The 2 amp Bosch router with Freud bits carved through the plywood like butter. The laminate bit took care of all the protruding edges and I had a lot of fun with the round-over bit. Even routed a cool flared port on the front baffle of the cabinet. The port was extended behind the baffle with a couple of wooden blocks.

Aside from the router, there was a couple of other things I discoved on this project. 600 and 800 grit sandpaper do make a difference. If you work your way through the 100, 150, and 220 grit to the 600 and 800 stuff, you get a finish like glass. The second thing I discovered was varnish paste. I'm never picking up a brush again. This stuff worked just like car wax. Rub it on, and wipe off excess. Let it dry for about an hour and buff with a buffing cloth. No dust or brush marks. Brilliant!

I've added a few photos to the OnePi library.

Gar.

• Click on One PI

I have a lot of router questions and this is a good lede for them.

Some say you have to have a plunge router while others will
favor fixed base.

If I wanted to mount the router on a router base for doing
shaping work of edges I'd need a fixed base.

But if I were using the Jasper jig to make cutouts I would
need a plunge.

Then there's the combo ones with interchangeable fixed/
plunge base.

As a starter tool, I want to get the simplest and cheapest
possible for the sort of light duty stuff I'd want to do.

Hopefully Father's Day will produce some sale merchandise.

So what kind of tips do you all have?

- The particular model received best value and readers' choice in a recent tools review issue of Fine Woodworking. The sales guy also also recommended the Bosch unit. I know I shouldn't select equipment based on magazine reviews, but since I don't have the opportunity to test various models, I have to rely on something.

- You can always use a plunge router as a fixed base, but you can't use a fixed base rounter as a plunge. Mind you, a plunge router is larger and a bit more ackward to install into a table than its fixed base counterpart, but it's not impossible to do. So the decision between fixed-base and plunge was an easy one for me.

- The idea of interchangable base was very appealing to me. Two routers for the price of one! But after picking a number of different models up, I found the ergonomics of them compromised. Dedicated plunge rounters had features that an interchangable plunge didn't have. Because most of my work will be done in a plunging setup, the dedicated plunge made sense.

- Some of the features that sold me on my unit were: A trigger-style on-off switch right on the grip handle; no need to take your hands off. Plunge lock right by your thumb. Micro-plunge adjustment. Variable speed (some Dewalt units are still fixed speed). Soft start, so the router doesn't torque in your hand.

About getting a cheap unit, I've never reget getting more tool than I need. But I've experience plenty of frustration with cheap tools. Nothing kills the joy of a project faster than tools that are slow or don't work. Besides, a router's a very versatile tool, and once you get one, you'll find plenty of used for it. This coming from a guy who bought his first a week a go ;-)

BTW, invest in quality bits. You'll need them if you plan on chewing through material like 1" MFD. I've played around with my buddy's "cheap" bits on my router before I bough my own and there's a big difference between speed and quality of cut.

Gar.

I recently bought a Bosch 1613.

For my money, the difference between the 690 and the Bosch is the difference between a broken baseball bat and a Purdy shotgun. I love the hell out of the Bosch.

FWIW, a plunge router is a fixed base router if you don't plunge with it ;-)

Bill

My preference is for a fixed base so the fact that the
Jasper will work with a fixed base is helpful.

On my tool quest yesterday I picked up a light weight
Black and Decker Workmate. Don't get excited... this
is the model 115 and cost $15 plus tax.

I have no shop and don't work with tools regularly. I
also don't put workmates together regularly, so I wanted one
with maybe fewer parts to practice on. Same goes for
routers: an inexpensive one means that if I am no good at it,
smaller investment made.

There is the old wisdom from the pool hall: you should
never buy a pool cue with money other than that which you've
already won.

I have the wait and see attitude toward tool investment.

So a $15 dollar workmate ought to go well with a $50 router.
The first bit I'll need is a chamfer. My current project
I call the Jim Beams. This is because they are the shape of
the gift carton a Christmas bottle of booze comes in. The
design is by J. Krutke and uses a single Tangband W3-871S.

First problem I noticed is that the 3" cutout I have for the
driver made with a 3" hole saw rather than a jig leaves
little room for the terminals at the rear. The problem
migth have been alleviated if I had used 1/2 baffle thickness
rather than 3/4 but I only had one size stock to use.

A chamfer would relieve the backside and is also
recommended by Mr. Krutke.

I figure I can set up outside of where I live since
it's summer with the small workmate.

I'm appreciative of all who have replied to this. But my
progress is pretty slow.

I suppose one of the reasons everything goes so slow is:
I have one set of flat packs and any misstep just about
kills the project and whatever investment in materials
and tools.

One handy part of having a 3" hole cutter is it can be
used for the front (speaker cutout) and the back (terminal
cups are 3" too.) And so it goes. I should be rabetting
the baffles for flush mount as well. It is considered a
requirement of the design. And not much play for screw
mounting those little 3" Tangbands. I am doing a practice
mount for all these things: an open baffle that can also be used
for break-in using the technique of running white noise
through the speaks at high volume in a sealed and damped
container.

When doing this procedure it'd be handy to have a small safe
with wire leads drilled in the back. :-)