# Inherited an old Craftsman 1/4" router



## lightning_med (Feb 3, 2007)

..that oncw belonged to my grandfather. It seems to run well and smooth. Once I solve the stuck collet to bit issue, I was thinking of giving it a home on a table to see how it performs. Any tips or ideas? This router is from the 1970's.


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## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Welcome to the Router Forums lightning.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Your Craftsman router has another short coming besides the 1/4" collet, it only uses Craftsman plastic guide bushings. These flex and get chewed up on the first or second use. Even so, your router will perform well. You will want to remove the sub base plate and use a router mounting plate. Most mounting plates have provision in the center hole for mounting decent brass guide bushings. These will not flex and if you should hit one while changing a bit they wont nick your carbide like steel bushings could. Another reason for using a mounting plate is it makes changing or adjusting bits much easier. The old style steel router tables Sears sold meant removing the router each time you wanted to change a bit, a real hassel.
I suggest you build your own router table, but some people prefer to purchase one. This leads you to a decision making process. Mounting plates come in two basic styles: the 9 x 12 or the 11 x 11. Many companies have versions of the 9 x 12, including Rousseau, the first of this style. They use PC style guide bushings. All of the 9 x 12 plates are flat with the exception of the Rousseau which has a patented slightly convex shape. With out a long winded explanation, either way works just fine. The Router Workshop mounting plate is 11 x 11. It uses larger Router Workshop style bushings. It is available as a vac-u-plate with a built in dust collection system or as a standard flat plate. All of the jigs and accesories are built to work as a system. Simple is better.
Read through some of the threads about different table designs so you can make an informed decision. If you need additional information just ask, and welcome to the forums.


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## lightning_med (Feb 3, 2007)

*Thanks guys*

Thanks Mike for the mounting plate info. I actually am thinkging of making a table to fit on the end of an old belt driven table saw I have. Hopefully I can have them share the same dust collector. Not sure how yet but the "brilliant!" idea will most likely emerge after a Guiness or two.


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## fibertech (May 7, 2005)

If you still want to use your router alone, Woodcraft has a retrofit base plate that will fit many different routers. I bought 1 for my Craftsman router and was able to use the standard brass guide bushings. The base plate is clear and has several hole patterns and is about 6" across. Just a suggestion. -Derek


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