Hand Router

I Have two routers, one is the Bosch Colt Palm Router with the plunge base and Edge Guide.  The other is a Porter Cable 2 1/4 Horse Router I keep in my router lift.  Both of these have been excellent machines for what I need them to do.  

Excellent Router for Beginners

If you are new to power tools and might be a little intimidated by a hand held router, you can’t really go wrong with a palm router.  I would consider this a perfect “girl” router, or for teens who are just starting, it’s not going to jerk out of your hand when you start it up and feel like you have too much HP to handle, but at the same time it has the capability to do everything I want with a hand router.  When I need to use a larger bit, I use my Porter Cable at the router table.

Colt with Plunge Base and Edge Guide

Setting the depth on plunge base

Don’t forget the Plunge Base

The Bosch is the only one I’ve tried, but there are many others to choose from.  I would STRONGLY recommend choosing one with a plunge base.  This makes setting the depth of dados and other cuts accurate and easy.  You can also do multiple passes to get to your correct depth without readjusting anything.  Seriously worth it!  The Router comes with a small edge guide, I also bought the larger one for a more stable cut and adjustability.

Here is a video of how these work together.  It’s a little dry, but he walks you through most of the basic functions: Colt Router Plunge Base

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