Semi-industrial Router/router motor for permanent table use

[Loz_S]

I'm new here so go easy on me and apologies for the length of the post!

I'm in the market for a new router/router motor to be permanently mounted in a dedicated table and could use some expert advice or even wildly speculative opinion

I have a thing about Festool and I'd like to break my habit. I have an OF1000 which I have used for years for hand-held, light work. A while back I treated myself to an OF1400 for semi-permanent use in the Festool Basis Plus table with the 6a module. Now this is pretty good but it is beginning to show its limitations and just isn't big enough, or accurate enough, (the table module that is) for a large project that I have coming up.

I need a powerful router with an opening big enough for the biggest cutters (like 86mm) and that also comes with 8mm and 12mm collets as well as imperial sizes (I live in Holland and buy cutters from all over the place). I appreciate a spindle moulder would be better but I don't have the space and I would like to use my considerable collection of router cutters without having to start again from scratch.

I have seen a few positive reviews around this forum of the Triton TRB001 but no indication of how big the base plate opening is. The Trend T11 also looks quite good but I don't see how it can be safe to use larger cutters through the base (as indicated in the catalogue) when the opening is only 70mm.

My personal favourite is for something like this table motor from Jessem. Dedicated and totally permanent, I wouldn't need to dismount it for hand held work so this would be ideal. However, this being an American company I don't imagine this will work in Europe (120Volts > 220V), nor will they have mm collets. The
DeWalt 627 also looks interesting but it seems to only have a threaded collet and no variable speed control.

I'm basically looking for a mini spindle moulder that uses router bits. I've done quite a bit of web searching but still can't find what I'm looking for.

Cheers,
Loz

[edit] Hmm, I guess linking to other websites isn't allowed on this forum then? My link to Jessem and DeWalt didn't work.

 

[Alf]

Welcome to the forum, Loz. The links just get knobbled by the software while you're new - some evilly-inclined types join up merely to spam, so we just have to suffer with the cure. :roll:

For the benefit of the lazy :
Jessem
DeWalt 627

Cheers, Alf

 

[Loz_S]

Thanks for the welcome Alf. I thought the forum was "protecting itself", but wasn't sure. As long as it doesn't automatically self destruct, we'll be alright...

 

[Scrit]

Hi Loz and welcome to the forum.

As you have probably surmised you are looking for a mythical beast. Go only a little larger than your Basis and you are actually at the size of a small spindle moulder, like this, so I don't see why you wouldn't consider such a machine.

The diffuculty is that industrial/trade users tend to move up from a plunge router to either an overhead pin router or to a spindle moulder - the spindle moulder handles larger profiles, rebates, etc whilst the pin router handles template copying, smaller diameter cutters, etc so you'll really struggle to find a "trade-rated" variable-speed router table. In fact there only two spindle moulders I've ever come across which can handle router cutters are the Felder (which in its vari-speed versions can run up to 15,000 rpm) and the Moretens MF30 which has the added bonuses of a sliding table, tilting spindle and the facility to operate as an overhead router built-in. The latter machine would do all that you require, albeit in a slightly large footprint and at what you'll probably regard as an unjustifiably high price. It's probably the nearest you'll get to your ideal machine

The issue of using a 120volt 60Hz machine in Europe is a thorny one, but might I suggest you look at the Porter-Cable 7518? This is a fixed-base 1/2in router and P-C certainly do an 8mm collet for it (although I don't know about the 12mm). It can be used in lifts such as the Jessem and the variable speed will continue to work on a 110volt British site transformer. Nice thing about these machines is that P-C actually do a replacement bearing kit for around $75, possibly because so many are used in lightweight CNC routers

Hope that's been a wild enough trip

Scrit

 

[Argee]

I have seen a few positive reviews around this forum of the Triton TRB001 but no indication of how big the base plate opening is.

The baseplate opening on the Triton TRB001 is 80mm. Supplied in the UK with the standard 1/2" collet and 1/4" reducer.

Due to the "Hitachi-style" collet on the UK machines, other sizes of dedicated collet are not available. It's possible that the machine as supplied in Benelux countries may have the newer "self-releasing" style collet, but would still only be supplied with the two standard sizes. I have never been able to obtain dedicated 8mm and/or 12mm collets for the Tritons anywhere - and believe me, I've tried. HTH.

Ray.

 

[Loz_S]

...snip...

Hope that's been a wild enough trip

Scrit

Yup, that was a pretty wild (and potentially expensive) trip, thank you for landing safely

The footprint of the Festo Basis table (especially with side tables) is pretty big compared to a small moulder but, essentially, it is also mobile. It isn't that heavy and can be taken apart and folded down to a compact pile of bits that can be stored out of the way. Until I get myself a dedicated workshop I'm lumbered with a small garage working area that has to share space with a table saw, workbench and (whisper it) underused Woodrat. There isn't enough room for all 4 to be out at once. Space is a premium commodity in Holland! Even so, very useful links to Felder and Moretens as I hadn't really considered that as an option and so didn't even know about the router attachment for moulding machines. Certainly too expensive for now though. I had looked at the light weight Kity 1429 after reading about it in F&C, but it didn't look much better than what I already have.

I did look at Porter Cable as an option but couldn't find any metric collets. I'm not a fan of reducing sleeves. I'll have another look.

Cheers,
Loz

 

[Loz_S]

I have seen a few positive reviews around this forum of the Triton TRB001 but no indication of how big the base plate opening is.

The baseplate opening on the Triton TRB001 is 80mm. Supplied in the UK with the standard 1/2" collet and 1/4" reducer.

Due to the "Hitachi-style" collet on the UK machines, other sizes of dedicated collet are not available. It's possible that the machine as supplied in Benelux countries may have the newer "self-releasing" style collet, but would still only be supplied with the two standard sizes. I have never been able to obtain dedicated 8mm and/or 12mm collets for the Tritons anywhere - and believe me, I've tried. HTH.

Ray.

Thanks Ray, I couldn't find that dimension anywhere. I had another search and found one source of Triton routers nearer to home in Belgium: Capelleman. They apparently sell the Triton with a 12 mm collet + 6 and 8mm reducing sleeves. They appear to be the only source in the Benelux but looking at the state of their website I would guess that the collets maybe sourced by themselves and not "officially" from Triton. As I said above, I'm not too keen on reducing sleeves, so I don't know what I'm going to do now...

Cheers,
Loz

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Loz

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[houtslager]

welkom naar het gekkehuis Loz veel geluk met jou zoek opdracht.

Something to help is this
http://www.hanskochgmbh.de/shop/images/big/hm18-e.jpg

I have the HM16 permenatley fixed in a router raiser insert table.

Here is the web site that sells these machines, there is an agent in Utrecht but sorry cannot find the address

http://www.hanskochgmbh.de/shop/

HS still nursing a wrecked back in front of the pc

 

[Adam]

HS still nursing a wrecked back in front of the pc

Get well soon.

Adam