Router Madness!

[@CharliesUnimogWorkshop]

Thanks for your detailed comment! I don't actually do that much woodwork. My usual artistic medium is steel, either by machining or welding / fabrication. Thus, the chaotic look of my woodshop! If I can't get the result I'm after with this project using the pile of spinny things I have, I will definitely be using your advice. Thank you!!

[@CharlesHooper2001]

I own quite a few routers, all Bosch, Porter Cable, and Milwaukee, with the oldest that I bought new being the 34 year old Bosch 3 1/4 HP plunge router, and a 33 year old Milwaukee 2 HP router. In the mid to late 1980s I bought a Craftsman 1 1/2 HP router - that router only supports 1/4" router bits, and its collet features an automatic depth adjustment feature due to an engineering design defect. Once I ruined a couple of boards due to that feature, I bought the Milwaukee 2 HP router and threw out the Craftsman. I still use that Milwaukee 2 HP router in one of my router tables, and since it lacks a built-in speed control, when I had to use a large diameter bit in the router table, I bought a third party speed control unit for the router that was able to slow the router's speed to 10,000 to 12,000 RPM. You showed a large diameter router bit - those bits are not designed to operate at speeds higher than 10,000 to 12,000 RPM. Hopefully, the Bosch router that you showed had a speed control dial. If you are looking for a new router, take a look at buying a 2 1/4 HP Milwaukee body grip router. I bought one of those new this year to go along with my 1 3/4 HP Milwaukee body grip router - the 2 1/4 HP router has a built-in speed control and a bit more power. If you are looking for a medium duty plunge router, Bosch makes a 1617EVS router kit that comes with a 2 1/4 HP router, a plunge base, and a fixed base. Amazon was selling that kit for $169 a few days ago, but the price jumped up to $199, and will likely go back up around $230 soon. The depth of plunge offered by the 1617EVS router is shorter than what is offered by Bosch's 3 1/4 HP plunge routers - that might be important if you need to create deep mortises. If you are looking for another router, don't overlook EBay - I might have bought more than 12 routers from EBay sellers this year. You need to make certain that the seller's pictures show both a 1/2" collet and 1/4" collet, along with the collet wrenches, as those might cost around $30 each to replace, if you are able to find a source for the parts.