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The Craftsman 27680 kit is reportedly a cousin of the Bosch 1617, and looks like a lot of router for the money. Do some searching and you can probably find a coupon for $20 or so off, especially if you join their Shop Your Way club. Worthy machine. I don't think i'd be a buyer of any of the rest of their routers, but that's my opinion.
earlComment
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aside from the general shape and arrangement motor on top, removable base, two handles on the side etc. which is shared with just about every ~2.5 HP removable base router out there, this does not look like it shares any parts or specific design or genetic material (that would be required to make it a Cousin) with the Bosch 1617 with which I'm very familiar. You might have said it is similar in construction to the Bosch, and the Dewalt and the Makita and the Porter cables and the Hitachi and the Ridgid and the Ryobi models.
If it was made by Bosch it would have a 135 or 130 prefix on the part number, several web pages call that a 009-27680 router.Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-02-2014, 07:57 PM.
Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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So this wouldn't be worth getting for $67.93 ?
http://www.searsoutlet.com/14-amp-2-...ectionType=allComment
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I'm not saying its not a good router, I really don't know. I think the Bosch 1617evsPK, the Porter Cable 893PK and the Dewalt DW618PK and perhaps the Hitachi KM12VC are the leaders in the combo router market in terms of quality and features.
Here's someone else's opinion. These are in the range of $200 - I can understand if you don't want to spend that much as a beginner. But these are the ones you should aspire to.
As for the Sears outlet pages - they are notorious for listing a low price such as $67.93 but there will be only one store in the entire US that has one for sale at that price. Good luck in getting to it! It asks you to enter your zip code and it will tell you the prices of the ones near you and they will be $169. or whatever. I've been very excited by those Sears outlet prices before and they're unattainable and for that matter untrackable since you have to guess the right zipcode.Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-03-2014, 08:06 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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OK, first, you don't need a router to make this bench. A jig saw will cut the curve. How quickly depends on the saw. If your jig saw has orbital action it should work pretty well. If it only goes straight up and down, it will be frustrating, especially in hardwood and especially if it is thick.
I think the ends are 1 inch thick so if you use 3/4 it will look a little different. Up to you if it will bother you. 3/4 should be strong enough.
If you want to get a router, and everybody needs at least one, I recommend a Porter Cable 690. I have two (and several others). Your first router should be a mid-sized. It will do everything but isn't the best at using big or little bits. Whether you need 4+ routers depends on how deeply you get into the hobby. It is nice to have both a fixed and plunge base so a lot of us buy a combo package with one motor and both a fixed and plunge base. With a spiral upcut bit, a plunge router makes good mortises. Any cut which will be stopped and/or started within the piece is a canidate for a plunge base. But normal roundover or pattern work is a little easier with the fixed base. I saw a PC690 for $110 with a fixed base and the combos seemed to start about $200.
The key thing about the router is not the size of the motor it's the chuck. If the Sears unit you illustrate is the Bosch clone, it is a good router. Examining the chuck will tell you. Cheap routers have a chuck that is part of the motor shaft. They slip on the bit ruining the wood. Good routers have good chucks that hold more than the motor can put out. If you take apart a Bosch, DeWalt, Porter Cable or Milwaukee chuck you will see what you're looking for. You can do it without tools on a display model. Or you can google "router chucks" and get illustrations.
Good luck.Comment
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Orbital action is for jig saws and sanders, not routers. Bosch is my favorite jig saw but I also use my Ryobi 18V and it would do this job (and it's a lot cheaper).Comment
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Here is a another quick question ,
Has any one use the router mounting kit on there BT3000 and what other routers work with this kit besides the Ryobi router?Comment
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almost any router will work, you just have to drill a pattern for the base to mount to the adapter plate. USually you can take the scuff plate off the router and use it as a template to mark and then drill the adapter plate. It's aluminum and drill really easily, just use a center punch to make a starting dimple and maybe work your way up in drill sizes so it won't walk on you. A sharp bit will work best - the aluminum should come off in long skinny spiral strips and not little tiny chips.
Countersink the top of the adapter plate (opposite side of the router) to recess flat head mounting screws.
The hard part is centering the large hole in your router's base over the other large hole in the adapter plate. There are various means to do this.
If you screw up, or want the router controls in a different place, rotate the router a few degrees and make a new set of holes... they won't even show after the router is installed on the aux table.
I mounted my Bosch 1617evs this way. I would say ultimately this is not the best router table. I eventually built another table for myself (larger, with a miterslot, pivot pin hole and multiple fence options). If you have a spare router, you can keep a roundover bit in your BT3 ready at all times - this is handy.
A lot of this and probably more detail is in the BT3 FAQ I think you got.Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-06-2014, 06:48 AM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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what router do fit the mounting kit ? are they any good for a first timer to use to get started in this hobby in wood working.Comment
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depends which mounting kit version you have. THere's the old version with four holes around the big hole and there's the newer version with 7 holes surrounding the big hole.
look at the two smaller PDF files I posted here to see the two different plates.
which one do you have?Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-07-2014, 06:45 PM.Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
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I would not buy a router specifically because you could mount it to the BT3100 plate without drilling holes for several reasons. First, I tried mounting a router this way and didn't like it. There is a lot of vibration. I much prefer the router in a wooden extension table and my ultimate is my router table. Second, the routers which will fit are, I believe, all Ryobi routers. I use a Ryobi motor in my router table but it is an old model no longer sold. I'm not sure Ryobi sells what I would consider to be a good enough router these days. Lastly, it is very easy to drill the table for a good router. If you decide you don't like that as the router table you still have a good router.Comment
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Back to the original post......As much as I like new toys, I mean tools, you really don't NEED a router to do this bench. If it was me, I would glue a 3 inch wide strip of 3/4 pine to the bottom edge of the panels. Then use a jigsaw with a nice new fine toothed blade to cut the arches in the pine. Save the cutoffs and use these as sanding pads to sand the edges smooth.
This would probably be faster than the whole pattern / router / sand to edge method. Plus cheaper too.sigpicComment
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