toml@rlgvax.UUCP (Tom Love) (11/04/85)
someone said that if they could only have one power tool, it would be
a router. since i am in the middle of a project for which i will soon
need a router, and currently have none, i will likely be buying one.
therefore i would like to hear from one and all regarding routers.
brand name recommendations, classification of type and purposes for
which they are appropriate, most useful bits, router tables (and plans for
same), etc --- dump your raves and flames out for everyone to hear.
this is a low volume group, so i imagine we could get away with a posted
discussion rather than mail-and-summarize.
other matters: i recently bought a sears table saw, pretty near their
top of the line, as i recall. i bought mine after using my father-in-law's
25 year old sears saw for some time. his was a nice saw. i find now, $400
later, that the new saws have several flaws. the fence is lousy (and mind
you, this fence is better than the one on 90% of their other (cheaper) saws).
it has no positive interlock, i.e. gearing, on either end. you basically
slide it to position and clamp it down. this means using a combination
square every time you move the fence to square it up. my father-in-law's
saw has a positive gear drive at the operator's end, so that you can turn
a wheel and move the fence. not a flawless mechanism by any means, but
it works out far better than mine.
anyone have experience with the paralock fence mechanism? they're very
expensive, something like $600 as i recall, but it sounds great. is there
a cheaper alternative available?
two other significant problems: the removable plate with a slot in it, thru
which the blade projects (sorry i don't know the name of the thing, i call
it a throat plate) is not at all flat - rather it slopes downward from the
sides to the middle, at the slot. this leads to lots of inaccuracies. i
haven't yet, but i plan to try to get them to replace this. the other problem:
the motor is 110v, and when it starts up, it makes the lights flicker
badly in the house and the barn. i have 220v available where i use the saw.
henry's saw ran at 220 and never caused problems. it appears that the motor
can't be rewired for 220 - no extra terminals. possibly a bad starter
capacitor?
just picked up the new "fine woodworking", with an article on james krenov
in it. if you haven't read "a cabinetmaker's notebook" by krenov, i highly
recommend it. much of it reads like a woodworker's version of "zen and the
art of motorcycle maintenance", one of my all-time favorite books. check
it out.
tom love
computer consoles inc - office systems group
reston, va
{seismo | allegra | ihnp4} !rlgvax!tomldaves@midas.UUCP (Dave Suryan) (11/08/85)
As far as routers go, don't buy Sears. Up to about a year ago I used a Sears 1hp router, until the commutator flew apart. The same problem occured on my Dad's Sears router about a year before mine failed. Other woodworkers I've talked with said Sears routers don't hold up. Furthermore, the depth adjustment was sloppy and it was hard to do accurate work without a lot of fussing. I bought a Porter-Cable router to replace it, but the first time I powered it up the bearings squeeled. I took it back. I figure their quality control is poor. I wanted to be sure and buy a quality router so I purchased (a Milwaukee 5660). It's built real solid and it's easy to get accurate work from it. It looks extra heavy duty, (it will probably outlast me). Unfortunately, it's also quite expensive $180+ by mail order now. My second choice would be the Makita 1 3/8 Hp model for about $130. There was an article in WOOD magazine about a year ago that did a pretty good comparison on routers. It would be worth reading before you buy. As far as table vs band saws (I have both with a Shopsmith) I'd definitely go with the table saw first. I use it more than the band saw by far. Just consider how you would cross cut a four foot peice of wood in half with a band saw. You would have to have a 2 foot throat on the band saw. -- --------------------------------------- UUCP: tektronix!midas!daves USMAIL: David Suryan Tektronix, Inc., PO Box 4600 MS 94-442 Beaverton, Oregon 97075 PHONE: 503-629-1157
barrys@hercules.UUCP (Barry Steel) (11/09/85)
In article <34@midas.UUCP> daves@midas.UUCP (Dave Suryan) writes: >As far as routers go, don't buy Sears. Up to about a year ago >I used a Sears 1hp router, until the commutator flew apart. >The same problem occured on my Dad's Sears router about a year >before mine failed. That's funny, mine did the exact same thing. I thought it was one of those "once in a lifetime" type things. I have quit buying junk* from Sears for some time now. If only I had learned sooner... barry steel * junk is defined to be ANY Sears tool (in my opinion).
toma@tekchips.UUCP (Tom Almy) (11/11/85)
In article <662@hercules.UUCP> barrys@hercules.UUCP (Barry Steel) writes: >In article <34@midas.UUCP> daves@midas.UUCP (Dave Suryan) writes: >>As far as routers go, don't buy Sears. ... >>The same problem occured on my Dad's Sears router about a year >>before mine failed. > >That's funny, mine did the exact same thing... Old Sears tools are fine. The quality has been decreasing for years. My 11 year old Sears Router does fine, but I know someone with both a router of my vintage and a new one (he decided to "move up" to a better one) who still uses his old router! I have many Sears hand tools that were my (late) father-in-law's, which were purchased in the 50s and 60s. The difference between them and hand tools that I purchased in the 70s is incredible. Lathe chisels as good as any you could buy today (the new ones at Sears are the junkiest I have ever seen). Accurate, well finished hand planes. A socket set (not everything was woodworking) that I don't think could ever break. Tom Almy Tektronix, Inc.
armstron@opus.UUCP (Joe Armstrong) (11/11/85)
In reply to the question about routers: I have a sears brand router although I forget exactly what horsepower. I find my router to basically be pretty good and I do a lot of work with oak. If I were to get another router these are things I would look for: At least as powerful as my present router (I think 3/4 hp) One with a dust bag - my router throws chips everywhere. As far as router tables go I believe the only good one is a homemade one. I bought one which seemed pretty sturdy. After a couple of months of my router hanging under it the top now has a dip in it - very inaccurate. Sears charges way too much for what they sell. joe
guy@slu70.UUCP (Guy M. Smith) (11/13/85)
In article <361@tekchips.UUCP>, toma@tekchips.UUCP (Tom Almy) writes: A socket set (not everything was woodworking) that I don't > think could ever break. > You can break Sears socket sets but it's not easy. A friend managed to twist the head off my half inch breaker bar in the process of removing a VW flywheel (the older ones had a single nut torqued to about 240 pounds). The nice thing about the whole mess is that the tools have a lifetime guarantee and Sears replaced it on the spot, no questions asked.