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Where have you seen them new Michael?

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I have a Colt single speed but don't like it much. Like someone else said, short warranty and the whole adjustment mechanism is pretty sloppy.
Part of the attraction for me was that it had a fence - so that I can use the same tool for truss rod slots. But the Rigid and others have that too.

It seems like the Ridgid is the way to go.

I talked with Stew Mac and they couldn't tell me if the Ridgid fit immediately but said that they have an adaptor plate that will let any model work. The adaptor plate about $7.

We'll see.

I bought the router but and depth of cut bearings from StewMac as well. Is there a better but than this? A downward cutting bit? One that will work with the depth of cut bearings?

I have one and don't like it much. The fine adjustment requires unlocking the base from the cover which makes the fine adj useless.
Mine gets very hot quickly. I'd like it better if the base was circular rather than square. The cord is plenty long, and the power switch is easily accessible.

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I have two Bosch Colts and a Rigid, both variable speed. They get the job done ok but I would happily pay extra for something with a precision depth adjust, precision bearings, solid motor and a base with good visibility. Pretty much what everyone else here wants.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I must say that I have some issues with my newest PC 7310...my old one is about 20 years old, sees pretty much daily use, and is still running like a champ...

my new one?...already had to replace the collet nut because it blew out using the same type of torque I've been using for years on the old one...next the spindle lock pin broke...again, using in the same fashion I've used the old one for decades...

Hey Mike, I guess China just dosen't make them like they used to anymore.

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I don't use a bearing setup. I use this thing: http://www.luthiertool.com/binding%20cutter.html Which, incidentally is why I have the laminate trimmer I have. Their base plate only fits the older Dewalt with the rounded top and the single speed (so they say, maybe they'll make an adjustment), but I have found that particular setup works perfectly, and I don't really need the variable speed or LED or whatever. I was looking for stable non-wandering locking height adjustment, and tight bearings, and it was only $80, no bells and whistles just performance.

For my wooden version of the tool I was using the Ridgid trimmer and had no complaints, but I like the Dewalt better.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

terrence, they come up fairly regularly on ebay, but not cheap at $225-250 but it now. i just saved my search and wait for ebay to email me.

anecdotally, i've heard that some of the big tool retailers 23ho service the building trqdes bought up all they could get when they announced its demise. they don't advertise, you have to hunt them down!

Sorry to resurrect this thread but I've just bought and received a Makita RT0700 laminate trimmer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAYMsLCMn8k) and I think I may have to return it...

I want to mount it upside down with a "KMG style" binding jig (and in the future, a tower) but the latch on the Makita has to be lifted to adjust the depth of cut and it just seems likely that it could slip out the base when upside down if I don't hold it securely... Would the Bosch have that same problem?

They don't seem to sell the variable speed Bosch over here.

The Makita seems like a good tool, I just don't like the hassle of worrying about it dropping if others are more secure.

Thanks in advance!
Nick

To avoid the chance of the router slipping down, I use a large hose clamp around it above the top of the base

I have a DeWalt, first lam trimmer I've owned and no experience with others. Very happy with it and much easier to use as compared to routers.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Cheers Filippo, sent.

Thanks Jeff, wouldn't help upside down though... Maybe I just need to keep the Makita and be careful when it's upside down... Trevor Gore did post on this thread that he uses a Makita, not sure if it's the same one. I will make a binding station one day but I want to keep with the jig I've used before for now.

Thanks, Tom, is your DeWalt single speed? Some comments saying 25,000rpm is preferable to 30,000+ makes me want the variable.

It's going to be mounted like this http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/bindingmachine.html

I hoped that with the plunge base, which I can get later, the Makita would be good for truss rod slots, too.

If the ridgid or colt is also liable to drop out of its base when adjusting depth of cut upside down then I'm worrying over nothing, which is my wont!

I was also worried about the round base till I saw Todd's comment above, so that doesn't both my now. I can make square plastic bases for it if need be.

I've got a few of the "modern" style trimmers, with the cylindrical body, different makers* and they would all risk dropping out if mounted upside down. The least risky are the ones with the rack and pinion depth adjusters. To avoid that risk, you'd need either a plunge style router mounted upside down via its plunge base or the old style Porter Cable trimmer (screw depth adjustment), which just about everyone would grab in a heartbeat if they were still made.

If your jig is far enough from the floor, there's always a piece if string (or a suitably mounted cable clamp), which would at least stop it bouncing until you get round to making a "tower" rig.

* Makita still my preferred. An advantage of this standard cylindrical body is that all the bases I've tried are interchangeable with the trimmers, so you can buy spare or aftermarket bases to permanently fix to dedicated jigs.

PS Filippo's trimmer will likely be 110v.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Good point about Filippo's trimmer!

And thanks so much for the advice, so kind of you! I'm going to stick with the Makita! Awesome, now I can finally be happy with my new tool... within moments of opening it I had packed it away again and didn't get any of that "new tool excitement"! It's here now!

I'll just be very careful with it! I'm going to get a plunge base for it in the next couple of months. The screw depth adjustment would be great but I can make this work!

(The router I used for this jig last time was second hand, £20, dodgy base, ugly sounding, massive trial and error to set the depth... This one will be much better!)

There is a nice plunge base available for the Makita 700C router. I have one and I love it. If you mount it upside down in a table, you want to rig some kind of safety strap or box below it so that it can't slip out when it's running even if you make a mistake. There are some gruesome stories about routers that got away.

Another endorsement and another reason not send it back! Thanks, Bob! I'll be sure to work out a safe system. And I'll get that plunge base soon... Do you use it/could you use it for truss rod slots?

Is the Colt single speed the lam trimmer of choice?

Ya, me guess it is ... thats if yer a Colt fan.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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I do rather enjoy a Colt 45!