Using wood routers?

[GRW]

I'm a very newbie with a Router - and tbh trying to use one "the right way up" seemed a lot harder than upside-down in a Table.
I picked up well used but complete Triton RTA300 Router Table for I think £45, and then when my ancient (but never used) B&Q 1100w thing died, I bought a big Erbaur beastie thinking it'll probably stay in the Table.
Trying to Lift/Set depth and bits though was a faff, so the other week I knocked up a dismantle-able 30mm Angle Frame, so I can raise/lower/set the Router using a cheapie Lift.

 

[AKN]

Trend are my go to for routing take a look at:-

https://www.trend-uk.com/knowledgebase

 

[Agroshield]

I see Trend do individual bits at about 40 quid each

Trend do two, maybe three levels of cutters (compare with how Axminster sell their machines - hobby, workshop and professional) depending on the duty cycle to which you will subject them.

As a rule of thumb, prices on the Trend Direct site are higher than resellers. So use Trend's website to find the part number then buy from someone else.

You are in a bad position having metalwork experience/expectations: for wood, you need to move the decimal point at least half a place to the right.

Think of the cheap router bits in the same way as the cheap lathe tools you buy: they are a very good starting point that have to be lightly tuned to perform at their optimum.

The wood world has an even bigger level of tool snobbery and overpriced (but nicely anodised) Gucci gear than metal and mechanicing.

 

[skotl]

be lost without this router table.....it's a cheapo with the fences adjustable to each other....less than £80...
nice and stable but easy enought to chuck in the van...
have a dedicated 3hp Hitachi slung underneath but almost any router will do....
I do have a few hand held routers but I tend to use the 1/2 router, nice n heavy, most of the time...
but I do have a Makita US style trimmer router....
View attachment 372099

I have one of these and it really is the worst made tool I've ever bought

But.... even being that bad, it is still many times easier than trying to do small to medium pieces by hand so worth getting one - just expect to do a lot of fiddling and trial and error to get it set up right each time

 

[armalites]

I'm a very newbie with a Router - and tbh trying to use one "the right way up" seemed a lot harder than upside-down in a Table.
I picked up well used but complete Triton RTA300 Router Table for I think £45, and then when my ancient (but never used) B&Q 1100w thing died, I bought a big Erbaur beastie thinking it'll probably stay in the Table.
Trying to Lift/Set depth and bits though was a faff, so the other week I knocked up a dismantle-able 30mm Angle Frame, so I can raise/lower/set the Router using a cheapie Lift.
View attachment 372152

If it's a hobby you are going to continue with have a look out for a secondhand Trend T11, they have a specific feature that is designed for tables. The depth can be adjusted from above the table as long as there is an access hole for the tool.

 

[GRW]

If it's a hobby you are going to continue with have a look out for a secondhand Trend T11, they have a specific feature that is designed for tables. The depth can be adjusted from above the table as long as there is an access hole for the tool.

Yes, I've seen that they can have this feature. I did something like it on the old B&Q Performance Power Router.
I drilled through the depth stop on the body down thru the baseplate so I could use a long Allen bolt from the mounting plate through ground down nut on the body, so I could wind the Router up and down from above.
I didn't fancy butchering the new Router though, hence the Heath Robinson alternative of winding it up/down from below

 

[Seadog]

I bought a kit to convert my Dewalt router to enable easy, and precise adjustment when it was mounted on my router table.