Which Router?

[Michael Conifer]

Hi, I'm looking to buy a router or trimming router. I already have a Makita charger and batteries, so I would like to buy one of their routers, as my preference is for cordless tools. However, having done a shed load of research, I'm still uncertain. I want to round corners off using a corner radius jig, but the wood I'm working with is 45mm thick. Makita's trimming routers only have 1/4" collets, and the only carbide flush trim router bits which I've managed to find, and which can be used with this thickness of wood, have 1/2" shanks. Any advice?

 

[Doug B]

My cordless Makita router takes 8mm bits, that said if you are wanting to round over the whole 45mm thickness I’d want a router table, that would be a hell of a big bit to use freehand.

 

[Jameshow]

Get a big old DeWalt router as well as a 1/4" trimmer. Completely different tools ime.

 

[recipio]

I'd suggest a spiral bit with a bearing to stop the end grain grabbing the bit. Even the 8 mm shanks only have a 30 mm cutting edge so you would have reverse the jig and make two passes. Or go down the 1/2 inch shank route

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There are endless threads on this if you search for them.

 

[Sideways]

To get a cordless equivalent to a typical 2000W 1/2" router would need at least 8Ah potentially 12Ah batteries or the high drain 5.5Ah versions. Those are a good £100 to £150 apiece.
You could potentially buy a good mains router 2nd hand for the price of one battery.

Bear in mind, sticking a big battery on the top of a router is lousy ergonomics. It makes it tall and top heavy. Not what you want. I understand the convenience of cordless and freedom of movement for light trimming jobs but I think the best routers are still tied to the cord.

It's identical with angle grinders, the battery version with an 8Ah on the back is a chunk but handy for quick 5 minute jobs, for serious work you need corded or the £££ to buy 3 or 4 heavyweight batteries to keep the work going.

Just my two pennorth ....

 

[Spectric]

Bear in mind, sticking a big battery on the top of a router is lousy ergonomics. It makes it tall and top heavy. Not what you want. I understand the convenience of cordless and freedom of movement for light trimming jobs but I think the best routers are still tied to the cord.

Then stick an extraction hose onto it and you have lost any advantage of it being cordless. The issue with it being top heavy will make it less of a pleasure to use, you want all the mass low down. Another thing with cordless is that it ties you into a brand unless you want multiple batteries and chargers, I have recently wanted a small cordless drill with interchangable heads, preferably Makita to use the same battery packs but they don't do one so had to get a Milwaukee. Also don't forget sods law, almost finished a job the other day but battery went flat, swapped it out and that battery went flat and the later Makita batteries do not fit the earlier drills so had two fully charged batteries that could not be used.

 

[Michael Conifer]

My cordless Makita router takes 8mm bits, that said if you are wanting to round over the whole 45mm thickness I’d want a router table, that would be a hell of a big bit to use freehand.

I think you've put me on the right track here. I didn't know what a router table was to be perfectly honest, but I've done some research, and I think your suggestion is probably the answer I've been looking for. The shelves I'll be making are relatively small (less than 1m in length), so they'll be suited to being worked on a table, but, also, it negates my decision to go cordless or not. A corded router will enable me to use the bigger bits I'll need to work the thicker pieces of wood I mentioned in my question, and, because the router will be fixed to the table, the power cord won't be an issue (I know battery powered tools might be considered something of a luxury, but it's nice not having to be mindful of the cord whilst you're working). Thanks, Doug B:

 

[starfish]

I think you've put me on the right track here. I didn't know what a router table was to be perfectly honest, but I've done some research, and I think your suggestion is probably the answer I've been looking for. The shelves I'll be making are relatively small (less than 1m in length), so they'll be suited to being worked on a table, but, also, it negates my decision to go cordless or not. A corded router will enable me to use the bigger bits I'll need to work the thicker pieces of wood I mentioned in my question, and, because the router will be fixed to the table, the power cord won't be an issue (I know battery powered tools might be considered something of a luxury, but it's nice not having to be mindful of the cord whilst you're working). Thanks, Doug B:

I have a dewalt 625,a trend 1/2 , corded bosch 1/4 and the makita battery trim router. The trim router gets the most use easier to track mount and do a quick job. I leave the 1/2" for bigger jobs or woodrat

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have two 1/2" and a 1/4", all Bosch, I very rarely use the 1/4". It's very easy to go around in circles on this one, everyone's usage and needs will be a little different.

 

[Michael Conifer]

Get a big old DeWalt router as well as a 1/4" trimmer. Completely different tools ime.

I'll probably end up getting a trimmer, if this project turns out, but it looks as though my first router will be something big, like the one you suggest, because I'm getting a router table, so I can use larger bits.

 

[Michael Conifer]

I have a dewalt 625,a trend 1/2 , corded bosch 1/4 and the makita battery trim router. The trim router gets the most use easier to track mount and do a quick job. I leave the 1/2" for bigger jobs or woodrat

I had no idea what you meant by Woodrat, but I've just looked them up and they look incredible. If this router journey of mine works out, I just might look into them some more.

 

[Michael Conifer]

I'd suggest a spiral bit with a bearing to stop the end grain grabbing the bit. Even the 8 mm shanks only have a 30 mm cutting edge so you would have reverse the jig and make two passes. Or go down the 1/2 inch shank route

Mine, really, is a two part question. I've been asking about routers, and once I've decided which one to buy, I'll have to turn my attention to the router bits themselves. I'll probably come back to pick everyone's brains about this in the not too distant future. In the meantime, shanks for the advice!

 

[Michael Conifer]

To get a cordless equivalent to a typical 2000W 1/2" router would need at least 8Ah potentially 2Ah batteries or the high drain 5.5Ah versions. Those are a good £100 to £150 apiece.
You could potentially buy a good mains router 2nd hand for the price of one battery.

Bear in mind, sticking a big battery on the top of a router is lousy ergonomics. It makes it tall and top heavy. Not what you want. I understand the convenience of cordless and freedom of movement for light trimming jobs but I think the best routers are still tied to the cord.

It's identical with angle grinders, the battery version with an 8Ah on the back is a chunk but handy for quick 5 minute jobs, for serious work you need corded or the £££ to buy 3 or 4 heavyweight batteries to keep the work going.

Just my two pennorth ....

It looks as though I'm going corded now, after all. I've followed another member's advice, and I've started looking at router tables, so I'll probably buy a bigger corded router to go with it. Thanks for your advice. I think it's going to make my corded-or-uncorded decision easier.

 

[Michael Conifer]

I have two 1/2" and a 1/4", all Bosch, I very rarely use the 1/4". It's very easy to go around in circles on this one, everyone's usage and needs will be a little different.

I know, it can be bewildering, but what I've found is that if I consider all of the answers to my question collectively, they all add up in such a way as to make the picture much clearer. I think it was a really good move joining this forum!

 

[Iestynd]

@Michael Conifer where are you based? If you are local to Oxford I'd be happy to spend an hour or 2 going through my router collection and pro's con's in person.
It was because of this forum i met a guy in Didcot who introduced me to a Domino Joiner!! Since there is has been a downhill decline

 

[Michael Conifer]

What a great gesture. However, I live miles away. I'm from Liverpool! I can relate to your reply, though. With my limited woodworking skills and experience, I find myself in a curious position. On the one hand, I can't really justify acquiring some of the tools I've been thinking about, but, on the other, the more I learn about them, the more I've come to realise that they may well enable me to make things which, with traditional hand tools, I wouldn't have had a hope of making. The Domino Joiner you mentioned is a good example, and the Woodrat mentioned in a previous answer is another. These would allow me to think about making and selling a wider array of gifts in my Etsy store (which is why I joined this forum). Having said that, though, I really need to be careful. I think I'm becoming something of a tool junky, and this forum seems to be feeding my habit!