by: Christian Krohn
Making the decision to purchase an electric plunge router is an easy one. There is no other tool as flexible as a router. You can use a router for drilling, straight or grooved routing, profiling, edge forming, and lettering. The difficult part you will discover is finding just one that is right for you.
There are various types of routers available with numerous features, tempting you to purchase a router with the most features. This is a great idea if you are an expert woodworker, but if you only use the router occasionally (for example, as a hobby), you are much better off with an inexpensive model that has basic features that will enable you to perform the tasks you need to do.
In general, there are two questions you should ask yourself before you buy a router: (1) What do I plan to do with the router? and (2) how often do I plan to use the router? Based on your answers to these two questions, consider the following important features when purchasing an electric plunge router:
Horsepower
With routers, power is what makes the difference between you being able to make shallow and deep cuts. That's because horsepower dictates how easy it is for the router to cut through material. If a majority of your work will involve deep cutting a 3.5hp or stronger router is sufficient. If you plan to work on tasks that require only minimal, delicate cutting, a router with 1.5hp will do the trick. Some people just prefer to work jobs in the middle of the road. A 2.5hp router is excellent for jobs requiring neither difficult nor delicate cutting.
Construction
You may not have considered how important the construction of your router is to the work you perform, but it is very important. Routers that are made of metal are designed to handle bits of a larger size as well as deep cuts. If you plan to use the router only occasionally and to perform trivial work, a router encased in plastic is all you need.
Collets
Every router has a collet. A collet refers to the opening that houses the bit. There are various sizes of router bits but the two standard sizes are 1/4" and 1/2". If you will be doing basic stuff, the smaller collet is fine. If your work involves more complex projects, you should consider purchasing a router with a 1/2" collet.
Once you have found a router that covers your basic needs, then you can continue with added features such as an edge guide, bushings, and a router table. All of these features will enhance your work performance.
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