# Need recommendation for a precise trim router



## _patriot (9 mo ago)

Greetings,
I am currently trimming the edges on a jewelry box and quickly realized that the Porter-Cable trim router I own is very difficult to accurately set the bit depth. Without going into a lot of detail I am hoping that someone knows of a light weight trim router whose bit depth can be adjusted precisely.

Perhaps these small routers are not meant to be set precisely. There are a lot of trim routers on the market, so hopefully someone can shed some light on this. 

Here is my P-C trim router.










This router's bit depth is adjusted by rotating the black ring and then locked in place with the black knob on the left side. When the knob is relaxed to make a depth change the router body springs up very slightly and that is sufficient to ruin the previous depth setting. While this is a good router not being able to adjust the depth precisely is frustrating.

Any and all suggestions are most welcome.

Thank you!


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## Skaggydog (9 mo ago)

DEWALT Router, Fixed Base, Variable Speed, 1-1/4-HP Max Torque (DWP611) , Yellow - Power Routers - Amazon.com


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I'd look at the Bosch 1.25 hp Bosch Colt. or the Makita Compact of the same hp. I have never liked the feel of the DeWalt's threaded mount. The Makita has gotten great reviews.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

G'day @_patriot , welcome to the forum..


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

G'day @Skaggydog welcome to the forum.


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## _patriot (9 mo ago)

DesertRatTom said:


> I'd look at the Bosch 1.25 hp Bosch Colt. or the Makita Compact of the same hp. I have never liked the feel of the DeWalt's threaded mount. The Makita has gotten great reviews.


Thank you for your post.

Ah, yes, the Bosch 1.25 Colt caught my eye and has been ordered. Just what I need is another bloody router, but when a project requires better than I currently have, then it's time to upgrade.

Here is/was my problem. I was trying to rout out the edge of a jewelry box that will be inlaid with ebony and I could not accurately make small downward adjustments with the my PC trim router. That said I overcorrected and compounded my mistakes so I just quit and decided to find a better trim router to finish the job. In truth, the final details will be done with sharp Japanese chisels, but the bulk of the waste will still be removed with a trim router.










This is a view of to top rear edge that ended up being wider that my spec's, but I think it will be fine. However, a mistake is still a mistake regardless of how it is spun.










This is a view of the rear bottom edge with my 'guide' apparatus. 

So long as I will be able to adjust the new Bosch trim router accurately, I will be good to go.

Thank you for your comments.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum @_patriot


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum @Skaggydog


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Oops, forgot to say welcome. Nice first question.


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## _patriot (9 mo ago)

jw2170 said:


> G'day @_patriot , welcome to the forum..
> 
> Thank you, sir.
> 
> Great to have found this forum. I have much to learn from all of you.


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## Skaggydog (9 mo ago)

_patriot said:


> Thank you for your post.
> 
> Ah, yes, the Bosch 1.25 Colt caught my eye and has been ordered. ... I could not accurately make small downward adjustments with the my PC trim router. ...


I have the Bosch 1.25 Colt as well. The fine adjustment on mine is a pain in the butt, You have to twist it to engage a threaded rod and then hope it does not pop out of engagement while you are adjusting it. That is why I suggested the DeWalt. The DeWalt is easier for me.


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## _patriot (9 mo ago)

Skaggydog said:


> I have the Bosch 1.25 Colt as well. The fine adjustment on mine is a pain in the butt, You have to twist it to engage a threaded rod and then hope it does not pop out of engagement while you are adjusting it. That is why I suggested the DeWalt. The DeWalt is easier for me.
> View attachment 401408


Thank you for your post.

I will know more when the Bosch trimmer arrives in a few days. If it does not work for me, I will order the DW as you have suggested. Fine adjustments seem such a trivial but important feature of this class of router's that I just have to shake my head and wonder why this fundamental charasteristic cannot be solved once and for all.

Take care and thanks again for your comments.


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## Btfly (May 23, 2013)

_patriot said:


> Greetings,
> I am currently trimming the edges on a jewelry box and quickly realized that the Porter-Cable trim router I own is very difficult to accurately set the bit depth. Without going into a lot of detail I am hoping that someone knows of a light weight trim router whose bit depth can be adjusted precisely.
> 
> Perhaps these small routers are not meant to be set precisely. There are a lot of trim routers on the market, so hopefully someone can shed some light on this.
> ...


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## Btfly (May 23, 2013)

This may be too late since you apparently made a decision. For intricate routing


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to posting @Btfly


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Hi Btfly, glad to see you here. Lots of Aussies around here.


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## Btfly (May 23, 2013)

Btfly said:


> This may be too late since you apparently made a decision. For intricate routing


My first attempt at a post wasn’t a success. It left my iPad before I finished it. if you have a Dremel tool, you might look at the plunge bases on Stewmac.com. They are made specifically for a Dremel tool and have very precise depth adjustments and are used by luthiers.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Welcome to the forum, @Btfly ,

Glad to see you join in the conversations...


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## OCristo (Jan 3, 2022)

DesertRatTom said:


> I'd look at the Bosch 1.25 hp Bosch Colt. or the Makita Compact of the same hp. I have never liked the feel of the DeWalt's threaded mount. The Makita has gotten great reviews.


One more for Makita. There is some weak trim routers so be sure to take the more powered one as rc701c. I have two of them.


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