

What Compact Router Is Suitable for You? Fixed-basedįor a more durable and beginner-friendly option, choose fixed-base routers. But you can enjoy the best of both worlds without owning two separate routers. They are usually more expensive, and the added disadvantage of changing out bases while cutting can slow down your workflow. They are priced above the other routers, but you have the best of both worlds as far as routers are concerned. When you purchase a combo compact router, you are not paying for the price of two routers, nor are you paying for one.

They come with kits of interchangeable parts that include both fixed and plunge bases, allowing you the option of swapping between both bases. So far, you’ve learned about fixed-based routers and plunge-base routers, but what about routers with interchangeable bases? These are called combo compact routers. You can also use them to make templates if that’s the sort of thing you like to do. The quick vertical movements allow you to make them a precision tool for patterns through cuts, mortises, and deep grooves. Plunge routers are the way to go with detailed cuts. A quality plunge router should come with an in-built depth gauge to prevent the router bit from plunging too deep. Another exciting thing about plunge routers is they each have their range of depths within which you can readily lower or raise the housing using a knob or lever. In addition, it should be easy to vary the cutting depth across the workpiece. With this router, your mortise and tenor joints won’t have freckles. Simply turn on the router and slide a spinning router bit into the material hassle-free. For example, you can change the depth of the cut on the fly without restarting the machine. Because of the spring-loaded motor and up and down motion, plunge routers allow you some luxuries. Plunge-base compact routersĪny router with a spring-loaded motor housing that moves back and forth on an axis can be called a plunge router. Also, some compact routers known as tilting bases are fixed-base routers that tilt at a specific angle, and they work superbly for machining inside corners and at odd angles.

Never forget that you can still adjust the depth of “fixed-base” compact routers after cutting by turning a dial or unwinding a collar. This type of complex router will stick to the preset cut depth, and the router bit will always protrude past the base preset until the machine is restarted and the preset depth is changed. When the router bit on a complex router is in a fixed position and doesn’t change during the cut, it is known as a fixed-base complex router. What Are the Types of Compact Routers? Fixed-base compact routers Read till the end before you add another router to your workshop. It is difficult to determine the right compact router for the job when so many models look similar, but this buying guide can lead you in the right direction. But in all of their glory, compact routers pose a challenge for novice and experienced users alike: finding the best one. It is impossible to complete some carpentry projects without a compact router. They are a bridge between traditional trimming routers and full-sized models. You will find compact routers to be a smaller and lighter option than other woodworking router tools.
