142 Re: Router
Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ Collection 4, by multiple authors.
142 Re: Router
From: mckim@sdd.hp.com (Jim McKim)
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1991 23:32:28 GMT
In article <15002@ulysses.att.com> smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
>In article <7085@male.EBay.Sun.COM>, rick.sanchez@EBay.Sun.COM (Rick Sanchez) writes:
>> I am planning of buying a plunge router and table. Routers are rated at
>> 1-1/2 or 3 hp. I would like to know the limitations of 1-1/2hp. Are all
>> plunge router can be mounted on router table ?
>
>Most plunge routers are not well-suited for table-mounting. It's hard
>to fight the spring pressure from that angle, and it's hard to get an
>accurate depth setting. The after-market T-handle knob sold for many
>popular plunge routers makes that adjustment much easier, and might --
>*might*; I haven't tried it, and probably won't -- make it feasible to
>use a plunge router that way.
>
I solved this problem by simply removing the springs on my Makita 3612BR (?).
Took about five minutes. This works for me 'cause I use it almost exclusively
table-mounted.
>For most amateur woodworking, a 1.5 hp router is probably sufficient.
>Spielman (see below) has commented that hand-held 3 hp routers are
>difficult to control if you're not used to them. You need the extra
>power for sustained work in very hard woods, especially if you are
I disagree with Spielman. When I have used my 3-horser handheld, I found it
very easy to control because of the extra mass, and with the power I was able
to go at a comfortable feed rate and not have it bog down. I don't have a
1.5 hp to compare against, though.
>using large bits. Panel-raising bits in particular might require the
>extra power. On the other hand, several sources, including Spielman,
>question the safety of such large bits. If you're using them, you
>probably want a variable-speed router or an add-on speed control.
>
I've read two opposing views on this, both sorta speculative. Anyone have any
direct experience either way? Certainly from metal cutting technology stand-
point, where one calculates proper speeds and feeds based on what is happening
at the cutting edges, not the spindle, it makes sense to use a lower rpm for
bigger diameter bits, but I'm not sure how applicable that is to wood.
R. Bruce Hoadley has a chapter in "Understanding Wood" on wood machining that
might cover this, but I loaned my copy to a friend. (You reading this, Steve?)
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