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This article is from the Woodworking FAQ
Collection 4, by multiple authors.
57 Re: routers
From: rr@linus.UUCP (Robert Rifkin)
Date: 20 Jul 88 16:38:14 GMT
>In article <5277@june.cs.washington.edu> mkm@june.cs.washington.edu (Mark Murray) writes:
>
> o How much horsepower?
I don't think it is a question so much of horsepower, but rather of
accuracy. For example, I used to own the 1.5 HP (so they claim)
Sears router. The edge
guide was plastic, and a real pain in the ass to use. This is
what killed most of the time in the shop, rather than the relatively slow
cutting capabilities of the tool. To get greater
accuracy, one generally also buys power. Thus, I would opt for
a lower powered, ruggedly built Porter Cable (say), than a higher powered
Wen ( for an example of a low-grade manufacturer).
>
> o Plunge capability
> What purposes is this used for, would I be likely to need it
> in the future? Does it have any drawbacks?
Plunging is really nice for doing mortises. I simply set the maximum
depth of cut, and then gradually plunge in, taking an approximate 1/2
inch cut each pass. With a conventional router, you would have to
continually stop the tool and reset the depth. (However, if you are
brave, you could affix a long guide to the router and slowly lower
the router into the wood.)
> o What about bits? 1/4 inch vs. 1/2 inch? Any standard bits that
> you should have, what about sets?
I think the 1/2 inch bits are generally preferred. Clearly, one can
use a 1/4 cutting bit to cut a 1/2 inch mortise with two passes.
However, this sacrifices some accuracy. It is convenient to
have several size straight bits from 1/4 to 3/4 inches.
Since the price of bits can easily exceed the price of the router,
the original posting about buying a router under $100 is probably
the wrong question to ask. The real question is the total cost of
router plus bits.
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