Fixed base routers.

[Robert WA]

All the threads relating to the GMC $39 router have set me to thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of a fixed base model.

The GMC deal did not extend to WA and, in any event, given some of the problems reported on other threads, I don't want one.

2 questions.

#1 - Does a fixed base router work better in a table than a plunge router, and why?

#2 - What fixed base routers are available in Oz?

I have a Triton router and love it as a hand held. I don't want to be shifting it in and out of a table.

Rob.

[bsrlee]

Hi Robert

1) 'fixed' base routers adjust with a screw mechanism, and are generally considered easier to adjust for a precise distance - USA made ones typically have 1/64" (<0.5mm) graduations. They also hold the adjustment, even if the lock mechanism is knocked loose. And they are usually cheaper than the plunge routers in the same class. People here is Oz want them as single purpose routers, not general woodworking routers.

2) stuff all :( The closest I could find still available is the DeWalt trimmer which has a screw adjustment, but no scale. Acording to DeWalt's product manager, they can't get the new interchangeable base router's switch to pass the local electrical standards - IIRC its the 'D' handle part that is the problem, so they are not bringing any in.

Porter-Cable make them, so if you asked Carbatec nicely they might bring in a P-C router with a 'fixed' base. Just about all the major brands have one or more in 110V for the US market, but won't try to sell them here - I picked up one of the last Ryobi 1/4" fixed base routers a few years ago at a run-out sale at the Sydney WWWood show.

Anyhow, you (and I) have the best of both worlds in the Triton - just a twist of the knob and it changes from a 'fixed' base to a plunge router. I just have a few 'fixed' routers to use in jigs like a blind dovetail jig and a screw cutting jig.

[derekcohen]

Hi Rob

With the exception of the Triton (and a PC that is, as far as I know, only available in the USA), all plunge routers need to be removed from the table to change the bit. Further, adjusting for depth is a pain unless you remove the springs, which sort of defeats the purpose of having a plunge router in the first place.

The advantage of most (not all) fixed-base routers is that the base can be fixed permanently to the table while the motor section easily just pops in and out for bit changing. Height adjustment is generally easier than a plunge router because you are not fighting the springs.

The cheap GMC is actually a really good design. I cannot fathom why they are taking it off the market! This router is sufficiently powerful to go into a table (although in my limited use it does not feel like a 2 HP, perhaps closer to 1 1/2 hp - but I say this as a comparison to my 2 1/2HP Elu). It has course and fine height adjustment. AND you can change bits from ABOVE the table. Bit changing is a doddle compared to using my Elu plunge router. That is why I jumped at the opportunity to get one and set it up permanently in my router table. You are probably not missing anything since you own the Triton.

Regards

Derek

[PaulS]

Derek,

Just to let you know, I have a makita 3612 in a triton table and i am able to change the bit in the table.

Paul

[Rocker]

With the exception of the Triton (and a PC that is, as far as I know, only available in the USA), all plunge routers need to be removed from the table to change the bit.

Derek

Derek,

Like Paul, I have a Makita 3612C in my router table, and can change the bits from the top. Other advantages of the 3612C for table use are that

1. It comes with a detachable metal plate that is designed to prevent dust, etc, from getting into the motor when used upside-down; and

2. It has a large height adjustment knob which, unlike the knobs in many other routers, can be used in a router table to adjust the bit height without the need for any auxiliary device like a RouterRaizer. Many other plunge routers seem to have a baulky plunge mechanism, and therefore need such an auxiliary device.

Even so, if I were buying from scratch again, I would probably buy a Triton for table use.

Rocker

[derekcohen]

Thanks for wising me up on the Makita 3612 guys. I wasn't aware that the shaft/collet could extend that far. If my Elu could do the same I would continue to use it in the table. Ease of bit changing is a big factor for me. If it is too much effort, and there are alternate methods of doing the job (such as by hand), then I tend to avoid the router table. If I were starting out, it would be a priority to get a router which enabled above-table bit changing. It's good to know that the Makita can be added to the list with the Triton.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rocker]

Derek,

The main reason that the bit can be changed from above with the 3612C is not that the bit extends above the table like the Triton's, but rather because the Makita has a square, rather than hexagonal collet, so that the spanner can grip the collet effectively even when inclined at up to about 45 degrees, so the collet can be loosened even though it is well below the level of the table. You probaly would have to remove the router from the table with bits of more than 2" diameter.

Rocker

[derekcohen]

Rocker

Mmm. Well, that puts the Makita back into the not-above-table category. But I know what you mean. I recall a tip for the standard in-table router set up that suggested making a right-angled spanner that could reach below the table top from above. But these are only part-solutions. At some stage you are forced to remove the router to change a bit.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rocker]

Derek,

I find that, by mounting my Makita to a 6 mm aluminium plate, and with its baseplate removed, the top of the collet is only 11 mm below the table surface when the router is fully plunged, so normally there is no difficulty in changing bits from above. On the rare occasions when I use bits larger than 38 mm diameter, I can still change bits without removing the router from the table, by lowering the router sufficiently to use the spanner beneath the table top. The 3612C is unsuitable for bits larger than 55 mm diameter anyway. I have never had to remove the router from the table to change the bit.

Rocker