Plunge vs. Fixed Based Routers

A question that I've been asked quite often is about the difference between a plunge router and a fixed base router. And that's what I want to talk about today, the different applications for them. And it's going to help you see which of these routers, or maybe both of them is going to fit into your woodworking. So what I've got here is one motor that actually fits both bases, which is a very convenient way to get two routers in your shot, kind of for the price of one. So I'm going to get my fixed base setup going first here.

Now, fixed base, here's what that means. I'm going to set the depth of cut on this roundover bit. Lock it. That's now in a fixed position. So as I'm using the router, it's going to stay projected that distance from the base no matter what.

Let's go ahead and make a cut with that round over bit. So with that fixed base router, like I said, the bit is sticking out a predetermined distance. When I use it, it's a little hard with a fixed based router to provide a distinct starting and stopping point. Now, out here on an edge, you might be able to do that. But here in the center of the board like I'm going to show you next, there's really no way that we can plunge a bit in safely with a fixed base router.

So that's part of where a plunge base router comes in. Now, while I look at switching bases here just as a what to shop for in routers, one thing I really like is having the trigger on the handle like that. That's very convenient so that when I'm using the router, I can keep both hands on it. And I don't have to lift a hand from the handle to reach for a switch that's up here on the motor. I'm going to switch bits here before I go into the plunge base.

Then I'll be able to show you the starting stopping action that that plunge base can provide. This is a style of cutter that's commonly used internally on a piece. There's no ball bearing on it. So all the guiding is going to come from offense. It's a great bit to put here in the plunge router.

So in this case, I'm going to let that seat all the way down to the plunge base, lock it in place. Now, when I want to control depth of cut on this one, it's done by plunging down to my work. The depth is controlled by a turret here and a stop rod. So when this rod hits that turret, that's as far as the bit can travel. So here's how we're going to make that work.

This is the material I'm going to cut into. So what I'm going to do initially is disable that stop, right, I'm going to get it up out of the way. And then I'm going to come down until the bit just kisses the top of the material. Now, my final depth of cut is shown to me by the distance between the bottom of the stop rod and the top of the turret. I'm going to lock that in place.

So that distance right there is just how deeply my bit's going to cut. Now, before I turn the router on and engage the work, I want to come back up. So this gives me greater repeatability. Every time I plunge in, I'm going to get that exact cut. Then I can remove from the work.

And the bit is not sticking out the base of the router anymore. Because I don't have a ball bearing, I need something to guide the router. So I'm going to use this as a fence. Now, what we'll be able to do is put the router against the fence. Start here, initiate the cut.

Come down as we travel along, stop the cut down here. Bunch of applications for plunge routers. Examples would be, fluting like I'm working on here. You can also do dato's and mortises with plunge routers. Stuff that's pretty much impossible to do with a fixed base.

One of the things I like about the fixed base is that with this kind of fine control, it's very very easy to dial in a very finite depth of cut. That's real important when you're doing something like using a dovetail jig where the difference between fitting and not fitting is just tiny parts of an inch. So both of these bases have great applications in your shop, fixed base and plunge base. So in the category of router shop and a great idea is to look for multi based routers like this. Or with one motor, you can fit that motor into two different bases.

And that's a great way to add both a plunge base and a fixed base router to your woodworking arsenal.