# looking for advice when purchasing a plunger router



## sphynx_000 (Jul 1, 2007)

I am buying a router mainly for building speaker cabinets. It must be a plunge router and have a decent depth adjustment. It must also be on of the listed routers the Jasper Circle Jig Model 200 (can be found at partsexpress)

I want to be able to cut cleanly through 3/4" and possibly 1" mdf at times. The main uses will be cutting circles and finishing corners.

Most importantly, I want to get the cheapest router that will suit my needs. This wont get a tremendous amount of use, so I dont want to spend much money for it.


The compatible routers are,

Bosch 1613 and 1615, DeWalt 621 and 625, Freud FT2000E, Hitachi M8V, TR12 and M12V, Porter Cable 690 series and 7539, Skill 1823 and 1835, and all Sears, Ryobi and Makita models

any recommendations?


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## Joe Lyddon (Sep 11, 2004)

sphynx_000,

*W e l c o m e . . A b o a r d !!​*
I'd like to buy a car:

Those that qualify are: Ford, Chevy, Cadillac, Lincoln, Porche, and Ferrari.

Any suggestions?


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## sphynx_000 (Jul 1, 2007)

hehe

get the Chevy, its the cheapest and wont leave you stranded in the ditch,


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi sphynx_000

I recommend the one below. for the price it's hard to beat I have two of them and they are great machines and they have the Sears name backup behind them. 

http://www.routerforums.com/table-mounted-routing/4063-model-320-17542-table-routing-3.html
http://www.routerforums.com/table-mounted-routing/4063-model-320-17542-table-routing.html

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...s+&+Laminate+Trimmers&vertical=TOOL&ihtoken=1


Also take a look at the link below
http://www.routerforums.com/38701-post10.html


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sphynx_000 said:


> I am buying a router mainly for building speaker cabinets. It must be a plunge router and have a decent depth adjustment. It must also be on of the listed routers the Jasper Circle Jig Model 200 (can be found at partsexpress)
> 
> I want to be able to cut cleanly through 3/4" and possibly 1" mdf at times. The main uses will be cutting circles and finishing corners.
> 
> ...


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

You will NOT be able to make a clean 3/4" to 1" cut in one pass.. It takes 3 to 4 passes to do that.. Dust will be a major problem with MDF..


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Sphynx welcome to the router community of woodworkers. Good luck on your speaker cabinets work. Maybe you could post a pic or two when you get some finished?


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

sphynx_000 said:


> hehe
> 
> get the Chevy, its the cheapest and wont leave you stranded in the ditch,



I like this guys' sense of humour, he's going to do well on this forum isn't he Joe?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

The cheapest options are the Skil or the Ryobi. Both are comparable. The model BJ suggests cost slightly more but allows you to do much more and has the advantage of Sears standing behind it. I haven't got my new Bosch 1613(Which is discontinued) out of the box yet, but it has many of the features that make its big brother the 1619 the top rated 3+ HP router. The 1613 is the plunge only version of the 1617 which is available as a combo kit and my personal favorite.

Oh and the correct answer to the car question is "Dodge trucks are Ram tough and ride like the Lincolns or caddy's".


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

I will agree with you on the RAM trucks ,they also look great It's too bad they sound like GRAP   and almost all the owners remove the stock ext.system and replace it with one that sounds like a sick 18 wheeler rig. 
And they think it sounds cool to sound like a over size Vac.with 4 wheels.


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Mike said:


> The cheapest options are the Skil or the Ryobi. Both are comparable. The model BJ suggests cost slightly more but allows you to do much more and has the advantage of Sears standing behind it. I haven't got my new Bosch 1613(Which is discontinued) out of the box yet, but it has many of the features that make its big brother the 1619 the top rated 3+ HP router. The 1613 is the plunge only version of the 1617 which is available as a combo kit and my personal favorite.
> 
> Oh and the correct answer to the car question is "Dodge trucks are Ram tough and ride like the Lincolns or caddy's".


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## sphynx_000 (Jul 1, 2007)

The craftsman routers are looking the best right now. Would you guys recomend the 1 3/4hp plunge versions, or the 2hp fixed/plunge base version for a little more money?

I am going to try and take a look at them tomorrow.



edit: I will try and get some pictures up too,


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Go for the dual bases..


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

The combo kit allows you to mount the fixed base to your table and use the plunge freehand. This is in my opinion the best way to go.


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## Ken Manuelian (Jan 30, 2007)

I would stay away from craftsman routers I have two here and for the price of shipping you can have them....... Naw I like you to much

Get the porter cable! It is the industry standard for a reason....

Ken M.

They make a wonderful dual base system and you will never regret it


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Get what feels comfortable to you when holding it..
The newest Craftsman router is getting some good reports here..


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## sphynx_000 (Jul 1, 2007)

I still havent had a chance to pick up a router yet.

Im sure the porter cables are nice, but probably a little more than I wanted to spend. Hopefully soon I will be able to get my project started again.


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## challagan (Feb 7, 2006)

The Craftsman router that is mentioned appears to be made for Sears using porter cable and black and decker parts. Looks very much like a porter cable router. This one appears to be a good deal from what users here have said. 

Corey


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Most people blink and look at me like I am crazy when I say the router is the least expensive part of routing. Many of the essential bits for middle of the learning curve projects will run you in the $120 range each. It doesn't take long to acquire 100+ bits. Since you are investing your money in reasonably good quality bits, shouldn't you consider spending your hard earned money on a reasonably good quality router? You wouldn't buy top of the line Michelin tires for an old clunker, and you wouldn't buy the cheapest tires you could find for a Lincoln or a Caddy. Either way you will be dis-satisfied.
I suggest buying a 2-1/4 HP combo kit which will have the power to do any home job you run across and still be affordable enough to let you buy some nice bits to go with it. Yes, you can buy a router for half the price. No, they will not do the same jobs. At this time the only router we give a negative rating to and suggest you do not buy is the Porter Cable 890 series. This family of routers has been plagued with problems. Mind you there are some decent quality 890 routers on the market, but with so many having quality control problems they get a thumbs down.


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## sphynx_000 (Jul 1, 2007)

I picked up the craftsman combo kit today, got it for 100 dollars.


It looks and feels really nice to me. I think for the amount of time I will use with the tool, it should last a long time. Tomorrow I will test it out and see how things work.


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