Bosch or Katsu Router?

[VickyBH]

Hi all,
I'd like to get a router to help with my renovation. I've modified an IKEA cupboard yesterday to hide a pipeworks yesterday and it's not giving me enough of clean and accurate cut I want. The imminent tasks I can think of for now are:

- cut laminated/melamine cornice pelmet plinth.
- cut laminated/melamine side panel, and resize kitchen doors.
- door hinges for 10 doors
- modifying several kitchen and bedroom cupboard to suit awkward corner space
- window sills

I don't have a router table, I'll be working on a workbench set up on saw horse. I've done some research and it seems that Katsu router is a popular choice, however, Bosch POE 1200 also has great reviews and I am want to make sure I'm buying the right/suitable spec for my needs. I really like the Katsu being smaller and less scary for first timer, but I do worry if it's too small for general renovation tasks that I've not thought of yet?

 

[sircerebus666]

Are you intending to use a router to cut units and doors to size?

You will find that routers with a 1/2 inch collet give a more accurate cut then with a 1/4 inch collet

 

[blup]

Makita's trim router comes with a three year warranty.

Blup

 

[pete50]

Katsu is nice and cheap unlike the stupidly priced Makitas, Dewalts etc. But it is a bit underpowered, I do have one. For what you want to do the Bosch is better. Trimmers trim smallish stuff the Bosch is a "full sized" router and should do the larger jobs without struggling.

 

[Diver Fred]

Hi all,
I'd like to get a router to help with my renovation. I've modified an IKEA cupboard yesterday to hide a pipeworks yesterday and it's not giving me enough of clean and accurate cut I want.

With What?

Well done for doing research on Routers. I do approve of your idea of buy a Katsu 'trim router'. Other web sources idicate that the machine is clone of the Makita trim router and can use the same accessories. Routers can be pretty scary machines to use until you are used to the way they behave etc. With a small, lightweight machine you wil get a good feel for how such behave and your capabilities using it.
You can just about as much work with a small machine as you can a big one, just takes longer as the cut has to take more passes. Don't overload the maching when using.

Looking at some of the tasks you are thinking about doing I do wonder if a 'Tarck Saw' may be a more useful tool for you to obtain; if you do then also buy a pair of track clamps to go with it if such doesn't come as part of the kit.

 

[VickyBH]

Are you intending to use a router to cut units and doors to size?
You will find that routers with a 1/2 inch collet give a more accurate cut then with a 1/4 inch collet

For kitchen units, only the curved cuts will be handled by router. I have 1 gloss door I need to trim down 3cm so I am hoping router can do cleaner cut than circular/jig saw.

Makita's trim router comes with a three year warranty.

I can't justify buying a Makita as I only have a flat to renovate not even a house, I'll probably use the router few times a year if this renovation hasn't kill my DIY passion when it's done.

 

[sircerebus666]

For me I prefer to do a curved cut with a jigsaw , no faffing around setting it up and making jigs or fences and as long as you follow your line and take your time you will get a lovely cut

Like what was said above a track saw is a great bit of kit for doing straight cuts something a jigsaw was not designed for

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I'd say that for the first two tasks you really need a circular saw with a fine tooth blade and some form of guide fence (e.g straight edge and two clamps or better still a home-made straight guide assuming the budget isn't there for a plunging rail saw such as the Parkside or Erbauer). Routers aren't that suitable for cutting stuff, even the big 2000 watt 1/2in collet models that we use in trade aren't suitable for the task, so you may want to rethink your approach. Where a router excels is undertaking tasks such as edge profiling an already cut and planed edge, cutting recesses to consistent depth (such as your hinge recesses although you will also need a sharp chisel to finish off the recesses and square the corners), etc

For your door hinges, assuming that you are using standard butt hinges, then a small trim router will be ideal and far less cumbersome to use than even a small to medium size plunge router such as the POF1200. This is especially the case if you need to recess the door casings for hinges in situ (new casing or need to change recesses in existing casing for new hinges), where the extra bulk and weight of the POF would be a major drawback

Scribing carcasses in to corners, etc as well as cutting the "ears" on window boards are really more tasks for a jigsaw, not a router. Yes, you can do the former by making up a template (BTW a jigsaw task) and doing multiple passes with a small router, whilst the latter can be done with a handsaw, but both are easier and faster to do with a jig saw. BTW for extra clean cuts in melamine with a jigsaw get yourself a Starrett BU3DC jigsaw blade which runs rings around any other blade on the market for clean, double-sided melamine cuts providing the radii aren't too tight - for tight radii Starrett do another blade, the BU2DCS. Window boards can be bull nosed using a router, but they can equally be edge profiled with a block plane or a spokeshave (and hand sanded afterwards to smooth the profile). Personally I'd just go to a proper timber merchant (not a DIY shed) and buy ready profiled window board in the appropriate width

As to the Katsu, I've had one for about 4 or 5 years now - brilliant bit of kit and 100% compatible with the Makita RT0700 (I also have one of those because for one job we needed two trimmers on the go at the same time - and somewhere back in the mists of time I posted photos of them side by side either here on this forum or over at UHM); all the bases swap between the two and even the collets and brushes are the same.There are a few minor differences such as the Makita sub bases being made from thicker plastic but that's about it . Admittedly you don't get a 3 year warranty with the Katsu and the general fit and finish isn't as nice as a Makita, but on the flip side it's rather less than half the price

Sorry for the long post, but your needs are pretty diverse