tRIM rOUTER

[weelis]

ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A DECENT BUT NOT OVERY EXPENSIVE TRIM ROUTER?  THE ONE i HAVE HAS TOO BIG A BASE PLATE TO CUT THE MORTISES i WANT.  thanks FOR ANY 

SUGGESTIONS.

[lift mechanic]

I have 2 DeWalt DWP611. I find these router are very handy installing hinges. They hold there depth setting very well and are easily adjusted. I have a Mikita Colt there ok, but harder to set the depth.

[EdL]

The Colt is made by Bosch....and yea, the height adjustment is crap.

Ed

[Bill Wilson]

I have both the Bosch Colt and the Dewalt DWP611.  I like them both, but will definitely give the nod to the Dewalt for it's superior depth adjustment.  Never used either for cutting mortises, so I can't comment on the size of the base.

[R Clark]

I have the Colt.  Agree with the comments about depth adjustment.

OP didn't provide a lot of detail about placement of the planned mortices.  I'm only assuming that the plan is to freehand the mortices on the edge of the workpiece, perhaps using a fence to help keep the router steady.

I haven't had great success cutting mortices freehand with a router.  I use my router table for mortices like those in frame/panel projects.  Just finished cutting two dozen mortices for a large dresser build that I'm in the middle of right now.  The router table makes controlling depth of cut and placement relatively straightforward.

For mortices on projects that don't lend themselves to easy router table use, jigs are the way to go for me.  However, depending on the placements, fixing a jig in the right location with correct spacing can be a fussy affair, irrespective of the router model.

[fixtureman]

When I was working for a Trade show builder installer we had 2 cheap Harbor Freight routers that we took to the setups We didn't want to take anything to expensive as they have a habit of walking off.  They worked really great

[jussi]

If you have Dewalt or Milwaukee tools already you may want to consider one of the cordless routers.  have both brands and really like them.  I slightly prefer the depth of adjustment on the Milwaukee but the Dewalt has a quicker stop.  Both well built and I don't think you can go wrong with either.

I also have the Ryobi and Ridgid.  I would Not go with either of those.

[jteneyck]

I really like my Rigid trim router.  Very good ergonomics for my hand.  But it's hard to beat the versatility of the Makita and all the knockoffs of it from Grizzly, Rocky, and probably others.  There are so many attachments for it to increase its versatility that it's something to consider if you need more than just a trim router.  I bought the Grizzly version a couple of years ago with base and plunge base for $80.  

John

[stav]

I have the Bosch Colt and have never really understood what all the fuss is about the depth adjustment.  You just set it close and then use the fine tune wheel.  Maybe I'm missing something.  Sometimes I find the base is a little small for my liking and I have to say I almost got my finger in where the bit is one time, but that was on me not paying enough attention.

[R Clark]

I have the Bosch Colt and have never really understood what all the fuss is about the depth adjustment.  You just set it close and then use the fine tune wheel.  Maybe I'm missing something.  Sometimes I find the base is a little small for my liking and I have to say I almost got my finger in where the bit is one time, but that was on me not paying enough attention.

Well, on my Colt router, there's a lot of lash on the micro-adjust wheel.  It's also fussy to get the up/down movement to stay locked in after loosening the barrel lock to engage the micro-adjust wheel.  Overall, I think it could be improved a whole lot.  Maybe Bosch has improved the Colt in the years since I bought mine.