# Porter Cable 892 for table use



## jkbixby (Mar 12, 2013)

I know this has probably been asked a dozen or more times in the past but being new to the forum I'll plead ignorance. Anyway, is the Porter Cable 892 mid-sized router a good choice for table mounting or are there better routers out there? Also I know with this P-C model you can change the bits and the height from above the table but does it actually work well? Thanks in advance for your thoughts and expertise on this subject.


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## billg71 (Mar 25, 2011)

jkbixby said:


> I know this has probably been asked a dozen or more times in the past but being new to the forum I'll plead ignorance. Anyway, is the Porter Cable 892 mid-sized router a good choice for table mounting or are there better routers out there? Also I know with this P-C model you can change the bits and the height from above the table but does it actually work well? Thanks in advance for your thoughts and expertise on this subject.


Larry,

Welcome to the forum!

The 892 works fine in a table, I used it in mine before I got the 7518. It was mounted in a lift so can't comment on the above-table height adjustment or bit change capabilities but it's a good router, quietest I've ever owned, smoothest start(beats the Festool 1400), and does what you'd expect for a motor of that size. Height adjustment is easy in the base hand-held with an average amount of slop. I'll hazard a guess it works about the same upside-down.

Decent tool, I use mine a lot. Not as much as my Bosch 1617 but that's because I have two bases for the Bosch, one with Pat Warner's precision base and another with his offset base with the dust catcher permanently mounted. I like the depth adjustment on the P-C a lot more than the clunky multi-step version on the Bosch, backlash is about the same, the P-C beats the Bosch hands-down in noise level and softness of start. The Bosch beats the P-C in dust collection with their accessories.

I really like the P-C collets, all their routers(except the trimmers) use the same collets and wrenches. Getting the bit out is a simple one-step operation, loosen the nut, yank the bit and you're done. Unlike almost all manufacturers which require you to loosen the nut, back it off a few turns and then apply the wrenches again for the second stage of getting your bit back. Not a big thing but it grows into a major PITA after a while, you start wondering why P-C can do it and no one else can.

Anyway, MHO is that you could do a lot worse for your money than the 892.

HTH,
Bill


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## michmags (Nov 25, 2011)

I have the 892 mounted in my table and it works fine
Easy to adjust and I bought the kit with the plunge base. Swapping the motor is easy


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

*My Experience*



michmags said:


> I have the 892 mounted in my table and it works fine
> Easy to adjust and I bought the kit with the plunge base. Swapping the motor is easy


My experience with that rounter when mounted in my table was and say past tense, that dust kept getting in between the motor and the base causing the motor to bind up and making nearly impossible to move up and down in the base. This was remeedied when I added a Mast R lift which cost more than the router,but as far as the motor and/or the actual router, I think that it is a very good machine, I just higk that the base is of poor design and like you I am anxious to hear from other members as to their thoughts on this router. Before I added the lift, the lever that is used to clamp the base closed wallowed out on me, it i made of soft aluminum. When I tried to get parts they were on back order and after six months of waiing I just gave up and bought the lift which fixed all of my problems. In my opinion, unless you plan to add a lift I would not go with that router at all due to the poor design of the base.

Jerry Bowen


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## TinyTiger (Mar 9, 2013)

jkbixby said:


> I know this has probably been asked a dozen or more times in the past but being new to the forum I'll plead ignorance. Anyway, is the Porter Cable 892 mid-sized router a good choice for table mounting or are there better routers out there? Also I know with this P-C model you can change the bits and the height from above the table but does it actually work well? Thanks in advance for your thoughts and expertise on this subject.


Welcome to the family Larry! It's great to hear from you.

I had an 892 in a table for many years. I used it with just the above-the-table adjustment tool for height adjustment (no lift). It worked really well for me. It had plenty of power and did everything I asked of it. The height adjustment was very precise, and the collet comes above the table for bit changes (no stooping under the table!) You have to pull the motor out of the base every now and then to blow the sawdust out of the rack mechanism because sawdust gets packed in there, but that's normal maintenance with about any router.

There is only one limitation that I know of - because of the hole size in the base, you can't run the very largest horizontal panel raising bits (the 3-1/2" ones) without some modifications. Most insert plates limit you to a hole size about 3-1/4" which means a bit size of 3-1/8" max. If you want to run the bigger 3-1/2" bits you either have to buy a lift/plate assembly with a bigger hole to drop the motor into or build up the top to safely accommodate the bit on the top side of the table. That may not be an issue for you now since you're learning to use it and (I'm assuming) you will probably be using smaller bits for awhile. When you're ready to spin the big ones, you'll just need another set-up, right? :laugh:

I hope this helps you. The 892 really is a great router and works well (at least for me).


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## jkbixby (Mar 12, 2013)

Thanks for the reply- it was very informative and gives me the confidence to go ahead with the purchase.


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## simonov (Apr 1, 2017)

Gentlemen,

I am looking at this router for a custom table and lift application, so I'm not concerned about the height adjustment system; I just need the spindle motor, I guess you'd call it.

They are reasonably priced on Amazon ($160).

However, one of the Amazon reviewers posted something that gave me pause:



> My only complaint is that it has a safety mechanism that resets itself after each use and has to be switched back on before the unit will restart. This is not a problem if you will be using it as a hand held router but if you're mounting it in a router table lift with an enclosed dust collection box you'll have to reach under the table and reset it after each use which is a total pain.


Well, since that's exactly what I have planned this comment stopped me in my tracks. I am currently using a Triton in my quicky router table, and one of the reasons I want to replace it is because it has a cute safety feature that means I have to reach under the table every time I want to turn it on, which is only tolerable because I don't yet have dust collection.

No one above mentioned this safety feature with the 892. Is it a new thing? Can it be easily uninstalled? If not, it's a dealbreaker for me and I'll have to find another router for my table application.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

instead of the PC go w/ a Bosch 1617..
or disable the Triton safety feature...

.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Mitch if you enclose your router without making certain modifications you'll starve it for cooling air which will likely shorten it's life and/or the life of any electronics it has.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Mitch if you enclose your router without making certain modifications you'll starve it for cooling air which will likely shorten it's life and/or the life of any electronics it has.



the more in depth write up..

https://www.routerforums.com/1976475-post14.html


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## simonov (Apr 1, 2017)

Stick486 said:


> instead of the PC go w/ a Bosch 1617..
> or disable the Triton safety feature...


Thanks.

I thought disabling the Triton's interlock sounded great, but then I read about the dust problem and also there would be the need to extend the elevation lock lever to the outside of the box; it's looking like the Triton isn't a good fit for a table router with a dust control box. I'll have to think more about it.

The Bosch is 2¼ HP vs the Triton's 3¼ HP. Will I notice the reduction in power? I sure do like how the Triton eats through anything.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

simonov said:


> Thanks.
> 
> The Bosch is 2¼ HP vs the Triton's 3¼ HP. Will I notice the reduction in power? I sure do like how the Triton eats through anything.


many use it and do well...
me...
I make Tool Time Tim look like a fledgling...


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