Anyone know about routers?

Hi All,

I am looking to buy a router to put some grooves into the wood I am using for my greenhouse/grow house project. Any tips on what to look for? Anything to steer clear of. I was going to have it done at the timber mill I am purchasing the timber from, but it is going to cost nearly £150 so I thought a router would be a cheaper option.

Rusty

 

I'm on the lookout for a new router too, rusty. I'm tossing up between BT and Sky at the moment; one of my son's suggested O2, but, I'm not convinced I've only got few short weeks left to make the switch and it's a veritable minefield!

 

I actually thought the same as Mum..........

 

Bless yer heart

 

Thought about hiring one. Anything between £10 and £15 a day. So I thought about buying one as I don't want to rush the job and mess it up. I have seen the for around £40, but not sure if they are any good. I will also need to hire it again to do the roof as I am not entirely sure of the exact size of the roof until the rest of the structure is built. So I could end up spending more on hire costs than it would cost to buy one in the first place.

Rusty

 

Even with 2 days work, a hire would be less of an investment than a purchase. A days hire would give you some wiggle room to "practise" on some old wood before taking the plunge into your chosen project.

As for not being entirely sure of the exact size of the roof, it may pay you time and money to calculate that on paper first (if you have the time vs money vs hire vs purchase).

 

Aldi were selling them for £24.99 a couple of weeks ago.

 

Hi Rusty what about getting a trimmer instead ? the cutters are chippers and plus it all depend on what you looking to do with it?
One of the lighter one is makita , 1/4 inch cutter , not the new model but try to buy the old one .
in case you are still up to buy a router the best one is dewalt 1/2 inch , do not get the 3/4 inch .....but that is a pro tool and the cutters will be really expencive , but again it all depend what you want to do.
De Walt in action

MAKITA TRIMMER

 

I'm tending to think if you have a lot of grooves to run it might be best to invest in a router table as well.
Turns the router upside down, and into a mini spindle moulder.

When doing long grooves it much easier if the router stay still and you push the timber passed it.

Dont go for a cheap one, and we really need more info on size of grooves and quantity before suggesting the best alternative.

 

I use 1/4" and 1/2" routers on an almost daily basis, but rather than recommend one to you I reckon that the best bet could just be to take your wood to a local joinery shop and get them to run it through a spindle moulder.

 

I `ve got 4 qualified joiners at work and they still don`t have a clue of how to use it , not to say how dangerous the 1/2 inch can be.
For the money you will spend and the use you will do it , take the wood to your local joiner , a spindle or a cnc will do all the job for you .

 

Sal a qualified joiner that dont know how to use a router, is a liability.