New Router Help

[mbrogden]

Hi all
I am looking for my 1st 1/2 router for under £100. I am just starting out in the woodworking world so at the moment i dont really want to spend all that much.

I currently have a Ferm 1/4 router, but it isnt very stable when using.

I have seen the Erbauer 2100w 1/2 router at £99, would this be any good? or should i be looking at a more "known" brands.

Thanks

 

[siggy_7]

For a first proper router, I don't think you will go far wrong with the Draper Expert 45368 - don't be put off by the Draper name, it's a good product. It's a bit over your £100 budget, but is about the cheapest decent 1/2" router out there. It comes with both a fixed and a plunge base which is a massive asset - almost all alternatives are plunge routers which can be a lot more awkward in hand use - with the fixed base in particular, it's very light for its power (1350W) and has a ton of features such as a base plate with a few guide bushes, an edge guide and a trammel to get you started. Most of these can be improved on in time with your own bases. I don't know anything about the Erbauer, but looking at its size and weight it's designed to either be in a table or a tradesman's tool for kitchen fitting - a bit of a brute for accurate hand-work (assuming this is what you want it for).

 

[Louise-Paisley]

I have the erbauer, its ok and I was quite pleased with it until I got a Triton MFB001 - twice the money but worth it.

As for the erbauer..

It is quite big but managable.

Trigger start with safety switch that has to be pressed first, can get somewhat awkward to use especially mounted in jigs, needs taping on and an external switch for table use.

Plunge mechanism is a bit sticky - peeling pack the rubber coveres and adding a spot of 3 in one oil helps greatly

The height adjustment bar is hopeless, it moves up as you tighten it, really quite annoying

Limited range on micro adjust, make sure its in mid range if you intend to use it or you will run out of adjustment just when you need it.

There is a bit of play on one plunge bar when locked (due to micro adjuster) which can affect accuracy of depth if you are not careful

It does not come with half inch and quarter collets as advertised, it is a quarter reducing sleeve.

If it breaks down you throw it away, spares are impossible to find.

Good points..

Its cheap

It has quite a nice parallel fence with 8mm bars

Fence has a circle cutting attachment.

Includes a couple of guide bushes

Not bad dust extraction including an under the base one for profiling etc

Has a nice blow moulded case to take up space if you use it in a workshop - handy for on site though I guess

It was my first router and I thought it was great to start with, still is a useful tool, but I quickly started to get a bit annoyed with its little problems. The Triton is a much better tool, again not without its problems (no parallel bars was a bummer) but it is a much better router IMO and worth the extra investment

 

[mbrogden]

Thanks for the replIes butt at the moment I just cant justIfy spendIng more than 100.

 

[Louise-Paisley]

The Erbauer is OK, it is not completely useless, to be fair you are not going to get better for £99 I very much doubt so if that is a hard ceiling then it is as good as you will get.

However, you have seen limitations with the one you have and are looking for something else.. You need to consider that if you by a cheap second router you may well find yourself in the same situation in a short time and wished you had gone a step up.. When I got the Erbauer I had absolutely no idea how versatile a tool the router is, now I find myself using it nearly every time I go in the workshop, If I knew what I know now I would not have bought the Erbauer.

I bough a tripod for my camera a few years ago, it was £250 for the tripe and another £195 for the head... I had progressed through a whole range of cheaper options only to find they did not do the necessary, finally I just splashed out and bought a real good quality one.

About a week after I bought it I found this website..

http://craigingramphoto.blogspot.co.uk/ ... ripod.html

Which details exactly what I did, wasted more money building up to the good one than the good one would have cost me.

You pays your money and makes your choice

 

[Webby]

I am in the same boat cannot make my mind up ....so say the JCB router in B&Q is ok and its the same price as the Erbauer

but i still do not know what to do lol

I need someone to say yes ....they are fine because they have used them... i like you cannot afford to spend more than £100 ...even if it means down the road i may require another better one ....but at the moment that is out of the question

 

[Elapid]

Cash Generator has 1/2" Dewalt, Hitachi and Triton routers for sale on their site 2nd hand for just over £100. Or at least they did about a week ago.

http://www.cashgenerator.co.uk/products ... e&Dir=Desc

 

[LBCarpentry]

Deffo go 2nd hand!

get on the bay.

Sure you could pick up a 2nd hand hitachi or old dewalt.

 

[Webby]

Deffo go 2nd hand!

get on the bay.

Sure you could pick up a 2nd hand hitachi or old dewalt.

If you could point me in the right direction to one on ebay for less than £100 then please do i have been on the bay for months looking for one ...most are pick up only so you have to factor in fuel to collect so some that appear cheap are not

 

[Elapid]

There are a few 110v Makita, Bosch Blue and Hitachi routers on ebay for less than £100 buy it now if you can pick up a cheap transformer and don't mind the extra space being taken up.

 

[mbrogden]

I can get my hands on a Bosch POF 1400 ACE for £70 Would thIs fIt the bIll?

 

[JakeS]

I can get my hands on a Bosch POF 1400 ACE for £70 Would thIs fIt the bIll?

That model only comes with 6mm, 8mm and 1/4" collets. (1/2" is 12.7mm)

(I have one; it's OK, but I prefer my little POF500A most of the time, to be honest! For the kind of cuts I do I don't usually need the extra power, and the POF1400ACE's plunge control is one of those awkward side-of-your-thumb-lever things rather than the twist-the-handle of the POF500A.)

 

[Webby]

well i have bit the bullet #-o and got a erbauer from screwfix (£99) will keep you informed of developments it will fit in a trend table

 

[mbrogden]

Nice one!!
Im now thinking about buying the Macallister router from B&Q

 

[Webby]

dont do it lol :mrgreen:

 

[Louise-Paisley]

dont do it lol :mrgreen:

seconded

 

[mbrogden]

How are u getting on with your erbauer?

 

[Webby]

I have it installed in a trend Mk2 table ...and i did not have to drill as it fitted the plate with the holes that are all ready there

have some 1/4 cutters but no 1/2 only the three that came with m/c any way

have made some drawers using a 1/4 dovetail bit in mdf as a trial ...as seen on youtube (french dovetail) ...and must say i am very impressed at the moment

only thing it is a bit of a lump and slung under table to adjust depth of cut is a bit awkward as it is heavy to push up and then lock off but thats a minor gripe (will have to see if i can make a lift )

i would say get one you wont be dissaponted and in the future invest in a better one if you want to but for £100 from screwfix i am very happy

happy Dave in Router land lol

 

[mbrogden]

Right guys
I am going to get a triton router, but i dont want to be spending loads on the TRB001

What is the real difference between the MOF001 and the JOF001. Bearing in mind that i am only starting up with routers hence the "prefering" not to spend a lot of money aproach.

 

[siggy_7]

Quite a bit, as it so happens.

The MOF001 is a 1400W machine. The features are essentially identical to the larger TRB001, now that the above-table winder has been added - it's just a bit smaller, a bit lighter and a bit less powerful. It has sufficient power for most in-table applications, but is still light enough that you could reasonably use it for hand-held operations. I wouldn't recommend the same with the larger machine, having tried it myself.

The JOF001 is smaller and lighter again. The motor is less powerful (1010W), and so if using in a table I wouldn't want to try and use large bits or take heavy cuts. Also, the height adjustment is limited to a conventional plunge and lock, or a fine height winder. This is adjustable from above the table by a cranked winder, but unlike on the other models this passes through the base of the router rather than outside it. The coarse winding function of the larger models completely removed, which in my view is a bit of an omission as I find this feature useful on my TRA001 - although you do have to reach below the table to do it, so it depends on your router table as to how much you feel like using this.

Ray Girling has a great review of both routers - see http://www.raygirling.com/tnjof001.htm and http://www.raygirling.com/triton14.htm.