Routers - What do you prefer?

[bluespresence]

I'm in the market to replace my router and I'm wondering what you find more productive in guitar making - a plunge router or a table mounted router. I keep thinking plunge would be the way to go but I notice in reading this many of you seem to have tables.

I'm curious to see which you find easier to work with and why.

[Lex Luthier]

Both. I have a large plunge router that I use freehand and in a table I made. I find most commercial avaliable router tables are REALLY small, so I made my own. I used an old desk, so my table surface is almost 2' X 4'.

I use my router freehand for routing cavities in bodies, and I use it mounted in the table for profiling necks and bodies.

[krazyderek]

agree, plunge, cause the base on a plung router can be fixed, and attached to the bottom of say..... an old table..... or a bench.... anything that's really flat, you might need a little kit, but you definitly don't HAVE to buy a special table for what we're using routers for, the only time router tables come in handy is when you want to setup a fence, which alot of us making guitars don't really have a use for.

[daveq]

Definitely a plunge router. I have a table router also with a second plunge router in it but I pretty much use it for storing parts nowadays. The handheld plunge router I have does all of my routing when building guitars. Of course if you are thinking about getting a table router or just the table, I'm sure you could find uses for it.

[bluespresence]

Ok, so I took the plunge today and got the plunge router. Pretty good deal I thought. It's a Ryobi 2hp with 3 bases (plunge, standard and "D") a case and a bunch of accessories for $179. I also picked up the disc / belt sander combo for $99. I've had my eye on it and thought I could use that more right now than a spindle sander since I've already got spindles for my drill. The spindle will come after I sell a few more guitars.

[MKGBass]

Way to go man. I'm probably going to be out buying a plunge router this week. I've got the same belt sander (it says CRAFTSMAN on the side, however, RYOBI now makes all Craftsman tools, and its the same thing, I know because I sell them.) I like it a lot, its done wonders for my shaping.

Can't quite afford as nice a plunge router as you've picked yourself there.

But working at the store you buy it from has perks. (ie, belt sander = $60).

Good luck, man

-the M of MKG

[Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars]

Plunge. I also promaote Craftsman/Ryobi because they are USA made.

[Lex Luthier]

I'm actually thinking about getting a second router, so I can keep one in my router table and one free for handrouting. I really hate having the router out, then re-install it in the table for one quick little job, then take it out again. I actually removed the plunge springs out of it for using it in the table, but because of the switching back and forth, I don't bother putting them in at all now, even when I don't use it in the table. I would most likely get thwe same one again, because I LOVE it.

My router