What Small Router for guitar and pickups routing?

[big_teee]

I learned so much on the soldering Iron thread, thought I would start one on small routers.
To start with I know nothing about routing, or Routers suitable for guitar and pickup routing.
So What is recommended for a small powered router for routing tops of guitars and pickup holes?
Does a guy need some mini router, or a medium powered full sized router?
Also what router bits are used most?
Thanks,
T

[copperheadroads]

FULL SIZE router always worked for me ,you don't need anything super .,just something that takes 1/4" bits & a flush trim bit get quite a bit of use for body's & cavity's ,pickup route...........
If you need small jobs done ,there are attachments for a Dremel

[David Schwab]

I have a full size plunge router, a full size fixed base router, a trim router and a Dremel.

I mostly use one of the full size routers. I use the trim router for cutting out pickguards, and for routing 1/16" slots for Strat switches in pickguards and bodies. I almost never use the Dremel for routing.

[David King]

Terry,

This is a huge topic but I'll dive right in. First off there are two template systems for routing small cavities in guitars. Which template system you intend to use will influence what type of router you buy. One is flush cutting and uses a ball bearing race mounted on the router cutter shaft. The bearing rides around the inside of a guide template which is clamped or taped down to the guitar body. The cutter is the same diameter as the bearing (hence the "flush cutting"). This system is the most widely used in luthiery thanks to Stewmac selling it to every sucker who stumbles into their catalogue. It has benefits but also serious drawbacks too.
On the benefits side:
The templates are easy to buy premade or make yourself and easy to locate, i.e. what you see is what you get since the hole you make will be identical to the hole in the template.
The downsides are that you need to buy several bits in different lengths to accommodate a range of depths.
Your routing templates need to be much thicker so that your cutter depth can be reasonable on the first pass.
You are limited to straight flute bits which are miserable to work with when you are used to spiral bits.
You are limited to 1/4" diameter shafts which are too flexible to be extended very far safely.
You are limited to 1/2" and 3/8" diameters which is a joke if you are a professional builder.
You can only buy the 3/8" dia bits from one, over-priced source.
The bearings wear out quickly and are expensive to replace.

System 2 uses a solid projected ring guide system that attaches to the base of the router and is independent of the cutter. The rings come in many different sizes to accommodate every router bit diameter ever made.
Pros:
You can use any bits you want in any diameter so you can achieve corner radiuses of 1/16" or less.
You can rout very deep holes in excess of 3" safely.
You can use the latest upcut, downcut and compression cut solid carbide spiral bits and these can be re-sharpened so some extent.
Cons:
Your templates need to be precisely oversized to make up for the thickness of the guide rings.
The guide rings never wear out but your templates will wear over time if you don't make them out of solid material.
You need to buy a router that accommodates guide rings (most do) and a router that holds the rings concentric with the collet (most don't).

I have a stack of routers that I use for specific tasks and most of them stay set up for one thing only.
The newer routers definitely have more and better features but some brands stand out in terms of accuracy and durability.
You get what you pay for. The better routers are a lot quieter and a lot more solid. If you're on a budget get one good router rather than a couple shipty ones. Don't bother with variable speed unless you are using 2-3" dia cutters like round-overs in a 3.5 HP monster.
There are some really swell offset base trim routers that are brilliant in tight circumstances but they aren't built for everyday abuse.
If I had to get by with just one router I wouldn't hesitate to get a Dewalt DW621. It has fantastic dust collection and is pretty tight for the price.
If you need an under table behemoth then I'd look at Milwaukee or Titan for starters.
If you want to start with a small trim router then I'd look at a Bosch Colt or the Rigid 1 hp trimmer from the Despot.

[tedmich]

Grizzly has David's recommended Dewalt DW621 for under $200!

Porter Cable and Dewalt both make a centering cone tool that's very handy for setting base plates to be truly concentric

[the great waldo]

Hi Terry

Check out one of these Makita USA - Tool Details - RT0700CX3 it's well made (metal body) and powerful enough for most jobs if not over worked.

Cheers

Andrew

[big_teee]

Hi Terry

Check out one of these Makita USA - Tool Details - RT0700CX3 it's well made (metal body) and powerful enough for most jobs if not over worked.

Cheers

Andrew

That does look like a good package deal.
Do you have one of those?
Thanks,
T

[the great waldo]

Hi T

Yes I picked one up here in Vienna a month ago. It's really nicely made but the only problem was that the collets were metric and most of my cutters are imperial so I had to get in touch with an English firm to send me a 1/4" and 3/8" collet. A surprise was that they supplied the case with the set. There is an offset base which is available which would be useful for strat type neck reccess'. Makita tools have always been good especially the Japanese made ones.

Cheers

Andrew

[Quarter]

For a small router I really like my Bosch Colt. With any of the smaller routers I'd recommend getting one of the larger aftermarket bases for it. The larger footprint makes it a bit more stable and you then also have the option to use template bushings too.
That said, if I was in the market for another compact router, the new Dewalt DWP611PK is worth a hard look. Its 1 1/4 hp and has a plunge attachment which would be handy.

.

[Jim Shine]

I bought a new Dewalt 6 months ago. The LED lamp is awesome and I cannot believe how quiet these things are now. I used to wear hearing protection, now I can hear the radio over the router. Features and price wise, routers are better than ever.

[copperheadroads]

, routers are better than ever.

I agree I blew up something like 5 routers ,Ryobi,Craftsman about 10 years ago
today I own 3 full size routers that works great My new Mastercraft max router is takes 1/2" or 1/4" bits it has soft start ,starts off slow & slows down when you want it to stop ,its really nice

[David Schwab]

I agree I blew up something like 5 routers, Ryobi, Craftsman about 10 years ago

I actually own a Sears Craftsman router that I bought back in about 1980 that sill works great.

[big_teee]

Thanks for all the info, but I still have a ???
If I only buy and own one router, do I want a plunge router, or do I want a router that has a removable plunge adapter?
T

[copperheadroads]

Thanks for all the info, but I still have a ???
If I only buy and own one router, do I want a plunge router, or do I want a router that has a removable plunge adapter?
T

I would buy a plunge with a fixed adapter .just makes it so much more versatile
my fixed base stays in my router table

[David King]

If you're going to rout pickup cavities and control cavities in 8-15 passes of .125" each you'll wonder what a fixed base router is for. They both work but the plunge just makes setting multiple depths a whole lot quicker and more controllable. Of course the ultimate under-table situation is something like a Rout-r-lift.