Fixed vs Plunge Routers which is best?

[big-all]

you seem to be all over the place
my suggestion as i said above is both a 1/4" and a half inch router
start small router with a 12 or 15 cheap router cutter set[about 1-1.50p a cutter]15-£30
then as you progress by more expensive cutters as you wont use that many off a 15 set [perhaps 4 regularly and 4 occasionally]
when you get used to the router think off larger projects and buying a half inch router

what had you planed to do with the oak and how old is it ??

 

[morpheus83uk]

Yeah i am just trying to get a good idea before buying.

So if I go for a 1/2 inch plunge now and go from there with a set of router bits? would that be best for what I am looking at doing and fix it in place when needed?

If so would the dewalt recommended above be good?

With regards to the oak I am thinking just off the shelf at wickes or somewhere similar and to make the tea light holders.

Thanks

James

 

[big-all]

i would start with a say 600-900w 1/4" router
then later think about a 1/2" under a table or combiner router and table where the table has a fixed motor
i have this one for lighter operations where it requires a table but not the biggest cutters
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodwo...-table-with-height-adjustment-rutlands+dk2080

and cutting hexes it far easier on a table saw with matching faces cut on most cuts

 

[big-all]

i use oak engineered floor planks cut down the center then glued tongue to groove as a square with a hole drilled central right through to hold the candle
i then take a second square at 90% upside down glued with the ribbs touching in the center
you then finnish up with a 125x125mm ish square about 38mm thick[actual width is whatever the plank width is]
you then round over all exposed edges
you can also make an octogon shape by cutting off the corners

 

[Deleted member 174758]

B-A you've obviously never used one of those deWalts. Same size as a 700 to 1000 watt 1/4in router but with almost the power of a big DW625-sized tool. Easy to handle because they are small and light - also have superb dust extraction. With mine I do everything from laminate trimming and small diameter rounding over to hinge recessing to kitchen worktop jointing. Gets used in a home-made router table, too (suspended on the fence rods using a pair of cleats). One tool only required.......

 

[big-all]

B-A you've obviously never used one of those deWalts. Same size as a 700 to 1000 watt 1/4in router but with almost the power of a big DW625-sized tool. Easy to handle because they are small and light - also have superb dust extraction. With mine I do everything from laminate trimming and small diameter rounding over to hinge recessing to kitchen worktop jointing. Gets used in a home-made router table, too (suspended on the fence rods using a pair of cleats). One tool only required.......

good news if they have come down in size and weight
suppose its inevitable i just havent bought or seen anyone else using a 1/2"router for over 10 years even then it was a bxq special so would be old technology

 

[Deleted member 174758]

good news if they have come down in size and weight
suppose its inevitable i just havent bought or seen anyone else using a 1/2"router for over 10 years even then it was a bxq special so would be old technology

Really? Every (trade) workshop you ever go into seems to have multiple 1/2in routers these days. They are more fot joinery and template routing, but nonetheless very handy. As to "if they have come down in size and weight", the DW621 was originally sold by Elu as the OF1e (or OF97e in some markets) as long ago as 1986, so it's hardly new technology. The DW622 is a slightly revised, improved and more powerful version and even that has been with us for 4 years. Keep up!

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I do like both and I am leaning towards the DW622 am I correct in my understanding that it can be mounted under a table since it has a lock on function on the on/off? I do have a couple of questions which I can't seem to find out online.

Does it have a light to see cutting easier? and does it come with the straight edge guide to ensure routing in straight line or would this have to be purchased separately?

Thank you

James

 

[big-all]

i seldom use a fence 95% are cutters with bearings
and a baton clamped on can often be easier for trenching
the only use a light on the work would be if you had a point to stop your trench/rebate and possibly check how well lined up your cutter is to where it should be but this action is without the machine turned on so would assume no light
if you have all the dust extraction in place not sure how well a light would work
i have one on the duel base dewalt but never notice it helping as good background illumination is normal when using a router
thinking back the last several times i have used a fence was to trench into the top and styles off a door to take the t&g cladding where only a fence would work as your working on a 44mm edge

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I am leaning towards the DW622 am I correct in my understanding that it can be mounted under a table since it has a lock on function on the on/off?

There is power lock on functionality in the switch, yes

Does it have a light to see cutting easier?

No, but then neither does any other 1/2in router and almost all 1/4in routers (as opposed to laminate trimmers) lack this functionality, too. The reasons are really very simple; if you are using a router you should be working in a reasonably well lit environment (as opposed to stygian gloom) if only for the sake of personal safety; lights on power tools have the unfortunate tendency to strobe in time with the cutter rotation which can make the cutter appear to be standing still - this is hardly safe for the unwary; on the few corded tools with LED lights (such as recip. saws) thosee lights have a tendency to fail prematurely because of the vibration of the tool - and routers can and do vibrate quite a bit. Lights can be useful on laminate trimmers which have tiny openings in their bases (as opposed to the larger openings in proper routers) and where if you are using them for their original intended purpose (e.g. trimming Formica-type laminate overhangs) where you may need to manually control the cut as opposed to using a fence or guide bearing cutter to do the job for you. In any case for the sake of your eyes you really don't ever want to have your face too near to a cutter where all sorts of rubbish can be thrown back at you and potentially get into your eyes. If there were any point in having them then professional routers would all sport them. They don't, because, put simply, they are an unnecessary gimmick for anything other than extremely fine work.

and does it come with the straight edge guide to ensure routing in straight line or would this have to be purchased separately?

AFAIK routers (as opposed to laminate trimmers or "trim routers") in the UK are always (edit: almost always) sold with side fences and rods. The DW622 comes with a pair of rods and a side fence with a fine adjuster in this country

If it helps I'll take and post a few pics of mine tomorrow side by side with a laminate trimmer and a full size 1/2in router so that you can understand the scale of the tool somewhat better

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thank you again for your replies. I have seen the led lights on some routers and they looked like they maybe useful is all which is why I asked. the garage where I will be using the router is well lit but it was worth the ask.

Brilliant and good to know that routers are supplied in the UK with the side fences and rods as I think it would be beneficial.

Yes I think pictures would be good if you don't mind as images on the net sometimes give the wrong impression.

Thank you both again

James

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Brilliant and good to know that routers are supplied in the UK with the side fences and rods as I think it would be beneficial.

I was going to mention, but forgot, that there is one glaring exception - the Festool OF2200EB which has the fence bundled in with an accessory kit. I should have remembered that because I have one now as my "heavy" router for stuff like Corian, but that router is massive and hardly a DIY tool

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Follow up photos of deWalt DW622 and Makita RT0700CX in plunge base

and the Makita RT0700CX in laminate trimmer base with Chinese clone motor in plunge base

The DW622 has circa 52mm of plunge depth, the RT0700C and clone have about 30mm depth of plunge.On-off lock on DW622, off:

and locked on

In comparison to my old 600 watt Elu router of the early 1980s (MOF96) that Makita is tiny - the DW622 is maybe 10% bigger IMHO

Sorry for the delay in posting these - getting kit back from loan can be a problem

 

[chappers]

totally agree I have a 622, it's brilliant, my other 3 routers are pretty much obsolete now. it's small and light enough to run up a door lining, for cutting hinges and definitely powerful enough to cut oak using a rail and stile cutter in a table. Not sure I would field a panel with it though
The others do occasionally come out, but if I could have just one it would be the DW622

 

[morpheus83uk]

Sorry its taken a while to get back to you its been a tad hectic!

Thanks for the pictures they are great and I think I am defiantly sold on the DW622 now all I have to do is find the cheapest place to get one and then buy it. That maybe in the new year as to get Christmas out of the way first!

Thank you all for your suggestions I have learned a lot from you all and made my decision easier.

James