Heavy/light work

[boomer]

After reading the thread about what routers everyone use's i noticed a lot were saying i use blahblah for light work & blahblah for heavy work,could someone please say briefy what they class as heavy/light work for the router.
Im totally useless with a router but im trying my hardest to learn,i only have a Bosch 500a which i gather a few members also use,but i shamefully thought a router was a router .

Sorry for not knowing the differance in workload but if i don't ask i'll never know.

 

[Scrit]

I'd class heavy work as stuff like rebating, large size edge profiling (e.g. bullnosing 22mm thick stair treads), cutting housings (such as on stair through housings in bookcases or dados as our Yankee cousins call them), panel raising in a router table, etc. In other words any work which requires a 1/2in shank cutter and will need more than 2HP

Conversely, light work in my book includes such things as 6mm rounds or coves, small grooves, inlay work, laminate trimming, beads, etc which can be accommodated with 1/4in cutters on a smaller, lighter router which will not bog down doing the task.

I certainly wouldn't use a DW625 to cut 1/8in inlay grooves but equally I wouldn't want to try cutting a mason's mitre scribed kitchen worktop joint with a POF500

Scrit

 

[RogerS]

The other thing, Boomer, is the ergonomics of using them. A heavy-duty router of the type that Scrit is discussing is a bit of a thug....most are pretty heavy (they need to be to provide the 'grunt') and the starting torque can be pretty fierce...which is why the better ones will have a soft start. Mind you the stopping torque can be pretty strong as well.

 

[Scrums]

Basically, it's a bit like painting - use the biggest brush feasible.

If you can run that 1/4" inch bit in a big router and keep it on the job/see the job......use the big one!

If the job is smaller and more delicate + involves smaller cutters then the smaller router is easier to handle.

Chris.

 

[boomer]

Thank you for putting me straight on this