Router addition to table saw

[reeljob]

I just got (and am very happy with) a General Int 50-185 table saw and I want to stick a router on it to use the same fence. General makes an extension wing (will fit w/o modification) with a hole for a router. I'm wondering what would be a good router to get. I'm thinking about one in the 2 1/4 hp range, and around $200 or lower. One that seems really nice is the Freud FT1700VCEK. I like this one because you can easily adjust the height from above the table. Also I'm looking at a Milwaukee BodyGrip® 5616-21 Variable Speed Router and aTriton 2-1/4 HP Plunge Router Model MOF001. Any advice or suggestions?

Thanks

[Tom M.]

Hell, they're all good these days. Get one and make some chips:D

[Ron Williamson]

I just bought a Milwaukee variable speed something or other.
15A and nicely ergonomic.
It's also adjustable from the bottom,for when it's in a table.
Rebuilt,$300CDN.
R

[katiedobe]

Don't use a plunge base in a router table. It is an inefficient method, also you pay extra for a plunge type base.

Get the big PC fixed base router or even the largest Craftsman, for cost considerations, and set it in and go.
Congrats on your new table saw. I loved it when I had the router table set up like that as part of the TS.

[Jay Greer]

Check out:
http://www.woodpeck.com/
for router lifts and a keen dust collector set up.
Mine works great!
JG

[Kim Whitmyre]

Nix the plunge router as mentioned above. I used a 3hp Makita plunge router for a few years in the "inverted" position: the sawdust collects in the posts, making it a royal pain in the kiester to adjust the bit height.

I now use the big Porter Cable 3hp 5 speed with a Woodpecker lift:

http://www.dslextreme.com/users/kwhitmyre/images/rt02.jpg

[Bruce Hooke]

Whatever you get, make sure it has an easy to use method for adjusting the height. I actually like using my Bosch plunge router in my tablesaw extension table because it has an easy to use fine adjustment knob so I just run the router up roughly into position and then fine-tune it with the adjustment knob. However, I also use this router as a stand-alone. If I was only using it mounted under the table, the money saved by getting a fixed base router would make more sense. I am also relatively young and flexible so I do not find it a big deal to bend down and make adjustments from under the table.

What I would avoid is one of the fixed base routers where you really have to fiddle with stuff to adjust the height. I'd much rather push up against a spring and then have a fine-tuning knob to use to set the height just right than not have springs but have a clunky mechanism that I have to use to adjust the height that requires a lot of fiddling around under the table. I can bend down, reach under the table with two hands and push the router up roughly into place in 2 seconds and then watch and measure from the top while I turn the fine-adjustment knob from under the table. Again, this is easy if you can crouch down and rest your butt on your heels. If this level of flexibility is no longer in your comfort range then a different approach may make more sense.

Some people take their router out from under the table every time they change bits. This seems like a waste of time to me, but if you prefer this approach then a router that is easy to remove from its base makes a lot of sense. I actually like changing the bit with the router mounted on the table because it means the router is not trying to rotate while I torque on the collet nut.

[Don Z.]

I'm really happy with my Bosch. It came with both a plunge base and a solid base... and Bosch is now selling a "table adjustable" solid base. As soon as Amazon sends me mine, I'll let you know how it works.

[Nicholas Carey]

I'm really happy with my Bosch. It came with both a plunge base and a solid base... and Bosch is now selling a "table adjustable" solid base. As soon as Amazon sends me mine, I'll let you know how it works.I have a Bosch 1617EVS w/both the plunge and fixed bases, as well as a Porter-Cable 890-series kit with the same two types of base (Model 893PK on the web site).

The P-C 890 series claims to be 2-1/4 HP. The motor is rated at 12 amps, so the best it can do at the rated amperage is 1.93 HP (1 HP = 746 watts exactlys, 12 amps of 120VAC current = 1,440 watts.)

The Bosh 1617 claims 2HP, but the motor is rated at 11 amps. The best it can do at its rated amperage is 1.76 HP.

Of the two, the Bosch is a better handheld router, IMHO, if for not other reason than the fixed base has very low and comfortable wooden handles. For use in a router table, though, I'd take the P-C 890, as thebit height can be adjusted through the router baseplate. (e.g., from the top of the table.) The P-C 890 series also has some other nice features to recommend it (the pistol grip base with integrated dust extraction in the handle is a nice, though optional feature).

FWIW, there is no such thing as "3 HP" router running on a 15 amp x 120VAC circuit. The theoretical maximum power you can get out of that circuit is 2.4 HP (15 amps * 120 volts = 1800 watts, divided by 746 watt/hp = 2.419 HP.

[Don Z.]

Of the two, the Bosch is a better handheld router, IMHO, if for not other reason than the fixed base has very low and comfortable wooden handles. For use in a router table, though, I'd take the P-C 890, as thebit height can be adjusted through the router baseplate. (e.g., from the top of the table.)

Yes... but Bosch recently offered a third base plate for that router that will allow you to adjust from the top of the table.

http://66.77.255.87/Images/BOSCHTOOLS/RA1165_B/WEB_LG/RA1165_lg.jpg

There is a D handle as well, not sure if thats where the dust collection fitting goes.

[gert]

I have two routers under mine; one is a big old 3 horse 1/2" that stays there, the othe is a 1/4" PG; for this one I have two bases, one of which stays under the side table. Both holes in the table are large enough for the biggest bits.

[John Turpin]

Whenever I get a new router, my old router goes under the table.