Having a workshop and spending a lot of time in it can eventually lead to some health issues if you cut a lot of wood.  For a while I was cutting a lot of MDF and as most people know the MDF creates small little fibers that float around.  These can be irritating if you breathe them in over a long period of time. I was using the MDF because I had a nice run of production on some children’s tables and the MDF was ideally suited for the job.  However after a while I noticed that just wearing a respirator was not going to cut it.

I also used a dust collection system to my shop and still had a lot of airborne dust.  I thought about adding the overhead units that Jet and Grizzly make just for the purpose of catching dust.  Those units did not really work for me and the cost was somewhat prohibitive.  I considered some dedicated air purifiers that I found online.  The XL tower professional air purifer seemed like a pretty good option, plenty powerful and had some good reviews, but maybe a tad to pricey for what I had in mind.  Plus I am not sure if the workshop would do more damage to the unit than it would do in helping my problem.

Finally I did choose a Proshield Plus Air purifier by Orek.  The Orek brand seems reputable and it seemed like it would be a good unit.  However I did not stick it in my shop, I ended up putting it in the living room.  After a lot of head scratching I figured that I could make my own Air filtration unit system from an old furnace fan that I had and some heavy duty filters, this way I could change out the filters and my fan only cost me twenty bucks.  It was a pretty good decision and it hangs from the shop ceiling.  The best part is I only hit my head on it once.

This is the model Air Filtration unit that I copied and used for my design.  I made mine with scrap 1/2″ plywood.

A lot of people have asked this question.  I am partial to fixed based routers for router tables.  Does this mean you cannot use a plunge router in a router table?  The answer would be you can use a plunge router, but it does have some drawbacks that a fixed base router does not.  I am sure if you asked 10 people you would get ten different answers.  The key would be to ask ten people that have both types of routers, that would give you the best answer.  I will include a poll over time that will help with this dilema and help gather information over time.  There is also a good article about the subject of routers for router tables here.

I know what your thinking, this is not a router or a router table.  However when you see something that is totally unique you just have to step outside the mold a bit and give credit where credit is due.  My friend Dave and I were checking out IWF this year in Atlanta and we ran across this beauty.  It is an antique Whitney planer and the salesman had such an interesting story about this tool that I just had to share it.  Turns out this was one of those American Pickers type of stories since the planer was recovered underneath a tarp in an old barn in the middle of nowhere.  The machine screams old school quality and you can just tell it was built to last.

If you were up close you could see the amazing cast iron and steel parts that are just so thick and heavy duty.  I would imagine there are a bunch of old tool guru’s that would just die to get their hands on this.  1835 was a good year.

Router table lifts are very popular right now.  There are several brands out there and they all seem to cost in the same general price range.  People are really buying them up pretty fast.  In my opinion you do not always need one.  Consider the type of routing you will be doing and let that help you figure out whether you should buy one or not.  If you spend the majority of your time on the router table, then maybe it’s a good idea.  If you only use your table for edge profiling stock, then you might put your $300 bucks to a better purchase.  If you are advanced in your skills then buying a lift is a natural way to improve and make your woodworking more time effective.

Another great video by the woodwhisperer.

I thought this was a great video about how new woodworker does their tool reviews.  I really like the part about if you think you are going to get a thousand dollars worth of value out of a $200 tool.  Its pretty short so have a look.

I would say that this is a loaded question.  I am a big believer in having as many router bits as possible.  If you can afford it, more is best.  If you cannot then sometimes its best to find a nice collection that is sold in a set.  These sets often times give you a little bit of everything.  This can be great if you are doing some work that calls for a round over or flush trim bit.  You will not get away from having to go and buy additional bits entirely since there are always times when you need something special.  Other woodworkers build their collection as they need them.  They only buy what the project that they are working on requires.  This takes a bit longer to build a collection but it more cost effective.

Most woodworkers are on a budget, so going out and buying all the tools for your dream shop is not a reality.  Sometimes buying used tools can be a great option for increasing your shops offerings.  I love to find stuff at garage sales and on craigslist.  When I am at garage sales I find that finding a decent tool usually falls into two categories.  It’s a decent tool at a great price because the seller usually has no idea what it is or they have good tools and are priced really high.  Occasionally you can find someone that is moving and just wants to clear everything out, but that is not usually the case.  Look at the seller, if you feel comfortable with the tool brand and the fact that it may not look that beat up, take a chance.

I occasionally buy tools on craigslist.  These tend to be a bit higher since the sellers are not as desperate as garage sale sellers.  I have found some pretty cool stuff over the years and the offerings are always changing, which makes looking for them fun.

The one place I do not buy is from pawn shops.  The tools that are for sale in most pawn shops are so beat up that I can never see myself paying for one.  Another factor is pawn shops always seem to want some crazy price for the tool.  Most of the time I could buy the same tool brand new, for the same price.  I know they want to add some haggle room, but I prefer not to have to go through that.

FAQ about Router base plates

Question:  Do I keep my routers base plate attached to the router when I mount it to the router table insert plate?

Answer:  When you are upgrading to a router table insert plate you do not need the routers base plate.  Take that base plate off and if you are drilling your own plate, it can be used to mark the holes for your router.  After that you will not need it, the router table insert plate takes its place.  If you do take the router out of the table and off of the plate, you will want to be able to put it back onto the router.  A lot of woodworkers only have one router, so they make take it out of the router table to do some freehand work in which you would want to have that base plate handy and ready to mount.

Specifications

• 2-horsepower variable speed motor delivers 8,000- to 24,000-RPM for quick cuts
• Rack-and-pinion design for simple, accurate depth adjustment
• Efficient dust-removal system separates router from competitors
• Electronic feedback prevents motor from slowing during tricky jobs
• Includes 1/4- and 1/2-inch collets, wrench

Comparison Shopping

Other Resources

DW 621

Pluses – Has a good motor, spins almost like a dentist drill. Good plunge action. I like its size. Good speed control. Good dust collection.

Poor quality, short life

Great design features

Nice router, short life

Almost satisfied

Great Router with Few Shortcomings

Sweeeeet!!!

Best Router For The Money

Quality control problems

Still Great After 3 Years

Look No Further

great item

Hardware city, $266.67

Replacement Parts