.25 hp for use in my home made router table. This has all the power you will ever need. There is absolutely no need to move up to the Triton 3.25 hp. The 2.25 hp that I have supports above the table fine adjustment and very easy router bit changing.
3) A Bosch Colt trim router is on my wish list and I will proably be buying one at the Toronto Woodworking show at the end of this month.
Frank Pellow
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 2,743
I didn't know that there was such a product. But, as with any Festool product being available in North America, that's a very big IF. I will do some research and keep it in mind if ithe 700 looks good -thanks.semenza said:Frank Pellow said:
Hi,
If the Festool 700 trim router is coming soon you may want to wait on that colt
Seth
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,671
the little bosch colt is a great little router for round overs and roman ogee bits. quick and simple. the new festool when it comes out will be a good set up, but will have to wait to see.
the colt you can usually pick up for 100 bucks or so, which is a great deal. also flush trimming formica it works great also
the colt you can usually pick up for 100 bucks or so, which is a great deal. also flush trimming formica it works great also
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Tom,
I have been a hobbyist and DIY remodeler for >30 years, trained by reading and making my own mistakes - lots of them. I have 5 routers. In order from oldest to newest they are:
1) Craftsman 1/4" fixed base 6.5A with nice pistol grips. It's currently mounted in a poor man's table - an old birch veneer pine core plywood cupboard door. I used it with a fence made by jointing a piece of 2 x 4 and cutting out a semicircle with a hole saw to fit my shop vacuum. I used that setup to bevel all edges of >400 sq ft of 7/8"Th x random widths and lengths oak flooring I made from rough lumber. I also used it to make many raised panels using HSS bits ground to profile starting with over the counter profiles. A handy, lightweight, stable little router, but no dust collection. I also have an 8" plastic dovetail jig from Craftsman that is surprisingly versatile and works well after a little fiddling. It still runs OK but doesn't see much use.
2) Stanley 10A Industrial with fixed base and 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" collets. (This product line and factory was later bought out by Bosch, I believe). Very well made with HD armature, switch, bearings and collets, and the edge guide and copy rings are sturdy and precise compared to Craftsman. Punished it severely cutting PVC while commercially making vacuum tanks for milking machines. Still running excellently, but again, no dust collection and it jumps from torque reaction when switched on.
3) Festool 1400. I use this one whenever I can because it is by far the quietest router I have ever used. Bought many accessories for it including the adjuster guide for use with the guide rails, hole drilling jig and hole drilling guide rail, and edge guide, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 8 mm collets and several copy rings. But if Festool's 1010 could accept 1/2" shank bits, I would have bought a 1010 instead. I was torn between my large collection (read high cost of investment) of 1/2" shank bits and the smaller, lighter, sports car-like maneuverability and controllability of the 1010. I still want a 1010 that can accept 1/2" shank bits!! Although I use the 1400 for mortising door hinges, including on existing old door frames, I find its weight and relatively high center of gravity and relatively small base make it rather tippy compare to the 1010 I've played with in a store and my old Craftsman router.
4) Freud 1700 ?VPS? 13A. I bought this one a little over a year ago at a sale at Hartville Tool for ~$150 including coupon for a plunge base following direct communication with FestoolUSA's applications specialists who made it clear that Festool did not then offer any routers in USA that were designed for use in a table with or without a lift. Festool also discouraged me from removing the plunge return spring, which I still think is a bit too strong. This Freud router came with 1/4 and 1/2" collets, and dust collection nozzle that is relatively difficult and cumbersome to attach. I have never installed it yet. This Freud router is today one of my workhorses. It is installed into a JoinTech table mounted as the left side extension of my table saw which I equipped with a JoinTech SawTrain/Cabinetmaker system. This JoinTech system is much like those produced by Incra. This router can be adjusted from above or below the table, and when fully raised, the shaft is automatically locked to enable bit changes with a single wrench. I use it a lot for edging, dados and dovetails. It came with a 5 year guarantee. I think it a very good value, a lot of router for its price. It was a pain to mount accurately centered in a JoinTech router insert plate because there were no templates for it, and some of the holes in the fixed base (the one designed for use inverted in a table) are not bored all the way through. If I had to start from scratch to mount it to another insert or table, I would purchase 4 extra screws that fit the threaded mounting holes in its base, cut off the heads of those screws and point one end of each with a file, then thread them into the base, mount a centering bit, and carefully position the whole assembly on the blank to be drilled for mounting.
5) PC 7518. Long the industry standard for serious, all day long commercial work. Cost $300 plus taxes at recent Columbus, Ohio Woodworking Show exhibit. I plan to mount it in the JoinTech table extension on the other side of my table saw. I have a JoinTech lift to for it, and that lift does not fit a Milwaukee "big boy." After I get this set up with an enclosure and table reinforcements, I'll decide whether or not to keep the Freud. I considered 15A Makita, Hitachi, Triton and others before going back to the PC. I might have chosen the big Milwaukee router if it would have fit my lift and most others, but when I was looking around a couple of years ago, it did not, and the dealers I visited did not have a "big boy" in stock for me to play with. If you're planning on getting a lift, make certain that you choose a router that will be compatible with that lift.
If I was starting from scratch today, I would again choose a Festool router 1400 or 1010 due to superior quality, features and especially dust collection, and either a Freud, Triton, PC or Milwaukee for table use (assuming Festool doesn't come out with a product for this installation), and a trim router. I have been considering Bosch's Colt unit, but plan to wait to see the new Festool product which I presume will have dust collection designed in as well as other unmatched features.
If you don't already know, Freud and others now make bit sets specifically designed for making passage doors. These bits are capable of deep/long T&G cuts to provide plenty mechanical strength (M&T joints) and glue surface area. Of course, you don't have to buy one of those sets (at a cost of ~$200 per set); you can make your own jig for the mortises and then make your own loose tenons as taught by David Marks and Norm Abrams on their TV programs.
Dave R.
I have been a hobbyist and DIY remodeler for >30 years, trained by reading and making my own mistakes - lots of them. I have 5 routers. In order from oldest to newest they are:
1) Craftsman 1/4" fixed base 6.5A with nice pistol grips. It's currently mounted in a poor man's table - an old birch veneer pine core plywood cupboard door. I used it with a fence made by jointing a piece of 2 x 4 and cutting out a semicircle with a hole saw to fit my shop vacuum. I used that setup to bevel all edges of >400 sq ft of 7/8"Th x random widths and lengths oak flooring I made from rough lumber. I also used it to make many raised panels using HSS bits ground to profile starting with over the counter profiles. A handy, lightweight, stable little router, but no dust collection. I also have an 8" plastic dovetail jig from Craftsman that is surprisingly versatile and works well after a little fiddling. It still runs OK but doesn't see much use.
2) Stanley 10A Industrial with fixed base and 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" collets. (This product line and factory was later bought out by Bosch, I believe). Very well made with HD armature, switch, bearings and collets, and the edge guide and copy rings are sturdy and precise compared to Craftsman. Punished it severely cutting PVC while commercially making vacuum tanks for milking machines. Still running excellently, but again, no dust collection and it jumps from torque reaction when switched on.
3) Festool 1400. I use this one whenever I can because it is by far the quietest router I have ever used. Bought many accessories for it including the adjuster guide for use with the guide rails, hole drilling jig and hole drilling guide rail, and edge guide, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 8 mm collets and several copy rings. But if Festool's 1010 could accept 1/2" shank bits, I would have bought a 1010 instead. I was torn between my large collection (read high cost of investment) of 1/2" shank bits and the smaller, lighter, sports car-like maneuverability and controllability of the 1010. I still want a 1010 that can accept 1/2" shank bits!! Although I use the 1400 for mortising door hinges, including on existing old door frames, I find its weight and relatively high center of gravity and relatively small base make it rather tippy compare to the 1010 I've played with in a store and my old Craftsman router.
4) Freud 1700 ?VPS? 13A. I bought this one a little over a year ago at a sale at Hartville Tool for ~$150 including coupon for a plunge base following direct communication with FestoolUSA's applications specialists who made it clear that Festool did not then offer any routers in USA that were designed for use in a table with or without a lift. Festool also discouraged me from removing the plunge return spring, which I still think is a bit too strong. This Freud router came with 1/4 and 1/2" collets, and dust collection nozzle that is relatively difficult and cumbersome to attach. I have never installed it yet. This Freud router is today one of my workhorses. It is installed into a JoinTech table mounted as the left side extension of my table saw which I equipped with a JoinTech SawTrain/Cabinetmaker system. This JoinTech system is much like those produced by Incra. This router can be adjusted from above or below the table, and when fully raised, the shaft is automatically locked to enable bit changes with a single wrench. I use it a lot for edging, dados and dovetails. It came with a 5 year guarantee. I think it a very good value, a lot of router for its price. It was a pain to mount accurately centered in a JoinTech router insert plate because there were no templates for it, and some of the holes in the fixed base (the one designed for use inverted in a table) are not bored all the way through. If I had to start from scratch to mount it to another insert or table, I would purchase 4 extra screws that fit the threaded mounting holes in its base, cut off the heads of those screws and point one end of each with a file, then thread them into the base, mount a centering bit, and carefully position the whole assembly on the blank to be drilled for mounting.
5) PC 7518. Long the industry standard for serious, all day long commercial work. Cost $300 plus taxes at recent Columbus, Ohio Woodworking Show exhibit. I plan to mount it in the JoinTech table extension on the other side of my table saw. I have a JoinTech lift to for it, and that lift does not fit a Milwaukee "big boy." After I get this set up with an enclosure and table reinforcements, I'll decide whether or not to keep the Freud. I considered 15A Makita, Hitachi, Triton and others before going back to the PC. I might have chosen the big Milwaukee router if it would have fit my lift and most others, but when I was looking around a couple of years ago, it did not, and the dealers I visited did not have a "big boy" in stock for me to play with. If you're planning on getting a lift, make certain that you choose a router that will be compatible with that lift.
If I was starting from scratch today, I would again choose a Festool router 1400 or 1010 due to superior quality, features and especially dust collection, and either a Freud, Triton, PC or Milwaukee for table use (assuming Festool doesn't come out with a product for this installation), and a trim router. I have been considering Bosch's Colt unit, but plan to wait to see the new Festool product which I presume will have dust collection designed in as well as other unmatched features.
If you don't already know, Freud and others now make bit sets specifically designed for making passage doors. These bits are capable of deep/long T&G cuts to provide plenty mechanical strength (M&T joints) and glue surface area. Of course, you don't have to buy one of those sets (at a cost of ~$200 per set); you can make your own jig for the mortises and then make your own loose tenons as taught by David Marks and Norm Abrams on their TV programs.
Dave R.
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2007
- Messages
- 10,357
"I didn't know that there was such a product. But, as with any Festool product being available in North America, that's a very big IF. I will do some research and keep it in mind if ithe 700 looks good -thanks."
Take a look at this post with pics- http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2082.0
Seth
Take a look at this post with pics- http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2082.0
Seth
Frank Pellow
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 2,743
Thanks Seth. I have not been looking at this forum for about nine months :-[ and a loit has happened while I was away. I am going back over the archived threads but it will be some time bfore I am up to speed again.
brandon.nickel said:
Good point Brandon. I just meant that when you're on top for a long time, competitors get to micro-analyze your product and shoot at coming up with an improvement here and there. Some people say that Milwaukee or Triton have improved upon the 7518, especially for in-table work. That's what I was referring to.
Brice Burrell
Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,385
If I remember correctly someone, I believe it was Jerry Work, had issues with the Triton routers in a table. Over time dust made its way into the router causing problems. Sorry, I don't remember any more of the details than that.
Bill did a review of the Triton TRC001. The original ones had a problem with the power switch. The new ones have a dust boot. Take a look at the very bottom of this page:http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/reviews/tritonrouter.htm. Third and fourth pics from the bottom.
Dan.
Dan.
