# Routers With Good DC



## Mort (Jan 4, 2014)

Anyone have a good recommendation? I've been free-handing with my old Craftsman a lot lately and the dust is killing me. I'm going to upgrade anyway, anyone have a lead on a good router with decent dust collection? I'm looking at the Bosch 1617, but if the DC sucks, I may have to save for a Festool, even though I wasn't really planning to spend that sort of money. 

Please and thank you.


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## Mort (Jan 4, 2014)

I should add that this is primarily for the free handing aspect of it, I know a well built table would do wonders for DC.


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

I have a Porter Cable 691 D handle and a Bosch 1618evs D handle for freehand work and both have the dust shrouds for connecting to the vacuum. The Porter cable collects dust/chips very well however the Bosch is absolutely terrible. It seems as though the exhaust air from the motor causes the dust to swirl around inside/above the shroud and very little of it actually gets sucked up by the vacuum. I also have the Bosch dust shroud for the plunge router and it does the same thing which is why I believe it's the way the motor exhausts the air.

BTW, Rockler makes a universal shroud similar to the Bosch and Porter Cable however it allows use of a 2 1/4" vacuum hose or 2 1/2" dust collection hose as opposed to the 1 1/4" the Bosch/PC use so it may be more efficient.

http://www.rockler.com/edge-routing-dust-port


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

Just noticed the design of the one above would limit bit diameter to the size of the small opening however this one is more similar to the Bosch/PC. Drag with this one is it looks like you have to buy a proprietary Rockler sub base as well.

http://www.rockler.com/whirlwind-dust-port-for-routers


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Dust collection on a router can be a tough one but can also be overcome by a powerful suction. I use a shop vac rather than my DC because it's got more velocity rather than volume. Also it seems strange running a 3hp motor for a little router. 

Let us know what you come up with.

Al


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

This is a bad picture. I replace my base plates so I can drill, screw and attach anything I want to my router. That may be a fence, profile guide, pin or a vacuum nozzle. Position it where it will do the most good. This one gets most of the router dust by keeping it close to the bit, doesn't matter which router.


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## Mort (Jan 4, 2014)

Al B Thayer said:


> Dust collection on a router can be a tough one but can also be overcome by a powerful suction. I use a shop vac rather than my DC because it's got more velocity rather than volume. Also it seems strange running a 3hp motor for a little router. Let us know what you come up with. Al


Al, you're a PC router guy, how has your experience been? I will use the shop vac since that is all I have.


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## unclefester (Aug 23, 2013)

Think Festool


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Mort said:


> Al, you're a PC router guy, how has your experience been? I will use the shop vac since that is all I have.



I use PC 690s for free hand. Some times I just hold the hose along with the router and hit it if it's a short run. Otherwise I have a few bases specially made for certain jobs. They work ok. If I'm doing dados with a fixture I just tape the hose to the body pointing down. I've tried to make a setup to use with the router all the time but haven't had good success. It would work for one project but then be in the way on another.

They've tried to come up with aftermarket add on's but nothing has really worked that well. If you buy a router that has a dust port like Fe$tool I've heard they work well. It's my understanding the Fe$tool works quite well also removing unruly children.

Al


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

Al B Thayer said:


> I use PC 690s for free hand. Some times I just hold the hose along with the router and hit it if it's a short run. Otherwise I have a few bases specially made for certain jobs. They work ok. If I'm doing dados with a fixture I just tape the hose to the body pointing down. I've tried to make a setup to use with the router all the time but haven't had good success. It would work for one project but then be in the way on another.
> 
> They've tried to come up with aftermarket add on's but nothing has really worked that well. If you buy a router that has a dust port like Fe$tool I've heard they work well. It's my understanding the Fe$tool works quite well also removing unruly children.
> 
> Al


This is what I use on the 691 Al. The removable fitting on the side draws through the sub base for dado work and the removable cup on the bottom has a slotted flange with thumbscrews so you can easily swivel it to the most convenient spot. Both work well IMO.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I think with a little ingenuity you could make almost any router dust collection work decent. I think almost all factory router duct collection sucks.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Marv said:


> This is what I use on the 691 Al. The removable fitting on the side draws through the sub base for dado work and the removable cup on the bottom has a slotted flange with thumbscrews so you can easily swivel it to the most convenient spot. Both work well IMO.



Removable sections do make it work for more apps. The toughest cut to collect for me is the dovetail machine and when I use an exact width dado fixture. 

Al


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## Minnesota Marty (Feb 27, 2015)

*Triton 3 1/4 hp.*

I have a 3 1/4 hp Triton router that comes with a nice dust collection port. 
Here is the link from Rockler: 
http://www.rockler.com/triton-3-1-4-hp-dual-mode-plunge-router

I combine it with my Porter-Cable vac and it works great. I have also purchased the Bosch 6" random orbital sander with a dust collection port. And am impressed with how well the dust is captured by the Porter-Cable vac.


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## ddsalt (Sep 8, 2015)

My Dewalt DW621 has always been decent.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk


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## NickB (Sep 24, 2013)

I've used the one that Marv posted on my Freud 3000 beast. I wasn't impressed.

The one for the Dewalt DWP611 Palm router, though, blew my mind how well it worked. I think it's a function of the fact that it basically encloses the entire case off. 

I know that you didn't mention a palm router, but if you can live with the small size, the whole setup just works so very well....


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

NickDIY said:


> I've used the one that Marv posted on my Freud 3000 beast. I wasn't impressed.
> 
> The one for the Dewalt DWP611 Palm router, though, blew my mind how well it worked. I think it's a function of the fact that it basically encloses the entire case off.
> 
> I know that you didn't mention a palm router, but if you can live with the small size, the whole setup just works so very well....


Which one did you use Nick? (I was considering trying the one with the offset base). I also tried the one for the plunge base on my Dewalt 611 and it worked well.


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## NickB (Sep 24, 2013)

Marv said:


> Which one did you use Nick? (I was considering trying the one with the offset base). I also tried the one for the plunge base on my Dewalt 611 and it worked well.


The one I used on the Freud looked a lot like the one you posted. It mounted to the screw holes for a template guide. 

The one I used for the dewalt was this one:









I did not consider that you'd use a plunge base for this type of work. I'm guessing that's what the other style adapter is - like this:








I'd be pretty concerned that it would have the same problems as the other little plastic adapter like the Freud. A lot of the waste just gets blown out of the hole in the top.


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