need help planning

[Evodyne]

I'd like to thank you both for the very welcome advice. Like I alluded to before, the selection around here is poor, and, to be honest, I was in one of those "have to have something now" moods.

After some thought, I think I'll keep the one I have for my "Phase I" temporary/disposable machine. Rationale? Learn how to get everthing working and when the inevitable crashes, thrashes, and flops occur I won't be so upset.

But I am going to do a lot more looking for the "real" machine that comes next. Thanks again for your advice.

Lance

[kywoodwrkr]

I would suggest you research the routers on a woodworking forum as they have an extended base or population over which to obtain the views required on the good, the bad and the ugly.
Keep in mind with a plunge router for instance, it is already designed to be fitted into a holding mechanism.
What does this mean to you?
It means the chuck can be lowered and raised should the requirement be there.
The fixed base are just that-fixed.
If you extend the bit in its chuck to its outer limits, you invite vibration and wobble.
A plunge router is very much like a laminate router, in my estimation, only it has a bigger, more complex base system.
Woodworkers Journal, Wood and other wood working magazines are constantly evaluating various power equipement.
Contact the magazines or research on the internet for the issue which has the various types of routers in them.
I agree with Ger21 on Craftsman. They see a good design and then go to the manufacturer to have one made 'similar' only to their specs, and CHEAPER.
For instance instead of ball bearings they may specify bronze bearings.
From the outside two items may look alike-doesn't mean they are alike.
As Sturm and Ruger said, let the buyer beware!
JMHO
DaveP kywoodwrkr

[ger21]

Originally Posted by kywoodwrkr Keep in mind with a plunge router for instance, it is already designed to be fitted into a holding mechanism. What does this mean to you? It means the chuck can be lowered and raised should the requirement be there.

Depends. With the 3-1/2HP Hitachi mentioned above, the motor can not be removed from the plunge base. This would not be an easy router to mount in a CNC. Most 2 1/2 HP and larger plunge routers are similar.
2 HP and smaller, however are usually the round motor type, which can fit in either a fixed or plunge base, and which are the easiest to mount for CNC use.

The fixed base are just that-fixed. If you extend the bit in its chuck to its outer limits, you invite vibration and wobble. A plunge router is very much like a laminate router, in my estimation, only it has a bigger, more complex base system.

You should always put as much of the shank of the bit in the collet as possible. Fixed base routers are just as adjustable for depth as a plunge router, they are just fixed once the depth is set. For anyone that doesn't know this. NEVER bottom out the bit in a collet. You should always pull it back out about 1/8". If you push it all the way in, the collet may not be able to hold it properly.

A plunge router is nothing like a laminate trimmer. A laminate trimmer is just a small fixed base router. It adjusts up and down the same way a fixed base router does, and is fixed in position once the depth is set.

Woodworkers Journal, Wood and other wood working magazines are constantly evaluating various power equipement. Contact the magazines or research on the internet for the issue which has the various types of routers in them.

Imo, Fine Woodworking's reviews are the best. A lot of the other woodworking magazines tend to factor in price a bit too much in their decisions. I'd rather pay a little more for a better tool. Especially when you're talking about buying a router for a CNC, which will probably see far more use then the manufacturer intended for handheld use.