router tool
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in this video we will look at this chinese trim router a collection of router bits that came with a set we’ll try out all the bits and see how they perform we’ll create a tabletop jig we’ll even make a cactus planter box and finally we’ll compare this with my other low-cost already trim router i’ll be covering some basic information on this router and the various router bits that came along with it if you are not a beginner woodworker this video may seem a bit too basic for you so please feel free to skip this one and come back on my next video now the number one question everyone would have is the ergonomics and the ease of use of these kind of trim routers we will cover that shortly down in the video but before that this is how the router looks like it has a toggle on off switch on the top access port for the carbon brushes are on either side it also comes with a pair of spare brushes the three accessories includes the trimming guide straight guide and a couple of wrenches this kit is also supplied with a 15 piece router bit set and that covers a collection of your most commonly used bits here right from straight edge to round over bits we will cover all this in great detail in a short while the base plate is made from acrylic plastic material with a really nice rubberized perforated grip the locking mechanism of this is this black spindle on the side lefty tighty righty loosey and all that the entire trimmer feels really tight and good on the hand now regarding the specs this is a 800 watt supplied in the uk and it runs at a frightening 30 000 rpm here i’m just setting up the straight edge guide the two pieces are held together tightly with this wing nut which is pretty much standard on these routers and the direction of use while handheld is generally left to right next let’s take a look at this trimmer guide you would normally push your router against your work piece on this bearing so if you are using a bit without an inbuilt bearing for trim work this is what you would do as before the direction again if handheld is generally left to right next let’s start this up if you notice the rouser starts almost at full speed straight away which means that there is no soft start on this so just be aware of this when you do use it make sure you grip it properly here is an exaggerated loose grip and notice how the router can jump from your hand but if you hold it properly as it’s supposed to be held then there are no issues and it is rock stable next let’s look at all the bits in full detail the first set of collection are are straight bits here we have a 3mm 6mm there are two 12mm with one of them having a longer shank and a 16mm one as well as it goes you would normally use this to create shallow dados or rebates on your furniture carcasses or on drawers next is the core box bit there are again three sizes here 3.17 6.35 and a 6.35 with a bearing bit this is generally used for decorative designs and for creating mouldings next up is probably the most commonly used bits which is a round over bits this is what you would normally use to get that perfect rounded finish at the edges of your project next is a chamfer bit and that’s used to get those smooth 45 degree bevels at the end of your workpiece next up is a roman orgy bit this is again used for decorative designs and on mouldings and here we have the wii grow bit again this is used for decorative designs and mouldings next is the flush trim bit this is used to trim a workpiece against a template or a known edge of your project that needs to be screwed up like the bottom of your drawers and finally it’s a dovetail bit and that’s just used to create a strong dovetail joinery all right so now with all the interaction out of the way let’s start fitting a bit on the collet we will start with a roman og bit so you place a bit with a stem halfway inside finger tighten the nut and then use a wrench of supply to tighten it up you just need to make sure it’s adequately tight there is no need to use superhuman strength while tightening it as the motor spins in the same direction of the thread and is generally it won’t come loose [Music] and that’s how a roman og profile looks next up is a chamfer bit now this creates a 45 degree bevel [Music] and that’s how the chamfer profile looks coming up next is a round over bit [Music] next up is the cove box bit as this bit doesn’t have a bearing on it i’ll be using a straight edge guide to route out this groove [Music] and next is a v-groove bit it looks very similar to the covox bit but this produces a wii on the board rather than the shallow concave groove [Music] and now for the dovetail bit this is normally used in conjunction with a straight edge bit you first remove bulk of the material using the straight edge bit that’s more or less the same diameter as your dow tail bit [Music] then you swap out the bit to your dovetail bit just make sure that you tighten the bit up properly and not just like what i did over here and i will explain that in just a minute [Music] you can see that this bit was struggling on the sample board it eventually came loose and causes massive burnout i first thought it was down to a dodgy bit but while watching this clip again i realized that i didn’t tighten it up properly rookie mistake so just be aware of this and make sure your bit is really tightened up in the collet and avoid this mistake [Music] well after that i took a break and came back the next weekend now we’ll make a really simple no frills table top router jig for this i removed the base plate and drilled out an opening using a hall saw bit and then i removed the screws from the bottom part of the plate i then transfer the screw locations onto this craft laminate board and use some 5×8 dome header screws to hold it all in place [Music] make sure that the router is secure and that there is no wobble also make sure that the collet can spin freely inside this hole here you can see how this is all going to work i clamp the jig tightly on my t-track and if you don’t have a t-track you can just clamp it down or even better you can just screw it down directly onto your work surface with all the safety checks complete i started trimming and off cut to make some dowels i’m using a round over bit on the trimmer for this [Music] [Music] next up i’m using the same jig but upside down again to trim out these dowels on another project so for that you could use a flush trim or a straight edge bit for this you just need to make sure that the bit is just on the surface of the jig that is neither in nor out but just perfectly in line so let’s get on with it so here you can see it works smoothly the whole drawer is actually going to be painted which i had posted on instagram now for some quick and dirty project this is an oak worktop offcut from my desk bill i’m planning to make a small ikea cactus planter box using some of those router bits similar planters on hc and all retails for around 25 pounds so this is a pretty good project if you want to get doing it the decorative patterns here are going to be made just using a cover bit and a wii grow bit now it’s time to chop all this up on the miter saw if you don’t have one of these fancy ones then you could use a hand saw or even a circular saw but it’s just going to be a bit more difficult to get the job done but you could do it [Music] now if you’re curious about this flip top workbench i do have a very detailed video covering this exact bill links down in the description now i cut all the pieces to size and next i cut the 45 degree miters as well and then glued it all up [Music] [Music] after the glue dried i remove the masking tape [Music] and yes it does look like a right dog’s breakfast now but nothing that a bit of sanding will fix next i used a round over bit and gave all the edges a smooth rustic finish [Music] and finish it all with some hard wax oil for the bottom i just kept it really simple and hot glued in a piece of scrap laminate board that was cut to size and here is how it looks not bad if i may say so myself for using some scraps and very little work with your router just as a bonus i used the off cuts from this planter and made some oak coasters as well and fyi these retails for around 15 pounds on etsy now i gave all the edges on both the sides a quick round over with this jig and then applied some finish and stuck some felt pads at the bottom again it’s a really simple project [Music] next let’s compare this with my all-day trim router first let’s look at the locking mechanism and the only one is just a clasp that holds it really tight i found this actually easier to use than the other router on the red one you have to screw it in tightly one of the drawbacks is that you never know when it could be too tight and strip off the thread second is the on off switch here it’s a toggle on off switch just like the older makita 3700 series once but on the aldi it’s a switch that is slightly recessed now getting access to it is difficult but it’s probably a bit more safer from an accidental turning it on kind of a scenario the third point is the top of the router on the only one it’s flat top so you could rest it upside down after use but that’s not the case with this one as the wire sticks out at the top again like the older makita 3700 series and this could be useful if you’re trimming sideways though as your cable will not get caught on your workpiece now let’s look at the specs the only one is rated at 500 watts and runs at 33.5 k rpm and this one is 800 watts which runs at 30k rpm however in real world use there isn’t much difference between them next let’s look at the sound decibel comparison as you can hear this red trim router is way quieter at around 65 db next it’s a cable length this one comes with just two meter lengths and the only one is at three meters i’ve seen multiple users complain about the short length cable and i’m not really sure why the manufacturers do this it could be a certification limit thing for export and finally in terms of grip they are both equally well balanced for one hand action and there’s not much difference in between them so now you may ask what my verdict is on the trimmer well if your budget is tied or if you just need a second pair of router with some preset depths on your bits then i would suggest you to consider this router links are there in the pinned comments below if you want to check it out and that concludes this video and hope this was useful if you liked the video give it a thumbs up please comment down below for any questions or discussions and if you haven’t subscribed please consider doing so the next few videos are purely going to be focused on home improvement and furniture builds which you may like now thanks guys and i’ll catch you all in the next one bye …