How many routers is enough??

slpower01

I was reading an article on how many routers people think is enough.... and I think the majority of people commenting were American as most were using "porter cable" routers.... but some people had 25 - 30 routers.... and some thought that each cutter should have its own router.

Now I don't know if its just me but 20 routers seems a bit over the top...

I myself have 3, One in a modified powercraft router table for site use, a big half inch hand held router for kitchen countertops and heavy work, and a smaller handheld quarter inch for doing stuff like hinges and lock plates.

What do you guys have?

recipio

The problem is the more gadgets you acquire , the more routers you need. I have a router table, a woodrat ( dovetailer ) and a router lathe. Its too much hassle moving routers between these so I invested in a dedicated router for each. Add to that are the usual trimming routers and they mount up. ( my wife asks why I can't take up a cheap hobby like golf ! )
My only mistake was buying a cheap router once ( a Trend T4 ) which is so rough its unusable. I stick to Makita now which I find are ultra refined and well worth the price.

slpower01

recipio wrote: »

The problem is the more gadgets you acquire , the more routers you need. I have a router table, a woodrat ( dovetailer ) and a router lathe. Its too much hassle moving routers between these so I invested in a dedicated router for each. Add to that are the usual trimming routers and they mount up. ( my wife asks why I can't take up a cheap hobby like golf ! )
My only mistake was buying a cheap router once ( a Trend T4 ) which is so rough its unusable. I stick to Makita now which I find are ultra refined and well worth the price.

Coming from a golfing family it isn't that cheap ha.. initial joining fee then yearly fees of over 1200, weekly comp fees and the price of the latest gear (which they all need)... My 3 routers are all cheap.. I had a big 1/2inch dewalt that got stolen and didn't have the money to replace that with a lot of my tools... What I use now is a Parkside, a powercraft and a sip 1/2 inch.... The powercraft I think ill always keep in my collection for its lightness... I just leave an 12mm straight cutter in it for hinges and lock faces. The sip will prob end up a dedicated table router eventually... I used one of the quarter inch makitas before and thought it was very good but I guess like most tools it all depends on what blades/cutters you use with it.

recipio

I'd be afraid to add up the cost of my tools although it's taken me 20 years to acquire them - a lot more than 20 years golfing !
Its worth springing for a good router - they should give a lifetime's service.

slpower01

recipio wrote: »

I'd be afraid to add up the cost of my tools although it's taken me 20 years to acquire them - a lot more than 20 years golfing !
Its worth springing for a good router - they should give a lifetime's service.

It's one of those tools I don't use that often but when the time comes for it ill splash out on a decent one again... I'd say the average carpenters van/shed is worth at least 20k without big machinery when you think of the price of good chisels and hand planes and then even saw blades.

1chippy

slpower01 wrote: »

It's one of those tools I don't use that often but when the time comes for it ill splash out on a decent one again... I'd say the average carpenters van/shed is worth at least 20k without big machinery when you think of the price of good chisels and hand planes and then even saw blades.

I got clipped twice 26k and they didnt even touch a chisel, they actually ran out of space on a plant trailer.
3-4 routers are loads, use a spindle mainly when i can, new question is how many spindles?

slpower01

1chippy wrote: »

I got clipped twice 26k and they didnt even touch a chisel, they actually ran out of space on a plant trailer.
3-4 routers are loads, use a spindle mainly when i can, new question is how many spindles?

As a site carpenter a spindle is something I'd love but just don't have the use for it or money. One day maybe a big router table would probably be more suitable for myself though I've been eyeing up some nice looking ones but they can be very expensive with all the add ons :O