Spec me a router

godinman

godinman

godinman

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Joined
26 Feb 2007
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Hi All,

I'm looking at getting a router for wood work (which reminds me, I never updated my kitchen cab build, doh!).

Budget is around £70, there are quite a few around for that price, any brands people would recommend? There is a Ryobi one for that price, Einhell, Draper, Bosch too.

For things like tongue and grooving, putting patterns on the front of cupboard doors and generally making slotty bits for pokey bits to slide into, would a 1/4" or 1/2" collet be better? I guess you can get a better 1/4" for the money, but 1/2" opens up larger cutters and bigger projects?

Thanks for any help.
 
1/2" router for £70, what planet you living on, Einhell, Ryobi, Erbauer, wouldn't touch them.

A good 1/2" router is the Hitachi M8V2/J6, £190, Makita RP0900X/2 has 1/4in or 3/8in
collet capacity, at Screwfix £105

Bosch POF 1200AE is a nice 1/4" light duty router,also able to take a 8mm collect can be found for £70 or under.

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/bosch-pof-1200ae-1-4-plunge-router-1200w-240v/145919/

Bosch POF 1400ACE at around £80, slightly more powerful, seems a good router, again can 8mm bits.

http://www.tooled-up.com/product/bosch-pof-1400ace-1-4-plunge-router-1400w-240v/145920/
 
The same one as you, I just don't know much about routers! :p

That second bosch one looks nice, I guess I'll be working with oak quite a bit so the more powerful motor would probably help. Will see if I can find some reviews.

On the size front, what sized straight cutters (for example) can you fit on an 8mm collet?
 
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Nice one, thankyou for that.

Yes, oak. :/ It'll mostly be pine, but I'll be making a new oak front door this year so will be grooving 7' lengths! Hmm, lots of practice first I think!
 
Yeah I probably will thinking about it, still want a router for the small stuff tho. Cheers for the advice, that bosch one looks to be the job. :)
 
I use a 1/4" router and work with Oak, Mahogany, Walnut, Ash and some other woods. I find my big 2000w 1/2" router a bit to heavy and cumbersome for most woodwork jobs. That mainly gets used with my router table and for kitchen worktops etc.

If you are going to be using in very big cutters with the 1/2" router, i.e kitchen door panel raising cutter, then a router table is a must.

Those Green Bosch routers look decent enough for the money. Certainly better than Einhell, challenge or any of the other cheapo brands.
 
I guess I'll see how it goes. Either way I wont be gettings a 1/2" as the amount of times I'll require the extra wouldn't be enough to warrant the cost, or the extra weight.

It's a not-so-secret birthday present from the wife, I feel like a kid waiting for their first bike!!

For a started kit, how does this look? clicky
 
Nice set for the price, & it's Bosch, so you know they will be good bits.

One word of warning, once you start collecting router bits, it becomes addictive, I'm just as bad with sds drill bits as well.:o

You will get projects where you need a particular individual router bit, have used this firm, must be 25 years now.

http://www.wealdentool.com/
 
Those sets are fine as a starter set. They are not made by Bosch by the way. Its a generic set that is re-branded by a few different companies, I have had an Axminster and Screwfix set and they are exactly the same as that Bosch set.

Keep an eye out on ebay for cheap Trend bits. I managed to get a kitchen fitters set for £12 brand new!
 
Mark A said:
Those sets are fine as a starter set. They are not made by Bosch by the way. Its a generic set that is re-branded by a few firms
Click to expand...

Even though generic, they have to be good quality, or Bosch wouldn't sell them under their name.

Router bits I use to like were Jesada, but sadly no longer available here.:(

Mate picked up new & unused Trend 30 piece router bit set for £25 off Ebay, the other month.
 
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How rude of me.

I was given the Bosch POF 1400ACE and it's been brilliant, although I'm only getting around now to a project where I actual *need* to use it, I've played a lot tho and it's great fun. :)

Thanks for all the advice, I got that Bosch set of bits and they seem good, just need to get a t&g set..
 
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