plunge router use vs fixed base

[rickd]

just curious what everyone uses a plunge base router for instead of just using the fixed base?

i have a pc890 router with a fixed base and a plunge base. i normally have the fixed base attached to my router table and use the plunge base for mobile routing. with the pc 890 series i can adjust the height of the bit from above the table so that works great.

i had the fixed base unit out of my table last week while i was moving it and decided to use it to cut some roundovers - i found it quite a bit easier to handle than the larger plunge unit. i then cut some rabbets and dados with the same result - the depth measurement was easy too - just use the dial - it too seemed easier than adjusting the 'lever' on the plunge unit.

so, that got me wondering again about what and why one would specifically use(or require) a plunge base router for? i know there are advantages to it - for one i can leave the fixed base attached to the router table - but, i could always have another fixed base too.

any info and examples are greatly appreciated!

[cabinetman]

I have the same router and bases, and I think I used the plunge once. Bought a second fixed base to keep on the router. Those procedures that require a "start" and "stop" I would just tip in or tip out, no big deal. I just made sure I was into the path a bit before lowering down. The plunge feature is good for single or multiple holes, like shelf clips, but I just got used to brad point drill bits. A drill is lighter than a router.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[LCHIEN]

I think a lot of people put the plunge bases intot heir table because they prefer using the fixed base for handheld routing.

But the plunge base in the table is not so great, it hard to adjust up and down beacuse the springs work the wrong direction.

I find the plunge base is harder to use than the fixed base, hand held, simply because the plunge base is larger and bulkier.

The time its advantageous to use the plunge base, IMO, is for hand-held work where you can't cut your way in from the outside of the board - interior cuts. For instance, lettering templates, template cutouts round or square, internal grooves, etc. Also drill-press-like operations. where you are using a template to drill a series of holes. Before plunge bases, to start an interior cut, you had to hold the router bit off the work[iece to start the motor, then place the edge of the base against the guide and "Tip" the bit in - a little awkward but it works. The plunge router makes it much easier in this respect.

[drumpriest]

Mortising, that's my main plunge base use.

[bigsteel15]

I think that the plunge base, besides the obvious ease of doing multi-pass operations and plunge cuts is also a safety issue.
When I took a beginner router class at LV, the instructor was very adamant that plunge was the way to go mainly for the reason that the bit is raised clear of the base after the operation was completed so you can safely put the router down on a work surface.
I personally don't 100% agree.
I think it depends on the router size and your comfort level using a "less sturdy" plunge base. A fixed base router is obviously designed for handheld use based on always having lower handles. It's just not as simple for multiple passes.

[rickd]

loring,

thanks very much for that explanation - and to the others who replied, it's helped me to understand this a whole lot better. the fixed base router just felt a whole lot more comfortable, and easier, to use than the bulker plunge base. plus, with the fixed base on my pc router, i have access to 2 on/off switches - one top, one bottom - with the plunge base only the top is accessible - and more difficult.

i guess i had read somewhere that i should put my fixed base in my router table and use the plunge for everything else(maybe that's what porter-cable recommends and i may have read it there). in any event, i think i will end up just using the plunge base for 'interior' cuts as loring was mentioning - that seems to make a whole lot more sense to me.

[vaking]

Fixed based is recommended for everything that does not require a plunge action. Fixed base is lighter, has a lower center of gravity and is more stable than plunge base. Stopped groves and dado, jig for shelf holes are typical use for plunge base, everything else is supposed to be better with fixed base. When you share one router between hand-held and table the ease of switching enters the equasion. I have a dedicated 2-base kit for hand use only and fixed base gets much more use plunge. Even a set of dados for a bookshelf is easier to do with fixed if that dado is not stopped.

[LCHIEN]

loring,

thanks very much for that explanation - and to the others who replied, it's helped me to understand this a whole lot better. the fixed base router just felt a whole lot more comfortable, and easier, to use than the bulker plunge base. plus, with the fixed base on my pc router, i have access to 2 on/off switches - one top, one bottom - with the plunge base only the top is accessible - and more difficult.

i guess i had read somewhere that i should put my fixed base in my router table and use the plunge for everything else(maybe that's what porter-cable recommends and i may have read it there). in any event, i think i will end up just using the plunge base for 'interior' cuts as loring was mentioning - that seems to make a whole lot more sense to me.

You're welcome. And BTW that's why I finally popped and bought a third base - a table base - to mount my router in the table instead of using the fixed base or the plunge base!