Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere ( I did look but to no avail)…
Anyone running with the trim router from Harbor Freight? I’m thinking of going this route.
What’s the reasoning for Ryan recommending the Dewalt over a cheap Chinese spindle?
Thanks!
The HF trim router is only 2/3 the power of the DeWalt, and much more likely to wear out quickly. IIRC it’s about the same weight and noise level as the DW660. The cheap spindles are often less power than advertised and the advertised power is also less than the DW660. You can certainly save money in the short term with the smaller routers/spindles but I think in the long term you’ll be less satisfied.
Plus 1 on Bill’s comment above. If you already have the HF trim router than use it to practice. I would not recommend it if you have to buy one.
Somebody on the Facebook tried one and said there was a lot of runout and it burned up in a few hours. Or that’s the way I remember it, anyway. There’s another guy who was just posting about a collet replacement, too. Maybe go search for collet and it should pop up. See if the guy will talk. Caleb, I think it was…
The Chicago Electric one from HF is junk. The Bauer router from HF works great. I’ve carved dozens of things so far, and put HOURS on it with zero issues.
Chris,
Did you create the mount or did you find one already avaialble for download for the Bauer?
The Bauer is a Makita 701 clone and can work with the Makita mount and Colette.