Routers Reviews

I'm not bitter that I spent $25 for a 12 cent nut spot welded to 37 cents worth of tubing that has a 50 cent knob attached to the other end as much as you cannot use this if you also want to do plunge operations such as you would with the woodrat. The router's vibration slowly makes the whole thing tighten down the adjustment rod it is attached to. So this would work fine for a router table bur WORTHLESS IF USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WOODRAT.

This product does what it's supposed to do, but changing bits once you have it cranked down is a pain. It takes forever to back it off so you can get to the collet. It either needs a quick-release, or it needs a Phillips screw head mounted in the center of the know so you can use a power drill to tighten it/loosen it quickly. I drilled out the end of mine and epoxied in a good quality No. 2 Phillips machine screw--with my cordless drill it's a lot easier to run it up or down now.

The unit I received was bent on the threaded end. It won't affect its function but it wobbles a little when you turn the knob. I purchased it because the standard "sliding" nut wouldn't keep tight, it snapped and slid whenever I was not very careful to return the router gently enough against it. The fine depth adjuster doesn't suffer from this problem, but since you can't just disengage it from the threaded rod and slide it, you are forced to turn the knob all the way up and down for bit changes. I think a crank instead of a knob would've been more useful -- see the jig on Router Magic by Bill Hilton to see what I mean. I'm actually thinknig on modifying the DW6966 and replace the knob with a shop made crank.

This bit has a lot of potential, but lacks instructions which makes it very difficult to set up. For as much money as one has to shell out for bits like this, you would think the manufacturer would include something - anything - even a hint, as to how to set it up (without burning through test piece after test piece - everytime you need to work with a different thickness of wood. Come on Freud, you can do better.

I have about 3 dozen router bits, and I do a lot of routing and shaping. Set up for this bit is a mystery, though. The equivalent Aman bit has very clear setup instructions that make the process much more intuitive. The Freud bit comes without even a simple diagram.

If someone has a web link to a page featuring setup instructions, i'd gladly update my review. However, Freud really ought to print something more useful on the back of the package than "Danger: Bit is sharp!"

You will need some amount of patience, precutting miters and a few test passes, kind of tricky, but once you get it, it is GOOOOOD. Does a very nice job and cuts very easy.

This router has incredible power and smooth operation. All the features work as they should, and it looks, sounds, and feels right to me. The VS and softstart are terrific features. My only complaint is that the throat is too small for 3" bits to pass through. You need to use a router table fence to accommodate this flaw, but otherwise, this thing's a trooper and a bargain.

I have an almost exactly opposite experience with Freud as that mentioned in the above review. I am on my second FT2000 and have always received great customer service the few times I needed service. I just sent it to Freud USA and they fixed it within a week, only charging me once for a repair. It's a great router: quiet and powerful with easy to reach controls. As a professional woodworker, I recommend it without reservation.

Very strong runner, excellent features. Can't imagine getting more for the price than this.

If you are purchasing this item because you want micro adjustment, save your cash. This knob is threaded onto a coarse threaded rod. In my world, the word micro means 'very small'. A fine threaded rod would have been better here. In my review of the router itself I mention this as well. Replace the threaded rod with a fine threaded rod. Buy a couple of nuts to fit it and a knurled knob. Bam... in comparison this would be a micro adjustment knob. Also, if you are using any taller bits, the micro adjustment knob has to be backed of so far that it comes off the top of the threaded rod. Where is the micro adjustment in this. For those of you using this a router for your table... I can imagine that a nut attached to a small fly handle would be better...faster adjusting any way. Of course you still have the coarse threaded rod to make those super fine adjustments.

This came with my Hiatchi M12V, which I got here at Amazon for a very reasonable price (Home Depot's price was $50 more!). I use this adjustment knob when the router is mounted in its table. I removed the plunge springs to keep them elastic. Although not a perfect system (raising all the way up takes a lot of rotations!), it definitely is better then trying to fight the springs with one hand and hold a square in the other!

I'm pleased with the ease the adjustment knob attached on my Hitachi M12V and with the way the knob allows fine adjustments. Use it with something like the General Tools 23 Aluminum Router Gauge or a drill bit (known diameter/height) to get the adjustments you want. However, if you are a bench top router table user be aware that this is one tall adjustment handle. You may have to set your table up on blocks or use it between to different benches to keep the adjustment handle from bottoming out.

I have now been fighting and despising this saw for years. See my last review '04. I have received two fence rail sets from the manufacturer, they have all been as bent as the ones furnished with the machine. I have been told by Powermatic's tech line that I would not notice the lack of flatness of the table, I do notice it. I have replaced the belt with a link belt and tuned the saw so it was vibration free and cutting accurately to .006". by the next morning things had shifted and I had to reset the fence. A Forrest blade only served to highlight the inacuracies of the saw. I plan on either reinforcing the trunnion,reinforcing the stand, reengineering the mobile base as well as the fence, and surface grinding the table, or selling the unit. I would strongly suggest purchasing a different saw from this one. The precision afforded by this saw can be duplicated by a mid priced portable. The router lift is very nice and works well.

The saw shipped in a timely manner and though I had a one problem with it, Amazon took care of it promptly and made it quite stress free.

The saw itself is well built, has a good manual, and runs very well. Produces very clean cuts and requires very little recalibration once it is set up. I like the fence much more than the Delta/Biesmeyer setup personally. I ran this saw on 110 for a while and wished it was a bit stronger. I then wired to 220 and have been thrilled with it's performance.

The Router Lift works well and has a nice precise mechanism. The router fence isn't great but for most of what I've done (which arguably is not typical), the fence for the table saw works fine for the router lift.

Dust collection for the router lift is limited to above the table only. You really need an enclosure below with a dust port to properly collect dust.

I don't have a workbench yet and use the extension table for an assembly table often. It's not really made for that but I wish it was tougher so it could handle heavy clamping and such.

The one thing I hadn't considered when I bought this saw was dust collection. If you don't have a good dust collector, you might have better with a cabinet saw (if you can afford it). My shop vac had little effect on the dust generated from this table saw.

This saw is a perfect fit for most shop enthusiasts. If you are planning on building a lot of furniture out of hard woods and cutting thick stock, I would probably upgrade to a saw with a bigger motor. For my purpose the saw has been excellent. I received it within three weeks of ordering the saw. It was a little intimidating seeing all the boxes that it came in. However, after about five hours with my dad, we had the saw put together and fine tuned. I was amazed at how precise the saw started. We made a few adjustments to get things square, which was surprisingly easy. It was very helpful having a second person help put the saw together. I would probably purchase a mobile base with the saw as it is in excess of 400 pounds and will not move very easily.

I ordered this adapter along with the CURRENT Bosch 3725DVS Random Oribital Sander. The intent was to provide suitable connection between my Fein Turbo VAC II and the 3725DVS. This connector is not for that model sander. The 3725DVS's dust bag mounts to a one peice, cast aluminum base. This casting has a built-in integral dust port. There is no provisions for simply unscrewing the dust port from the casting to allow use of the new adapter, as one reviewer suggested. Contact a Bosch Service Center and order the appropiate connector. Bosch Hose-to-Tool Adapter, part number: RS006. Or order the 15' Vacuum Hose, part number: VAC001. The Vacuum hose contains the RS006 Adapter. Both Parts can be found on Page 209 of the Bosch Power Tool & Accessories booklet. The Bosch Service rep that I contacted, owns the same 3725DVS sander and the VAC001 Vacuum Hose. He has been using it for some time and was very high on it. Upon his suggestion, I now own the VAC001. A very good product. Now, back to this particular adapter, (Bosch 1 609 200 933 Hose Vac Adapter). It does fit the Fein and many other tools. It performs very well in those applications. For that intent, and considering price/value, I would rate it 5 Stars. However, do not buy this with the sole intention of connecting your shop vac to either the 5" or 6" Bosch Random Orbital sanders. Both sanders use the same parts, either RS006 or VAC001. For those interested, the Bosch 3725DVS Sander is a dream machine and the Fein Turbo VAC II lives up to everything positive that the other reviewers have said about it. Both products are outstanding!

This was confusing at first until I did a little research. Amazon's accessory list is misleading. It lists this as an adaptor for the Bosch 3727 sander. According to Bosch's own web site, it is: "Hose-to-Vacuum Cleaner Adapter - Connects (1 in.) hose to 2 1/2" diameter vacuum cleaner inlet". Bosch lists the actual tool adaptor for the 3727 as: "RS006 Vacuum Adapter for 6" Random Orbit Sanders". This is suuppposed to connect the oblong port to the 1" hose. Hopefully amazon will soon carry this accessory, as well as the paper dust bags and various density backing pads.

On my (older model) Bosch sander, the oblong outlet that one reviewer complained about not fitting the adapter twists off to leave a round 1" outlet that may fit this adapter after all.

The product needs help. Now, I need help. I am on my third freud table in a month. Today makes three separate occasions at the job site with the system down..... There is a problem with quality control. Broken parts, misalignment, and plate deflection, as if these factors were imprortant. What more could a professional wood worker want? One bright star for the fence. Buy the fence and put it on a competitor's table

When I recieved the router table it was already damaged. It didn't appear to be from shipping. The box was intact. Part of the metal frame was pulled out of the bottom of the table with the screw holes stripped. I assembled it anyway, and found that the metal part of the fences that the wood fence faces attatch to were seriously out of parallel. Amazon's exchage procedure worked great and a had a replacement table in no time. However, this one had the same problem with the damaged frame, and the fences were slightly out of parallel. The customer rep suggested that they must have got a bad batch of them, and suggested that I just get a refund, which I did. I then bought the same table at Lowes, got it home and found it was missing the insert that the router mounts to. I got a second one from Lowes. It had the parallel problem and the table was not completely flat, so I could not level the router plate to the table. All four had broken cable ties in the box. I never knew what they were supposed to be holding together. I give up. Frued has some serious quality control issues.

The fence is the best part of this table, although the face of the fence wasn't perfecly square to the table and needs adjustment. However the worst part about this table is the router plate, which was not flat in the first place and sags to become even worse when a router is attached. It was virtually impossible to get the plate to lie flat even without the weight of a router causing the cheap plastic to sag. The ability to fold the table for storage is useful in a small shop like mine, and despite folding legs the table has been stable and secure. All in all if the router plate wasn't junk and the overall quality control a lot better, this could have been a contender.

I thought I might be able to use the 45 degree angle to set the table saw blade- wrong! Can't do it because of the lip. The angles were not particularly helpful due to placement and roundovers. The push stick function does not work that well either due to the small lip - slips.

The Stots 21150S Push Stick has a self adhesive measurement sticker. Not quality tool for price of the unit. The push stick I received had many bubbles on the face making for a poor quality tool. I'm sure after a few times handling the push stick the sticker would have become ungluded and would be useless for measuring height of blade and etc. Can't see why the numbers couldn't be embossed on the stick. Other manufactures' of similar push sticks have the numbers etched into the Push Stick for about the same price or cheaper. If you're in the market for a Push Stick of this type I would suggest you look for other sources.

This is the only push stick I've found that let's me feel like I'm using only my hand to guide the board. All other sticks I've tried wobble around and are more trouble than they are worth. This fits comfortably in my hand and allows me to apply a great deal of downward pressure without stressing my wrist.
Since I only use my bench saw for ripping, I use the Saw-Aid every time I turn it on. The bulk of my use with this device comes into play on my router table. Here, you can see my Saw-Aid resting on the table before I perform a molding operation. One great use is when I use my router table as an edge joiner, which is all the time since I do not own a jointer. The Saw-Aid allows me to edge pieces as thin as 1" safely and accurately while keeping my hand and fingers well away from the guide bearing bit.

1) Once installed on my 690, it caused EXCESS vibration. 2) The collar to adapt to 1/4" bits is not easy to use. It falls into the shaft hole too easily.

Great idea but not for me.

Installation was easy for a do-it-yourselfer. Performance has been excellent; vibration-free, solid grip on 1/4" bits. My only gripes: It takes a lot of hand strength to lock and unlock the bits, and like the other reviewers, I've found it hard to keep the adapter collet from bottoming out, making it a little finicky and slow at times. I lost the adapter and had to contact Jacobs/Danaher Corp. directly to re-order (800-866-5753). Not a big deal. All in all, a welcome addition to my PC router, a definite improvement over wrenching.

I am new at woodworking and just got my first router. I had heard so many horror stories about changing bits that I was putting off using the router at all. I decided to try the PowerCollet, thinking it couldn't be worse than using the wrenches. I was so happily surprised. It was easy to install, even though I would have preferred a little more detail. The 1/4" reducer was actually easy to insert and I had no trouble with it getting stuck. I was able to swap bits out in a matter of seconds and they were firm and steady. I didn't feel any vibraton to speak of. Granted, it adds about 1-1/2" to the shaft but it comes with spacers to make it easier to get at things on a fixed base. I used it with my plunge router with no adjustments. I really love this thing. It is going to make it much easier to use my router as an integral part of my shop.

I got one of these at the QVC outlet store (does that tell you anything?) with multiple discounts and coupons that left me paying $6 for it. After gloating all the way home and through set up, I began to realize that I would have done better making my own jig. As other reviewers have mentioned, it is made of plastic which will deflect without too much difficulty. Just the weight of my circular saw made the tracks bow, and it takes frequent tightening just to keep everything aligned. Make your own jig from your scraps and put the money you saved into your miter saw fund.

I was pretty excited when I ordered this item but after using it for a few months I'm pretty disappointed. The problems I encountered are:
- time consuming and difficult to adjust the board
- difficult to line up cuts
- final result is inaccurate cuts
I can't believe I wasted forty bucks on this when that could have gone towards a basic compound miter saw. Save your money and skip this one

I suppose it is all in your perspective. I bought this tool with these criteria in mind: it should let me make compound angle cuts in wood up to an inch thick. It should be easily adjustable and accurate. It should let me get a lot more use out of my circular saw. It should be safe. And my personal favorite: it should be "fun to play with" because I like to experiment and try all sorts of different ideas.

I have found the MAC cutting board fills all those criteria and then some. I make all sorts of things and I use it constantly. Some of the things I've made recently: mailbox shaped like an A-frame ski chalet, laminated wood kaleidoscope with over 50 pieces of wood, 10 identical picture frames made from pine molding, a jewelry box made from crown molding. Every one of them was easier to make, for me, because of the MAC board. I don't own a table saw. And I don't generally make large items that would require one. For the smaller things that I make, the MAC board serves me well for both the angle cuts and for the straight cutting operations. I use it for both cross-cutting and ripping and it has been a lot of fun figuring out just what it is capable of. I am now starting a series of trays which will feature a zig-zag lamination and everything will be cut on the MAC board with my circ saw. And I'm positive it will be accurate, or as accurate as I am, of course.

The one thing that keeps the MAC board from getting 5 stars from me is the fact that it's made of plastic, rather than cast aluminum. I have never had a problem with it, strengthwise. It is certainly more than strong enough to support my saw, and of course, that's all it really has to do. I'd like to see it made from metal, but now that I think about it, it probably wouldn't add anything to the tool's strength, but I know it would add a lot to the tool's price. So maybe plastic is ok, after all.

Anyway,if you are interested in a tool that can help you install crown molding in a house, or make picture frames, or cut a bunch of wood all at the same angle; then the MAC board is a good choice, unless you -want- to spend megabucks for a sliding compound miter saw. If you do, have at it! I can't say anything bad about those saws. On the other hand, if you're like me and you don't have a whole bunch of money to spend on a compound miter saw, this little "toy" is pretty slick. My 2 cents.