Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 82
RYOBI TR45KT This router is a nearly exact copy (physically) of the Craftsman router. The one significant difference is the color of the translucent bases. The Ryobi base is yellow, which is an improvement for visibility over the gray, smoke-finish Craftsman base. The base slips over the motor to adjust the depth-of-cut. The Ryobi base suffers from the same slipping/ tightening difficulty found in the Craftsman model, making easy adjustment a trade-off for slipping during operations. Performance was slightly better than the Craftsman during cutting, and as mentioned, visibility was slightly better. One obvious benefit over the Craftsman is the $20 savings. Unfortunately, that still leaves it at an $80 price which doesn't make up for a balky base attachment, minimal features and less-than-perfect visibility. One caution about the Ryobi (and the Craftsman clone) is that the collet is an integral part of the motor shaft. If you wear out the collet on one of these, you can't easily or affordably replace it. The Ryobi trimmer comes with the standard base and an oversized woodworking base. Also included is a flush-trimming bit with bearings. No accessory-base kit is available. PW ryobitools.com or 800-525-2579 TRIM ROUTERS TRIM ROUTERS
* Prices from Amazon .com where available. **Opening sized for template guide. WHAT'S NEXT? As trim routers begin to gain respect as routers, not just trimmers, it's natural to consider where they're headed as a category. If you compare the differences between the recently redesigned Bosch trim router and the dated but functional Grizzly trimmer, you can see that things are changing. While the addition of better depth-of-cut adjustment, better visibility and improved bit changing are very much welcome, there's more to come. One of the features that makes trim routers appealing to me is the addition of specialty bases giving the trim routers more versatility than standard routers. So why not add another base to the mix? We welcome the plunge base for trim routers. There are a couple of examples of smaller routers with plunge bases such as the Grizzly H2854 ($69.65) shown at right and the Dremel plunge-base attachment. The Grizzly (and other similar models) uses a grinder motor body giving it a different feel than a true router, but you still get the benefits of a plunge base in a smaller router. The Dremel almost works, but while acceptable power is a concern for trim routers, it's even more so for rotary-style tools when used as a router. Not to worry. Just last year MicroFence introduced a Portable Three Axis Mill designed to bring precision plunging capabilities to a selection of trim routers as an accessory. We've tested the mill (April The Grizzly H2854 offers plunge-base convenience in a trim router size. 2006, issue #154) and it's very precise and a nice addition to a trim router. It's also a bit of an expense - at $400, the accessory is four-times the cost of most of the routers in the test. For those interested in a more affordable option, manufacturers such as Bosch are looking at adding a plunge base to their trim router line. We're glad to hear it and as soon as we have more information we'll pass it along to you. — DT 80 Popular Woodworking June 2006 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
