Im so confused with routers.........

[espguitarist91 10+ year member]

Well I went to to sears tonight and i ended up buying the Craftsman combo with the plunge and fixed base that Blunt mentioned. Havent really had the time or wood to actually try it out yet, but i have cut about 3 inches of wood with a straight 5/8" blade and it came out very smooth as it should. Overall, i dont think it will be bad at all. And the reason I got the combo is because i bought the table too and the fixed mounts to it perfect. I got a little set of 5 bits, but no are 3/4" or more. Am i going to need to buy one or can i just turn the wood over?

 

[CrazedCat 10+ year member]

You want to stay clear of Craftsman & Skil. They're good for hand tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.) but their powertools are third rate. If you're going to buy a router buy quality the first time and be done with it. You'll save money down the road. Routers are no joke...you need a powerful, reliable, well-built one or you could be spending even more money in the emergency room.

For routers you want to stick with Bosch, DeWalt or Porter Cable. I have the Porter Cable 893 router (comes with a fixed and plunge base). It's a workhorse and hasn't flinched yet.

Also, to cut you want a 1/4" or 1/2" UPCUT spiral bit. Upcut bits spin up (and out) the excess as you're cutting and make cleaner cuts in general. Remember, with a 1/4" bit you want to make 2-3 passes through 3/4" MDF. Don't try to cut it in one pass, the bit could snap and at $15-20 bucks a pop they add up.

 

[nVRuckus 5,000+ posts]

ouch. Im cheap and arent gonna be using it alot. What about the Ryobis at homedepot for 99. Im probably not going to use this very much at all. Would it be ok. And about the bits..........

I have it and it works perfect, keep in mind with 3/4" MDF you want to make multiple passes not 3/4" at once or your bits will dies quick. I suggest 3 passes to save the life of your bits.

 

[espguitarist91 10+ year member]

Well i set up evertyhing and realized im an idiot. I got all the wrong things so I went and returned everyhting and i just got back. Im thinking im going to get a cheape semi decent router and either a table saw or a circuar saw, but most likely the table saw. At sears they have a craftsman for 99.99 with a 10" max rip capacity but the one there for 169.99 has extendable "wings" and the fence is more secure on it. Heres the link http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&pid=00924884000&cat=Bench+Power+Tools&subcat=Table+Saws&vertical=TOOL&ihtoken=1. The table saws at home depot are around the same price and they are ryobi. Anybody have any experience with any of these table saws? And when i buy the sheet of MDF im going to have them cut to around my dimensions and trim the rest myself so I dont have to deal with a 4' by 9' sheet.