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What router do you use?


Guest Marcoelwray
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Guest Marcoelwray

@honza992 thanks, that DeWalt seems a good choice! Price is decent, accessories look more than decent! 

My friend (he's a carpenter) keep telling me Festool but IMVHO, it's more dedicated for the pros and you pay a service I'll probably never use.

After all, DeWalt is a logical sequel to Elu :)

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That Dewalt is probably a nice bit of kit, but quite expensive for a 1/4" router.

In my opinion, you could happily use 2 routers to build solid body bass/guitars. A big 1/2" router is good for routing the final body outline with a template and doing the trussrod channel. A smaller 1/4" router is great for pickup and neck cavities, binding, etc.

You can use a big 1/2" router for the smaller jobs, but they are big, heavy and most people are scared of them. They are a good choice if you are burly, are going to put them in a router table, or have other uses for a router - maybe you want to also build furniture, do DIY, etc.

1/4" routers are much easier to handle for finer tasks and can be pushed to to body outlines and truss rod channels at a  pinch. They are perhaps a safer choice for a 'first' router. Bosch 1/4" routers seem to be popular with luthiers, and Stewmac sell one of these. [Edit, I see this was mentioned earlier. In fairness, the Bosch routers are a lot cheaper than the Dewalt recommended, which may explain the popularity].

If you want a big (1/2") no-nonsense router that is 'trade' quality, a relatively cheap option is the Hitachi M12VE/ . I have one of these, and can testify it is a beast. Dust collection is pretty terrible, but not a problem if you put it in a table, which most people do. Above table adjustment requires a router raizer or lift, which isn't ideal.

Edited by samhay
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  • 2 weeks later...

Can I just give a shout out to the Dremel router base. I am replacing the pickups in my Status Electro (I know, how dare I) and literally had to take a few mms off the back pickup route to make it fit. Felt my normal router (blue Bosch) would a bit overkill so invested £30 in the Dremel base. Fantastic for the small/fine stuff! Will be using the Dremel for mods/tweaks moving forward.

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On 08/01/2019 at 07:47, Norris said:

For larger jobs I use my old DeWalt DW613. For lighter jobs I use my new Makita RT0700. The Makita doesn't have a plunge function, but being a smaller and lighter router, it is much easier to handle without becoming fatigued. I don't think there are many guitar building tasks that I couldn't tackle with the Makita

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I have 4 routers.  This Makita is the one I use nearly all the time.  Its super light, very low vibration and powerful enough for 95% of all jobs.  You can get a plunge attachment for it which works well.

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Guest Marcoelwray

I thought about this Makita too but as plunge is not its primary function (IMHO) the DeWalt stays on the top of my workshop wishlist. Thanks though, because I looked at it many times.

I think I will go for the DeWalt then a trend 1/2" , when I'll have money for each of them.

Not sure yet for the Trend but it looks very well worthed.

 

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I've got the big Makita 1/2" router, but the only time I use it is for solid wood worktops, and then only reluctantly.  Its all very well having "tools that are man enough for the job", but a big 1/2" router can be pretty hairy unless used with extreme care.  My big Makita is going in my new router table........  I think of the little Makita as simply a motor unit.  It will do pretty much anything I need, and does it really well with the right accessory.  Haven't used the DeWalt, but a lot of carpenters like their stuff so I'm sure it would be good too.

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On 21/01/2019 at 19:20, HazBeen said:

Can I just give a shout out to the Dremel router base. I am replacing the pickups in my Status Electro (I know, how dare I) and literally had to take a few mms off the back pickup route to make it fit. Felt my normal router (blue Bosch) would a bit overkill so invested £30 in the Dremel base. Fantastic for the small/fine stuff! Will be using the Dremel for mods/tweaks moving forward.

Wot R U doing, Harry ?!? 🤪

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This is mine, bought after my brother "borrowed" my old one. I started with a very old Elu with 1/2 bits and heavy as a Panzer. Still have my fingers and stomach. 🤣

So here is my new home, wasn't cheap at the time, but I can use 6 and 8 mm bits as well as 1/4 and 1/2, so don't have to worry about the bits I buy :

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IMG_20190123_103953.thumb.jpg.eae9eb75cea881bdaffc597c87cf0ccb.jpg

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8 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Wot R U doing, Harry ?!? 🤪

It’s done, and it sounds glorious! Not only the pickups, also replaced the preamp and bypassed the piezo. Now it is well and truly how I want it.

Edited by HazBeen
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