Newbie Router

[RogerS]

Alan

I've been thinking a bit more about my own experiences and for my own two'pennorth this is what I've concluded.

I reckon that you will get more knowledge, experience and fun in going the Ryobi combo route. You know that the two will fit together and having a router table is an incredibly versatile piece of kit. And, of course, you can always take the Ryobi off and use it handheld.

Then, at a later date, you can stand back and review the direction you want to go in. Maybe you'd like to build your own table...which you can do at your own pace...since you've still got a router table ! You might conclude that you'd rather go down the 1/2" router route....and maybe that would eb the time then to consider moving up a step in terms of quality.

The Ryobi table is pretty good to be going on with.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Trev

Hi Neil, I am considering getting a Trend T5 to use with a recently acquired Leigh D4 dovetail jig. I think I have read it right, but can you confirm for me please - if I buy the T5EB 1/4" from The Saw Centre then I can buy the 8mm collet as an accessory to use with it? (i.e. that the 8mm collet fits both T5s).

To be 100% certain I would give the Saw Centre a call before you order and also just confirm exactly what is contained in the package.

All the best
Neil

 

[trevtheturner]

Thanks, Neil. I'll give them a call to be on the safe side.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[Gill]

For what it's worth, I'm another happy T5/9 user. Something that weighed heavily in my mind when it came to choosing my routers was the availability of spare parts and servicing if something went wrong. I'd heard very good reports about Trend in this respect.

Yours

Gill

 

[trevtheturner]

A bit more reassurance on the way I'm thinking - thanks Gill.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[RogerS]

Alan

I hope I'm not too late.

Yet another reason for buying the Ryobi combo as a starter kit is that it is a 1/2" router

Yup...I'm guilty of passing on duff gen although I honestly thought it was a 3/8" max router.

I just picked up my table to run a quick rebate and looked at the reducing sleeve in the collet and on the spur of the moment thought I'd take it out just to check.

I'm staggered!

 

[sxlalan]

Hi Roger

No you're not to late and thanks for taking the time to look! I hope to make a purchase on Monday but am still to-ing and fro-ing a bit between the two I'm quite tempted to make my own table as a first project and was swinging towards the Trend. If the Ryobi is a 1/2" I may just have to swing back the other way. Life would be a lot easier if I could make decisions .

Alan

 

[colinc]

Just to throw another option into the pot; I have noticed a company popping up on ebay recently selling the Perles router:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... eName=WDVW

I have had one for some time now and it is a quality piece of kit (Swiss made like Elu) - and a bargain at their price. I bought mine 2nd hand & cheap off Ebay - I think because the brand was not known here and people thought it was one of the cheaper chinese clones.

The fence, and micro adjuster etc are interchangeable with my old Elu MOF 96. Mine came with an 8mm collet but Trend supplied a 1/4" for it (the same part as for my MOF 96). I have read on the net somewhere that Perles originally made the T5 for Trend but couldn't substantiate that - however there is obviously some parts compatibility. The Perles has everthing my old Elu does plus speed control and soft start and I expect that it will last a long,long time.

There is a review here if you want to look at it:

http://www.toolweb.co.uk/reviewperles808router.html

As far as a router table goes - I'd make your own. I'm going to be radical here and say that my (home made) horizontal table is much more valuable than my (bought) conventional one. It will do many of the jobs of the conventional one and is my primary tool for morticing - I use mainly loose tenons.

As far as size goes I don't think that I would choose a 'cheaper' 1/2" router over a quality 1/4" one as a first router. The cheaper 1/2" routers have the collet but not the power and smoothness of the top of the range ones. As you see, I own two 1/4" routers and in many years of router use on the few times I've absolutely needed a 1/2" router I've hired one. I will need to buy one sometime soon to build kitchen doors, but I don't expect that it will displace my others for the many jobs they do so well.

If anyone's interested in a book recommendation buy "Woodworking with the Router" by Bill Hylton and Fred Matlack (ISBN 1 86108 128 6) - it is stacked with useful info and has excellent plans for both conventional and the horizontal table I mentioned.

regards, Colin

 

[sxlalan]

Thanks Colin. Does this unit have/support a fine height adjuster for use with a table? Also do you know the difference between the OF808E on Ebay and the OF2-808E in the review?

Cheers

Alan

 

[colinc]

I use the Trend fine height adjuster - I share it between the two but should probably buy another.

I don't know about the part number - mine just says OF808E with no reference to the OF2. It's 1998 vintage I think so I guess it's the same thing.

I just noticed that GWW has a review of a Perles Saw this month and mentions a router review next month - perhaps they're coming out of the woodwork ('scuse the pun). Someone on here may know more about the brand, wait and see.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Colin

I'm not trying to decry the product but while the company might be Perles of Switzerland, or even Hidria Perles of Slovenia, the routers themselves are made in eastern europe. :lol:

They are a quality product and Trend used to sell them as the T5.

http://www.hidria.com/blagovneZnamke.asp

Cheers
Neil

 

[colinc]

Neil, I believe that you are right. I picked it up to look at the labels and saw no clear indication of place of manufacture. Still works well though, so the idea's valid. It would be foolish to categorise eastern european and chinese engineering as inferior, that's too much of a generalisation - the general principle of you get what you pay for rules, it's just that good value exists too and it's hard to judge the quality of an engineered product just by looking at it.

The guy on ebay seems to have sold a few in the sub £70 range and they do seem good value at that price.

regards

Colin

 

[ColG]

I can thoroughly recommend the Perles, £90 ish and it is the same as the Trend T5 MKII

 

[sxlalan]

Hi

Are these the sort of things I need for a Trend T5/Perles router if I am trying to build my own table? i.e are these the gizmoes I use to attach the router to the table?

http://diytools.com/store/detail.asp?productid=58788
http://www.tool-up.co.uk/shop/diy/TRECRTFPA.html?id=jsVmHgiB

Thanks

Alan

 

[Anonymous]

Where can the Perles router be purchaced from? I quite fancy one of those myself.

 

[colinc]

Bob, I have only seen it offered on Ebay - see my earlier posting. The one I mentioned last week didn't get bid on - starting price was just under £50.

If it's of interest to anyone I noticed that Costco are selling the Ryobi 1150 mentioned earlier (no table) for £39.97 inc. Vat. They've got it listed as a 1/4" router but I took the collet out and it's 1/2" I'm sure. As was said earlier, I think perhaps it comes with a variety of collets - it says nothing about it on the box though.

regards

Colin

 

[RogerS]

The Ryobi is 1/2" and it comes with a 1/4" reducing sleeve.

 

[Anonymous]

Bob, I have only seen it offered on Ebay - see my earlier posting. The one I mentioned last week didn't get bid on - starting price was just under £50.

Thank You, and sorry, I will learn to read one of these days!

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Alan

Sorry, but I somehow missed this post.

Are these the sort of things I need for a Trend T5/Perles router if I am trying to build my own table?

The one you are looking at says it is for the MkII T5. If you get hold of the Trend catalogue, available at all good merchants, it will give you an exact model list that will fit the plate.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Anonymous]

ERT1550v/t does come with a 1/2" collet fitted although the box says 1/4 and 3/8. I would recommend only occational light use with large 1/2 cutters - remembeber it is only 1150 watts - light weight for an 1/2" router,