Shopsmith Forums

How much money do you have, and then I'll tell you which router.
Personally, and I've 6 different brands, I really like the basic Porter Cable 690. It really is basic, so those fine adjustments have to be made by you, the primary and best tool around. Watch those fingers and wear ears & eyes.

LenInSebastopol wrote:How much money do you have, and then I'll tell you which router.

Woodworking is a hobby, not a profession, that I spend around 20% of my free time on. While I could probably afford a $450 router, I simply cannot justify spending that amount of money for something I use only occasionally. Having said that, when I do use the router I want it to work well and be somewhat easy to use. I don't mind spending a little extra time setting it up (bit changing, etc.) but I do want to be able to make clean and precise cuts.

I looked at the Craftsman router yesterday and it seemed to have all of the features I need for $169. I forgot to take note as to whether or not the collet could be raised above the table for bit changing. The collet lock is a spring loaded piston that must be held in while loosening the collet so it seems to be a two handed operation that I would not want to do under the table.

When comparing this router to some of the others Sears had, there was one thing I noted that I liked about this router: On the other routers, when using the fine adjustment, there was a lot of slop when changing depth directions. If the depth was last increased and must now be decreased, the fine adustment knob would have to be turned about a half turn before there was any movement of the bit. This router had very little (if any) slop of that kind.

As for the plunge base, I just don' know. I'll be following Ed In Tampa's new thread closely. I've been doing woodworking as a hobby for many years and I have yet to use a plunge router. Clearly, I'm missing something good. I just don't know what yet.

Thanks to all for the feedback. I will continue my reasearch and be looking into the other recommended routers.

Looks like decent router. I have a Milwaukee 5615 combo that I like. I know that Milwaukee rate pretty well, although that don't influence my decision since I didn't know it at the time I bought it.

The pluses is you can get an above the table wrench which is basically a t-handle socket wrench. The negatives are no variable speed control.

My personal preference is that size of a router you are looking at if it I going to be handheld. I tested out the 3.25 HP Porter Cable at Rockler and that sucker is meant to be table mounted. It weighs 14.5 lbs so its like a bowling ball with handles.

I have three Porter Cable 890 series routers. One each mounted under table and Over Arm Pin Router set up. The third one I use when doing box corner work on a Porter Cable jig. I have great luck with them and have had at least one for nearly ten years. I use a Bosch Pony model for smaller free hand work. I have read negative comments about that router. All seem to have been related to not learning the proper set up methods. My experience with Craftsmen routers goes back some fifty years. My dad and I bought one that worked like a charm until it disappeared. I replaced it twice. The second one lasted me about eight years and needed brushes replaced. Admittedly it had been used hard. Sears wanted a kings ransom for the brushes and another craftsman router sounded like a better investment. That one fell apart in a little over a year. I had begun to discover that craftsman tools just didn't seem to be holding up well for me and I sold all of them. I readily admit to being a lover of quality tools. I know a lot of people who are convinced they cannot afford them. Many of those people keep buying poorer quality over and over again until they have invested far more than I in tools. Please buy what fits your useage and budget but watch where those dollars go over a bit of time. Quality just may begin to be a better buy. Jim

The newer Craftsman routers are much improved over those of old which had the bits held in a so-called "collet" that was machined into the end of the motor spindle. They didn't hold a bit very well and once you spun a bit in the "collet" it was toast, requiring a new motor to fix the problem. Typically a new router was cheaper than replacing the motor.

The new Craftsman routers have a proper collet, soft start, variable speed, and led light. I have one mounted in a Shopsmith overarm router. You can get the 2hp fixed and plunge base combo today for $76.49 at -- http://www.sears.com/craftsman-12-amp-2 ... ockType=G3 -- That really is an outstanding bargain; yesterday this was $90.

All-in-all though, I really prefer the Porter Cable routers because they use two wrenches to tighten/loosen the collet, which gives me better control.