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Am I the only one this aggravates The screws that hold the base on my 3 1/4 hp router are rather large, and the head of the screw is flush with the bottom. When switching bases, a burr can occur on that screw, and as soon as you use it again, it puts a scratch on the deck. We have ground off a little of the head, but the way it is made does not leave much to take off.
My other smaller Porter Cable routers also have base screws that fit flush too. No clearance either. My Bosch routers, the head is recessed nicely, no chance of scratching.
It won’t be long I will be switching completely over to Festool anyway, Just wondering of this bothers others too…..
Kc,
I use 2/S 5/8” melamine router bases, lots of room for screws and you can make them larger than the existing base for much more stability, also much better than those hard plastic bases. The melamine does not allow the loose sanding particles to get embedded in them like the hard plastic. Also go to the $1 Store and buy there $1 spray furniture polish, spray your deck be for you router the edge. You will be amazed at the difference.
Dani Homrich
KC, don’t get me started on aggravation as it relates to Porter-Cable. While I can’t honestly say that our customers have ever bent my ear about the screw problem, I have seen some of them make their own bases like Dani has. Have one customer who swears by bases he makes out of Starboard. Don’t know if these are PC routers that you’ve had for a while or new ones but I’m sure now that Porter-Cable is manufactured 8 miles south of Brownsville, Texas in good old Mexico and not in by God Jackson, TN…that the “quality” will surely be a higher standard…
🙁Thanks Dani and Dave. I guess I just got aggravated for the last time today… It just seems that a company like Porter Cable would have fixed this long ago. I was really just wondering how many people had problems with this poor design besides me.
I heard that Porter Cable had gone south of the border. Gee I have not seen a decrease in price yet. I hope their quality does not go south too.
KC, as a matter of fact, PC has raised their tool prices to us lucky distributors not once…but twice. Black & Decker, those fine folks who offer orange cordless lawnmowers and toasters and bought out PC, have to make back their 750 million buyout as soon as possible. Here’s a little info for you folks who are fed up with the PC crap.
FREUD…yes, FREUD has several routers on the market that are awesome. While right now they are offering a 3 1/4 HP plunge, 2 1/4 HP affixed base & a laminate trimmer, they are coming out with an affixed base 3 1/4 HP. So, why is this special? For one thing, they are made in Spain of all place, and for another…
THEY HAVE A 5 YEAR WARRANTY!
Dave, thanks for the info.
The Fabricator Network will soon be testing all brands of tools and rating them according to a set standards. Hopefully all the manufacturers will want to preview their new products here, and they can come to this site to review what the fabricators say about their tools on a day to day basis.
KC
KC,
Do you have a CNC or someone close that does. If you do, make your own bases. We have done that and they are much better than the factory ones, we use a scrap of solid surface or clear acrylic. The freud routers Dave is taling about are nice, but the balance is a little different. We still like the 3 1/4hp PC routers best, at least the older ones. Problem is getting parts to service them, so they are slowly going by the way side. I ordered some collets for some PC routers a while back, still have not seen them. I think some one is mining the ore to make the steel for them by hand.
John
KC,
I know you original question was about the screws and I HATE them. What size are they anyway? They could be half that size and still work perfectly fine. There is no reason you should have to make a new base just to accomodate the screws that always scratch the counter.
Dave,
The only experience I have ever had with Frued was a few years ago. When I was doing the high production woodworking, we used routers upside down on a table. My rep sent me two of them and both lasted about 1 week. They were replaced free, but the other two didn’t get much further either. They were replaced by Bosch, they would run nonstop 8-10hrs/day forever.
I know things change. Bosch now does not use the same housing or bearings so I do not know much about them now. Sounds like Frued has done their homework and has a great product now. Have to check on their warranty though. Sounds a little much for a tool. I forget the brand I bought several years ago, but it said 3 yrs, but the fine print said in a commercial setting 30 days….
KC, as with any tool, there are variables. The FREUD tools from several years ago are not todays tools. When 1st presented with the 5 year warranty from the VP of FREUD North America, the skeptic in me went in to full gear. He told me that they want to make worry free tooling and are backing it up with the warranty. The tools are made in Spain. We have sold a boatload of their 2 1/4 HP routers for around $175.00. Of course, we also sell a lot of MAKITA 3612 routers. Reasonably priced and a real workhorse. As JCristina said, you have to get used to the balance of differant routers especially if your used to one or the other.
The parts thing as it relates to PC is ridiculous. We’re not a “parts house” but we’ll get them for customers who have bought from us. If it takes 2 months to get them, then I’m not pushing that tool as I don’t need somebody else making my company look bad! All over a switch or set of brushes.
dave, Just went on Freud’s website to check out their items. In their warranty section, all they list is a 1 year on power tools… Is the 5 yr something new, and they have not updated their site??
As in most sites, they need updating. I’ll share that with them on Monday morning. The routers we sold before the 5 year warranty ones had a 2 year warranty. Still better than most. I’d me more than happy to send a 2 1/4 HP router for you to give a workout at my expense. We sell them in Florida so opening the rest of the country up to what they can do would be beneficial to all concerned.
Dave
Kelsey,
If you want to take Dave up on his offer and try the Freud, let me know and we can work a tool review into the mix. I am currently working on a format for product reviews and this might be a good first candidate. Of course we would have to give you some time to use the router and give it a true test.
Let me know if you want to do this.
I feel your pain KC. You think those scratches are a problem on solid surface can you imagine doing it on a plastic laminate top, then it is all about buying another sheet of laminate and starting over. My guys have to be VERY careful that the screws stay recessed and completely out of the way.
It is very hard to change up on the tools you have used for so many years, because you do get use to the feel and balance of a tool and nothing else feels quite the same.
Shane
The real culprit in the screws seems to be the type of screwdriver used to remove the bases. The wrong type can leave a burr behind that is easily overlooked. A more elegant solution would be to get extra bases, complete with the cast aluminum holder. It is far faster to unscrew the motor than it is to remove and replace those screws. That way you could loctite them in and not worry about them comming loose. It would be real nice if someone could offer a killer deal on these complete PC 3 1/4 bases. (cough cough)
Just so happens that I have a “few” hanging around. (spam spam spam) I gotta go home, more on this in the deal area.
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