Bosch Rotozip Router, Initial Insights...

[Patrick_M]

Hello Gang,

I just wanted to post about my newest purchase of the Rotozip router
(RZ1) by Bosch. (a.k.a spiral saw) for use on my DIY CNC wood router.

I started off using my Dremel tool, as it was on hand and free, so why not?
I only use my wood router for cutting out parts from balsa and 1/8" lite ply.
So, the Dremel worked really well for awhile, but I finally burned up the lower
bearnings yesterday, which left far to much slop and play in the shaft.

So I went out to our local Menards in Marion Ohio to pickup a new Dremel
tool (mine was over 7 years old, so it has served me well) and noticed that
they had the Bosch Rotozip tools in stock.

I had been reading through these forums yesterday looking for another
small router type tool to use on my router, and found a couple of people
talking about the Bosch Rotozip. I actually found it on Amazon where you
can purchase a refurbished version for about $30 or less!

I was placing my order when I noticed that I myself had a couple of more
orders come in yesterday for kits that I produce, so I had to make the trip
today and get a replacement router so I could get to work for these
customers of mine and get their kits out the door.

Otherwise, I would have ordered the much cheaper refurbished version from
Amazon. Anyway, I ended up paying like $62+ including tax from Menards.
This is of course not a refurbished model.

I know there have been questions from new comers about which to use, a
Dremel or something else, so I thought I would post my finding here today
on the Dremel and the Rotozip so people can be better informed.

First off, like I have mentioned above, I only cut balsa and lite ply, and the
occasional 1/4 aircraft ply. I use 1/8" bits with an diamond upcut head of
1/32".

My Dremel worked absolutely awesome for my purposes. It would spin my
bits at 30,000-35,000 RPM, and I could cut all day long at 40 ipm with an
absolutely pristine finish. (balsa, not ply)

I use my Dremel for many things, so I decided to try the Rotozip as a
permanent attachment to my CNC router and keep the new Dremel as a
standard handheld device when it's needed. (which is often, & detaching
from router was a pain anyway)

Because I know it's extremely hard to get a sense of what kind of quality
something is looking at pictures over the Internet, I decided to post my
findings for the rest of use in this post on the Bosch Rotozip.

As soon as I'm finished with this initial post, I will be going out to the shop
to create an attachment device for the Rotozip and give it a few test runs.
I will post my results here after testing and running.

But, for now, here's my initial overview of this product...

First thing I liked when I seen the Rotozip, is it's weight for it's size.
Although it's only 8 3/4" tall x 3" round (@ top), it weighs in at almost
3.5lbs. Now I know, weight doesn't mean a lot, but in most cases, it's
a good sign of quality.

The next thing I really liked about the Rotozip is the fact that I will now
be able to use not only 1/8" bits, but 5/32" as well as 1/4" bits.

There is absolutely no slop or play in the shaft/collet. I'm sure if one was
to test using a micrometer, you'd find some play, but I can find no play
using the finger test, and again, I'm only cutting balsa/lite ply

Specs are: 120V, 5 AMP, @ 30,000 RPM.

It includes an 1/8", 5/32", and 1/4" collets, and two what are known as
"Xbits". One for drywall, and the other is a multipurpose bit.

The power cord appears to be about 6' in length, which will work out great
for attaching to the CNC router.

It's supplied with a depth guide and bracket that uses a finger flip switch
to tighten to the collar of the tool. I will be using this as an attachment
point device for the bottom end of the tool.

I will post more with photos either later on tonight or tomorrow after I have
had the time to get it setup and working properly on my machine if you
guys/gals are interested.

Right now, I give the Rotozip a score of 9 out of 10.

If you've been thinking about grabbing one of these, I would highly
recommend it, especially if you order from Amazon and get one of the
refurbished versions for only $30 or less, I can't see how you would go
wrong.

I will post more as soon as I have the result and some photos.

Peace,
Patrick

[Patrick_M]

Hi All,

Well, there have been no responses to this thread, so I will assume
there is not much interest in learning much more about this unit.

I will say this as a final thought..

I am totally happy with the RotoZip, and it works perfectly well for my
purposes. In fact, it may be a little on the overkill side of things, but there
is plenty of power to handle anything I might ever want to do with it.

Hope this info will be of help to others in the future when making a
purchasing decision for a router.

Thanks,
Patrick

[klmjr]

Hi,
Can you put a 1/8 bit in and check for runout during rotation? The collets in a dremel are bad for runout, would hope the rotozip would be better. Also how easy was it to mount the unit? a picture of how you did that would be nice. I have been using a air powered spindle, but it eats air like nobodys business. Can't see that running a 5 hp air compressor 40% duty cycle is very efficient. So I am very interested. thanks
klmjr

[CarveOne]

Something that is more powerful and cheaper than a Dremel is a $20 Harbor Freight orange plastic trim router. It has a cylindrical body that is about 3.5" long and is easy to mount. I have cut a 12" circle 1/2" deep in one pass with mine. It slows down but managed to chug on through a piece of 11 ply plywood ok using a 1/4" straight flute carbide router bit. It wasn't intentional, but I just let it go since it seemed to be handling it ok and it was a "test until it breaks" effort anyway. I've learned how to set zero better since then.

I have a RotoZip Revolution kit, a Sears All-in-One kit (a Rotozip clone), and a Ryobi 1.5 HP refurb cast aluminum straight wall case router that are all fair game when needed.

I don't recall seeing many RotoZips on cnc machines but the $20 trim router appears fairly often on newbie machines.

CarveOne

[klmjr]

I actually have one of the HF laminate routers, but dont know where to get a 1/8 collet for it. I agree its quite nice for the price. I use a lot of 1/8 pcb drills so need the 1/8 size

[TOTALLYRC]

Hey Patric M
Did you get the all plastic or the one with the aluminum end?

[CarveOne]

Originally Posted by klmjr I actually have one of the HF laminate routers, but dont know where to get a 1/8 collet for it. I agree its quite nice for the price. I use a lot of 1/8 pcb drills so need the 1/8 size

I managed to machine one that has acceptable run-out but it took three tries to get it that close. I found a 1/8" drill bit that was just enough under size to drill a center hole that was a close slip fit to the carbide drills, then turned the outer diameter, then polished it down to a close fit in the chuck. I used a Dremel and a thin cut off wheel to cut a single slot for the length of the adapter. This was all done in my lathe with the drill in a precision tailstock chuck. I'll post a photo of the collet later today.


CarveOne

[johnmac]

The Rotozip should have good power. I have read where the plastic used in the housing is soft, and allows for some flexing. That along with the odd shape make it harder to make a solid mount.

The Harbor Freight trim router is easy to mount. It won't have as much power as a Rotozip. Compare the amp ratings and you will see. If you catch it on sale, the price is hard to beat!

John

[CarveOne]

Here is the simple collet I made from mild steel. It is not hardened but doesn't seem to need it. It fits the bit and inside of the router so closely that there is not much flexing in order to tighten sufficiently to grip the smooth carbide shank. The slot is difficult to see, but it is the dark line at the top of the collet. The photo clarity is not very good.

CarveOne

ps: In case it isn't obvious, this adapter fits into the 1/4" collet that comes with the trim router. It doesn't replace the 1/4" collet.

[Patrick_M]

Here's an idea I had a couple of days ago:



I'm going to make one in a couple of days and see how it works. Should
work great unless I really screw up my machining.

Patrick