Shopsmith Forums

I'm curious as to whether a Mark V with Power Pro and double tilt upgrades would take the place of a router table and router if the work was fed more slowly to compensate for the speed difference between the two - most routers run up to 25K RPM. (If so, I'd keep my router, but sell the table.) Or is the higher speed necessary for some reason?

k8tp wrote:I'm curious as to whether a Mark V with Power Pro and double tilt upgrades would take the place of a router table and router if the work was fed more slowly to compensate for the speed difference between the two - most routers run up to 25K RPM. (If so, I'd keep my router, but sell the table.) Or is the higher speed necessary for some reason?

How many RPM's do these run?
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robinson46176 wrote:How many RPM's do these run?
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Do I get a prize?

Router table vs Power Pro: I wouldn't say that one "replaces" the other, although there obviously is overlap in usage.

Routers run at 20,000 rpm or more because that is the nature of universal type electric motors. While their HP rating is suspect, they definitely are high speed low torque motors. The variable speed type routers will certainly not produce their advertised HP when the speed is reduced. They are not capable of day in - day out continuous type operation. In other words, if you have to mill 1000 feet of baseboard trim you might burn up the motor.

The top speed of the Power Pro is 10,000 rpm, which may not give as smooth a finish when using small diameter bits. However, if you have an application that requires a large diameter bit, such as a panel cutter, the Power Pro has the necessary torque to outperform any router motor. With the Shopsmith of course you also have the option to have the headstock above or below the table, reducing the need to feed stock "trapped" under the bit.