Popular Woodworking 2007-06 № 162, страница 36

Spindle locks sound convenient, but they all had problems. The Ridgid (left) was easy to operate, but in the way when changing bases. The DeWalt was difficult to press in.

The large cast wrench of the Milwaukee (right) made for easy bit tightening. The thin stamped wrench of the Makita (left) tended to slip off the nut.

Most of the magazine tool reviews I read seem kind of silly. I don't need a chart comparing motor amperage draw and I don't care to see a router rigged up with weights and pulleys. I want to know what it's like to hold the tool and cut wood with it.

When the nine routers arrived in my shop, I put them to work, comparing them side by side. I looked at what was important to me, and I tried to push them to their limits. Any of these routers will do typical router work. I was looking for the one I would want to keep, and those I'd avoid.

I compared the most common tasks first. What was it like to change a bit? Was it easy to reach the switch? Did the motor vibrate too much and was the plunge mechanism easy to use? Then I looked at the finer points, the little things that make a router easier or better to use.

Bit Tightening

Tightening the bit in the collet is to me one of the most important design considerations. Every professional woodworker I know has had a router bit move while it's in use - a dangerous and maddening situation. I want to be sure that the collet is tight on the bit, and I want

bit changing to be painless.

There are two systems in use. The first employs two wrenches, and the second uses one wrench and a button that locks the tool's spindle. I prefer the two wrenches because I can easily get the bit as tight as I want it. The spindle-lock systems are convenient because you need only one wrench, but I think it's difficult to get a lot of torque on the nut due to the way your hands are positioned while depressing the spindle lock. The spindle locks also show wear and

tear quickly; the hole can become egg-shaped and the button can break or stick. All the routers in the test with spindle locks showed some wear after testing.

Among all the routers, the Milwaukee is the best of the group when it comes to bit changing, with two large nuts and two cast wrenches that are the same size and length. This lets me tighten or loosen the collet by squeezing the two wrenches in one hand. The wrenches and nuts are also sized to make aligning them incred

ibly easy. Next easiest were the Bosch and the Craftsman. They both have nice wrenche s that are easy to align and don't slip, but they were harder to torque down because one wrench was smaller to fit on the motor shaft rather than on a second nut.

The Hitachi is similar to the Bosch but its wrenches are stamped metal rather than cast. The Makita also comes with stamped wrenches. It has one thin nut and one thick nut, which makes it hard to get the wrenches

The switch on the DeWalt is in an easy-to-locate, and easy-to-operate position.

For some switches, such as on this Makita, it's necessary to remove one hand from the router to reach the switch.

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Popular Woodworking June 2007