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Thread: Triton Router
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30th January 2005, 06:50 AM #1well aged but not old
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Triton Router
I have just got hold of a new triton router and for the benefit of anyone else considering purchasing a new router here are my first impressions.
I got the router from Bunning for $346. Their base price was $399 but true to their advertising they beat the best price I could find by 10% and I got a cheap router.
I have had three other routers with which to compare the triton. An Haitachi TR12, a variable speed Makita and a Bosch. And I purchased the triton solely to live under a triton router table so that its operation as a hand held router is irrelevant to me.
My first few hours of use of the thing has left me very impressed. It has plenty of power to run even large router bits. It is quieter than I had expected and is certainly quieter than my Haitachi. All the switches and adjustments work well.
But what I like most is the ease of use when fitted to the router table. It mounts easily under the table, but the actual angle at which it is positioned is important. If rotated into the wrong position the depth adjustment knobs can be hard to get at.
The spring which would normally be useful in hand held mode to control downward movement is a pain when the router is under a table as all height adjustments are resisted by the spring. But the triton allows easy removal of the spring.
There are two plunge modes. One is the normal mode which would be familiar to all router users where the height of the router is controlled by pushing down on the router and locking the height with a locking lever. On the triton there is a second mode where the height is changed by rotating one of the router handles. In a router table this is very useful. I made a panel for a door with two CMT router bits, one for the rails and one to cut the coped profile on the ends of the stile. Setting the exact height was as simple as winding up the router to the approximate height by rotating the router's handle then adjusting the fine position with a second fine control knob.
The best feature is the ease of changing router bits. With the router turned off and the window over the on/off switch closed the entire collet comes up through the top of the table and locks. A new bit can be changed in seconds with one spanner. No fiddling around under the table is required.
The only inconvenience I encountered was with the dust collection shroud. There is a clear molded shroud which is screwed to the base of the router and which is designed to channel dust into a dust extraction port on the side of the router. This is fine with smaller router bits but for bits around two and a half inches or more in diameter the shroud fouls the bits. I had to remove it.
If it continues to work as it has, over the long haul, it will prove to be a very good investment indeed. I am very impressed by it. But in consideration of my old Haitachi which has seen long and hard use reliably over many years the triton will have to be similarly reliable.
The triton seems to have been designed by someone who sat down and asked, "What would I like a router to do if it was going to be placed upside down in a router table?" And they seem to me to have got it right.My age is still less than my number of posts
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30th January 2005 06:50 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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30th January 2005, 12:33 PM #2
Chook
Your review is to the point - excellent. You have covered all the essential questions about a table-based router: accuracy (runout), power, ease of setting and fine adjustment, ease of bit change, and enviromental impact (dust control and noise).
Regards from Perth
Derek
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30th January 2005, 12:41 PM #3
Chook,
my first router purchased is the Triton - about 9 months ago. I have used it in the way you described. Really easy to use when mounted in the table. I thought all other expensive routers could do all this. Am I missing something ??
Regards
Les
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30th January 2005, 02:30 PM #4I thought all other expensive routers could do all this. Am I missing something ??
No, only the Triton is specifically designed to change bits above the table. That is one of the reasons it is special. I have a large high-end router, an Elu 177e, which is fantastic is most areas, but has to be removed from the table to change bits. A Royal Pain in the Whatsit.
The only other router that can perform this task (that I know of) is (or should I say was because it is no longer being made) is the GMC Fixed Base router. I wrote an article last year that covered these issues and offered a solution (using the GMC FB):
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ead.php?t=9559
Regards
Derek
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30th January 2005, 06:28 PM #5Member
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Chook, Just out of interest/jealosy can you tell us where
you got your best price for the Triton Router.
Can anyone else suggest a better price in Sydney
Bob S
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30th January 2005, 07:25 PM #6Registered
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Al's revue
Mmm, router good.
Buy it.
Ugh
Al
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30th January 2005, 08:59 PM #7well aged but not old
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How did I get it at $346?
Originally Posted by BobS
At one time I had considered saving my hard earned cash to buy a spindle moulder but to get a good one is expensive and then the price of the cutters is also more than my budget would normally handle. I got a new version of the triton router table,second hand but barely used very cheap ($200). With the new router and CMT bits I am very satisfied. My first project (as soon as I have finished the tiling) is to make raised panel doors for the new kitchen.My age is still less than my number of posts
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30th January 2005, 09:15 PM #8
Derek,
my comment about me missing something was tongue in cheek. I'm aware of the unique abilities of the Triton router bit changing above the table. I really love using this machine. It is powerful, smoothe and easy to use (change bits/adjust height). I am also aware of the other very good routers on the market, albeit at a much higher price. My second router is a GMC 1550W plunge. Not a bad router but is fiddly changing the bits. It does have a good course/fine adjustment for setting the plunge depth.
Regards
Les
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23rd February 2005, 11:10 PM #9Son Of Odin
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Gotta love that about Bunnings.
The last hour or so I have been looking online for my first router. This is the model that I had selected at the online shops, and you've just confirmed it. Cheers for that. Now that I know where to get it I will on the weekend. This forum is great.
J!J!
My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, and its price is competitive. If you like, I'll trade for one of yours.
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24th February 2005, 12:22 AM #10Originally Posted by derekcohen
The secret is not to have a thick wooden top on your table, use 3mm steel plate instead.....................................................................
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21st June 2006, 10:41 PM #11Novice
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The Triton is a great unit and probably the best router available for under table use. After a HUGE amout of use, you'll find thaty she'll scream like a banshee - so if you find it quiet now, enjoy it while it lasts.
The only real fault I've found is with the chuck. While the single spanner / through table setup is great, the intricacies of the chuck design render it inferior to that of the Makita 3612 and others. My makita seems to grip the bit better and with less effort on the spanner(s) than with the triton.
My Triton is is about 4 1/2 years old, so the boys and girls at Triton may have upgraded the specs since then. As mine is on the way out, I'll be looking out to see what else is out there, but expect to replace it with another Triton.
Cheers
Pete
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22nd June 2006, 01:37 PM #12Originally Posted by Woodlicewine and wood
ahhhh yes life is good
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22nd June 2006, 02:20 PM #13
You should have 2 - you deserve it. One for permanent mounting in the table, one for handheld work (the biggie for the table, the baby for handheld).
"Clear, Ease Springs"
www.Stu's Shed.com
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22nd June 2006, 07:13 PM #14Originally Posted by Harry72
Thanks Harry!Is it wrong to be in love with a sawbench?
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22nd June 2006, 10:48 PM #15Intermediate Member
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A quick comment to Derek, I was walking through local Mitre10 today fantasising about the tools when I saw the GMC fixed base router on display! According to their woodworking tools guy uit was new stock (a couple there) and a current model, Maybe they have been relaunched or were they ever discontinued? Perhaps Eagle could enlighten us all! Cheers all, Les.