![]() ![]() This design was perfect for manually cutting V-shaped, flat-bottomed and rounded grooves, but it was limited to these uses. It was a manual tool that consisted of a narrow blade projecting past a wide open base. The woodworking router was originally introduced in 1884 by American pattern maker, Henry Cope. So, which router fits the bill for your project? Here’s a brief history of the machine, different types of woodworking routers, common uses and how to use them. Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, you’ll find these machines are worth the investment. ![]() With the ability to achieve these finishes, and more, it’s no surprise these tools are a household name for woodworkers. They can also be used to execute flawless pattern work or joining work like dadoes and rabbets. Here is a great, short, to-the-point video that goes over the basics of the differences between the two styles, and what each one is appropriately used for.Woodworking routers are a commonly found tool used to make cuts, create edging, joinery and hollow out wood. If you’re going to be doing a lot of very similar and very specific work, like profiling edges or cutting dovetail joints from a jig, and/or you plan on working strictly with a routing table, then a fixed-base will suit you well. As we mentioned, they have a much wider range of use between the two, and they can always be locked in place and used as a ‘fixed-base’ anyway. If you’re a novice woodworker looking to simply add another weapon to your power tool arsenal, with no exact or specific uses in mind yet, we definitely recommend going with a plunge router as your first buy. If you do have to choose between the two, consider the following advice: However, combo routers are naturally a little more expensive than if you were to buy either one or the other. Going with a combo router is really your best bet and is our general recommendation, as it eliminates having to make a decision between the two. Which type of router is best, and which one will best suit your needs?įirst, let’s mention that most of the big manufacturers out there now sell ‘combo’ routing kits you get one motor that comes with both a plunge and fixed base, and you can easily switch between the two. So which one do you get?Īlright, let’s cut to the chase then. Also, plunge routers are a bit awkward to mount to a routing table due to their larger size, and you can’t adjust the bit depth without removing the base from the table, unless you purchase some some accessories. They’re simpler to adjust the depth of the bit, and like we just mentioned, they tend to be more accurate as far as maintaining their locked position than plunge routers. In addition, fixed base routers tend to be preferred over plunge base when used with a routing table. However, fixed base routers do tend to be more accurate and they have the ability to set super-precise depth of cuts, which is important when you’re doing very tedious work like dovetail joints.Īlso, they are generally smaller and weigh less, and a lot of people find that the lower profile and lower center of gravity makes them easier to maneuver and control than big, tippy plunge routers. Some of you might be thinking, “well, what does the fixed base router do that the plunge router can’t?” So does the fixed base router have any advantages or real benefits? Of course, you can manually set and lock the cutting depth on fixed base routers, generally with a greater degree of accuracy than you can with a plunge router.įixed-base routers are great when super-precise cuts are needed (as is the case with most types of joinery), and also when mounted to a routing table. ![]() This makes doing some of the aforementioned tasks, where it’s necessary to engage the material from above, virtually impossible. Related: Our Top 5 Plunge Routers Fixed base routersįixed base routers are exactly that the router is locked at a fixed location in the base, and the cutting bit cannot move - or plunge - from top to bottom. However, plunge base routers can be used for edge work just as well (such as profiling edges with a round-over bit). ![]() This is necessary when you’re working on the top of a board (as opposed to the edge), for applications such as fluting, dados and mortices, grooves and rebates, insets, etc. ![]()
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