Routers are pretty impressive tools. They can cut edge profiles, make moldings, cut joinery… I mean, what can’t they do?
There are times, though, that you discover that in your woodworking, you tend to cut a particular joint a particular way time after time in your projects. And, sometimes, setting up for those cuts can take a tremendous amount of time to get the bit height, fence settings and other tweaks down perfectly to ensure a good setup. Sometimes, it might just be easier to buy an additional router and keep it permanently set up than start over from scratch every time you want to do that operation.
That leads to this week’s poll. In your shop, do you have at least one router setup that you keep ready to go all the time? Maybe it’s a bit set to the right height in a dedicated router table, so it takes only seconds to clamp to a bench and get to work.
By the way, thanks Chris Wong for this poll idea!
I’m trying to collect more routers so I don’t have to change bits when building instruments… I need 4 or five trim routers and another dremel or 2. maybe a couple more full sized routers and a table. Gosh time to go cruse CL.
Heck no. I have a bunch of routers but never want them set for one specific thing. That would just mean I’ve become a production shop instead of a custom one.
I hate to say it but I own 17 routers and except for 2 they are single purpose. I even etched the shafts so set-up is quicker when I send a bit out for sharpening. These are tricks I learned working and running production furniture shops.
I only have one router, one of the better Craftsman models (no longer available). It has a fixed and plunge base. I keep it stored in the case and set it up as needed. The Makita compact router kit is on my short list.