What to look for in a Dewalt Router
Posted by Katy | Toolstop on 9th Apr 2021
Have you ever wondered what to look for in a dewalt router? Features, specification etc? This Toolstop guide has been designed to help you find your perfect Dewalt 18V Router
Have you ever wondered what to look for in a dewalt router? Features, Specification? Well, this Toolstop guide has been designed to help you find your perfect Dewalt Router. We explain all from Dewalt 18V Routers and Cordless Dewalt Routers to help you gain the info needed to make up your mind before purchase.
Dewalt Routers - Which is best?
The whole point of technology is to apply scientific knowledge to practical purposes. That’s why power tool manufacturers pay the ladies and gents in white lab coats the big bucks; to research and develop science that can make the jobs we do easier.
And that’s accomplished through the technology built into power tools.
Routing wood is much easier than it was 10 years ago, thanks to the technology applied to the job of routing. The bit will spin faster and more accurately in the collet, the cuts will come quicker, cleaner and straighter, and the router will be lighter, but incongruently, more powerful in your hand.
DeWalt is a power tool manufacturer that is clearly investing in science and are passing the research onto end users in the form of the technology they’re building into their range of routers.
So, what should you be looking for when choosing a router from DeWalt?
At this point, you may want to pause and listen to wood routing expert Ron Fox. He spoke to us on the Toolstop Podcast about routers and the common misconceptions people have about them and what to be on the lookout for when buying one. You can listen to it here.
The first thing to consider is fixed or plunge base.
If size is paramount, such as for trimming laminates or doing quick cuts in wood, then a fixed base is what you’ll be after, such as the DeWalt DC28200.
It has a 100mm fixed base, coupled with an 8mm (1/4 inch) collet, and although it may look small and dinky (which it is), it’s packed with features, such as variable speed to allow you to fine tune the cutting speed so as not to burn the material you’re cutting, full wave electronic speed control, which is a bit like cruise control in your car, aluminium motor housing and twin LED lights which will illuminate your workspace. It also fits easily in the palm of your hand, allowing you to work with it one-handed.
One of the great features of this particular router is the afore mentioned aluminium motor housing. With a twist, you can remove the router motor from the 100mm D-base (fixed) and slot it into an optional extra plunge base.
Plunge base routers are capable of more varieties of cuts than a fixed base.
Plunge routers are best for grooves, mortises, template pattern work, stopped dadoes, and through cuts. However, the drawbacks are it’s top heavy and the handles are harder to adjust and manoeuvre.
The Dewalt D26204K 1/4in Combination Plunge & Fixed Base Router, in essence, is the same router, with the same technology and benefits, as the DC28200, but utilises the aluminium motor housing “can”, allowing you go from a fixed base router to a plunge base router with a mere twist of the motor housing.
With any plunge router, you’re going to want to pay attention to the handles the machine is fitted with, and the accessories it comes with.
The handles, because you need to have a secure, firm-but-comfortable grip of the router as you plunge and cut, and the accessories because you want to be able to put the router into as many applications as possible.
In the case of the D26804K, you’ll notice it’s fitted with over moulded rubber on the handles and comes with a nice package of accessories.
Every power tool manufacturer has a “hero” product, the sort of tool that is their flagship piece in an application range.
In DeWalt’s case, we would point to their DW625EK variable speed plunge router as their “hero” product, borne out of the Elu versions which have been the tradesperson’s router of choice for years. This router is going to cut into wood, plastics and aluminium. And thanks to its electronic speed control, you’re ensured that the same fine finish is achieved in all grades of timber, aluminium and plastics. Technology, once again, makes this possible. DeWalt have created “full wave electronic control” that maintains the speed you selected at the start of the cut, all the way to the end of the cut.
The accuracy of the depth of your plunge routing is achieved via the fine adjustments on the magnified scale, and like the DW622K, you have the benefit of phosphor bronze bushes, the smoothness of the plunge being controlled by twin plunge columns. As before, the handles on the DW625EK have rubber over moulding, but are off-set, allowing you even better control over the router while you work.
A key benefit of the DW625EK is that you can fit it into a router table, essentially giving you two tools for the price of one.
We hope this guide has taught you more about some of Dewalts most popular Routers. Here at Toolstop, we stock a range of Dewalt 18V Routers, Dewalt Cordless Routers and Dewalt Electric Routers. No matter what you're looking for, we are sure to be able to help!