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Porter-Cable 7518 Speedmatic 15 Amp 3-1/4 HP Fixed Base 5-Speed Router
15A, 5 Speed, 3-1/4 HP, Ball Bearing Router With Soft Start, Maintains Constant Speed Under Load, 1/2" Collet Capacity, Precision Machined Aluminum Housing Adjust Quickly & Accurately, Includes 1/2" Collet, Wrenches & Manual.
When it's time to step up to a bigger router, Porter-Cable's 7518 should be on your list of contenders. It has as powerful a motor as you can find on a router and a reputation for accuracy and dependability. It's designed to work with bits as large as 4 inches in diameter and has electronic soft start and five speeds, to ensure that you'll be able to use those giant panel cutters safely and smoothly. The large bit capacity also makes it a great poor man's shaper when mounted on a good router table. Like most of Porter-Cable's routers, this model features their autorelease collet system, which does a good job of eliminating the problem of frozen bits and the need for rapping on the collet to remove them. Of all the routers we've tried, Porter-Cable's are among those with the lowest vibration and cleanest cuts. One thing we wish Porter-Cable would improve on is the lack of a spindle lock, which means that two wrenches--and potential knuckle wracking--are involved in bit changes. But given that a router's real value is measured by the results it produces, we'd still recommend the 7518 as one of the best routers available and a great choice for any shop.--Brian Trinen
Porter-Cable 7518 Speedmatic 15 Amp 3-1/4 HP Fixed Base 5-Speed Router Accessories
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Porter-Cable 7518 Speedmatic 15 Amp 3-1/4 HP Fixed Base 5-Speed Router Reviews
7518s. It's a shame the collets were so short and gripped bits so poorly. The bit was turned 180 dgrees and the collets retested at 180 dregrees, but the run-out remained the same. 1/2" collets averaged.007" run-out at the top of a 1 1/2 double flutted bit. The collet run-out vibration sometimes caused bits to loosen in the collet while routing.
All of the Porter Cable routers created a chattered result. I have 35 routers. I owned and regulary used 7 Porter Cable routers, including 3ea. I'll be replacing them all. The worst had.015" run-out, so it was thown out.
The motor arbors were fine, but all 7ea.
VERY GOOD MACHINE I WOULD RECOMED TO ANYONE Porter-Cable 7518 Speedmatic 15 Amp 3-1/4 Horsepower Fixed Base 5-Speed Router.
raised panel bit with a back cutter. The cuts were so precise that no sanding was required where the rails and stiles were joined. Since I'm not, the router table approach is the more flexible and cost effective approach for me. However the router still shut down if the cut was too heavy or the feed too fast. Since this was my first major router project, I attribute this to "operator error" hence the 3 pass recommendation for the raised panel cutter.
This router is pretty heavy and is primarily intended for a router table which is where I plan to leave it. I mounted it in a Bench Dog Pro Lift and mounted that in a Bench Dog ProTop router table and used Freud bits including a 3.5 in. I'll use a different and lighter router for hand held router work. After blowing the circuit breaker a few times (using the panel cutter), I moved the vac and work lights to a different circuit and that solved the circuit breaker problem. The raised panel bit also generated very smooth cuts but I would recommend 3 passes for safety and a better result. I selected the PC 7518 router because of the power, favorable reviews and other recommendations. The end result is that I have a very happy wife who loves her wainscoting.
Besides, I more than covered the cost of the equipment in the savings from not having to buy or have someone make custom wainscoting. All and all, I'm extremely pleased with the PC 7518 and have no reservations in recommending it for use in a router table. MDF board.
I was using the set-up on a 15 amp line in the garage (it is a 15 amp tool) with a shop vac to suck up the dust and boy does MDF generate dust. Relative to the recommendations of some that a used shaper might have been a better approach, have you ever priced shaper cutters relative to router bits. Also shapers are not easily moved from the basement to the garage for a project. . They are a lot more expensive. It was easily re-set by simply unpluging and repluging the power cord. I wanted to make about about 60 feet of raised panel wainscoting (over 25 panels) for my dining room using 3/4 in.
This set up breezed through the rail and stile cuts like butter with 1 pass and made very smooth cuts. However if your looking to do a raised panel with 1 pass in MDF, get a shaper. If I were a production shop, then a shaper makes sense. That cutter really pushes this router to its limits and once I got the hang of it, it performed really well.
This router is another fine example. When it comes to woodworking, Porter-Cable is my choice of tool.
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