What makes a router compact
Size and grip, and the collet. Bosch's Colt is held in the palm on its motor and, Bosch says, is designed for 1/4 in shank bits — edge forming, grooving, sign making and trimming laminate. DEWALT's DCW600 and Milwaukee's 2723 are cordless machines of the same class, both with a 1/4 in collet. The smaller motor and base set the limits: smaller bits, a smaller opening, a shorter depth range.
| Router | Collet | Speed range (rpm) | Largest bit | Bases | Table use, per the maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch Colt GKF125CE (corded) | 1/4 in | 16,000–35,000 | Cutter 1/4 in smaller than the 1-9/16 in opening | Fixed; plunge and round sub-base optional | Not covered in its manual |
| DEWALT DCW600 (cordless) | 1/4 in | About 16,000–25,500 | 1-3/8 in cutting diameter | Fixed, plunge | Do not use in a router table |
| Milwaukee 2723-20 (cordless) | 1/4 in | 10,000–31,000 | 1-1/2 in, and never larger than the smallest opening | Fixed; plunge and offset optional | Never the plunge base; operate only when held |
Figures from each maker's manual or product page. Speed ranges are the routers' dial ranges, not ratings for any bit; DEWALT calls its figures approximate.
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Palm router
Bosch GKF125CEN Colt
Bosch's Colt, the corded palm router this section describes: made, Bosch says, for 1/4 in shank bits, with a 1-3/16 in fixed-base depth range.
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Holding one
Each maker describes a grip for its own machine. Bosch's Colt has finger-support pockets with finger guards; Bosch says to keep both pockets over the work and hold the router so you can see your finger and thumb. Milwaukee says to hold the 2723 in its fixed base with one hand on the base and one on top of the battery, and a hand on each handle of the plunge base. DEWALT says not to hand-hold the DCW600 upside down or horizontally, as the motor can separate from the base. Milwaukee and DEWALT say to hold the tool firmly against start-up torque, and Bosch and Milwaukee to clamp the work. Three corded palm routers made for one-hand work are compared in choosing a palm router.
Trimming laminate
Laminate is glued down oversize and trimmed flush with a bit whose bearing is the same diameter as its cutter, so the cut lands on the substrate's edge. Bosch says the overhang is typically about 1/8 in. Freud describes its 42-100, a 1/2 in cutter with a 1/2 in bearing on a 1/2 in shank, for laminate trimming and pattern routing; on a compact router the bit must have a 1/4 in shank instead. Feed against the bit's rotation as in using a router: counterclockwise around an outside edge, seen from above.
Bases and accessories
- Fixed base for edges and trimming; Bosch's Colt sets 1-3/16 in of depth in its fixed base.
- Plunge base for stopped grooves and small mortises — optional on the Colt (PR111) and the 2723 (48-10-5601), and covered in the DCW600's manual. How plunge bases work is in plunge routers.
- Offset base (Milwaukee 48-10-5602) drives the collet through a pulley, off the motor's axis; Milwaukee's manual sets its depth when the bit is installed.
- Edge guides and template guides: Bosch's PR102 guide and PR110 round sub-base; Milwaukee's straight edge guide and template sub-base. Their use is in jigs and templates.
Compact router, table or full-size?
For bigger bits, 1/2 in shanks or heavy cuts, a full-size router is the tool — see the router guide. Whether a compact router may go under a table is the maker's call, and two of the three here say no in some or all of their bases; choosing a compact router goes through it. Bits for 1/4 in collets are compared in the bit profile chart, and the speed chart sets dial settings against bit ratings.
Before trimming with a compact router
- Battery out or plug pulled while fitting the bit
- 1/4 in shank bit, within the router's largest-bit limit
- Bearing turning freely and clean of glue
- Laminate bonded and overhanging evenly; the work clamped
- Bit set so the cutter covers the full laminate edge
- Feed direction set; a test pass on scrap
Sources
Specifications are each maker's for its own router. 'Palm' and 'trim' router are trade names for the same class of compact router; makers use either.
- 1.
GKF125CE Colt Palm Router Operating/Safety Instructions. Bosch, 2018.
Used for: 1/4 in shank bits only; edge forming, grooving, sign making and laminate trimming, with laminate typically overhanging about 1/8 in; finger pockets with guards and both pockets over the work; speed dial 1–6 from 16,000 to 35,000 rpm; cutter at least 1/4 in smaller than the opening; optional plunge base and round sub-base.
- 2.
GKF125CEN Colt 1.25 HP (Max) Variable-Speed Palm Router. Bosch.
Used for: The Colt's published figures: 7 A, 16,000–35,000 rpm, 1/4 in collet, 1-9/16 in base opening, 1-3/16 in fixed-base depth range, 4.4 lb.
- 3.
DCW600 20V Max* Compact Router, Instruction Manual. DEWALT, 2022.
Used for: 1/4 in shanks only; cutting diameter no more than 1-3/8 in; seven settings from about 16,000 to 25,500 rpm; fixed and plunge bases; 'Not recommended for use in a router table' and 'Do not use in a router table'; not to be hand-held upside down or horizontally.
- 4.
M18 FUEL Compact Router, Cat. No. 2723-20, Operator's Manual. Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: 10,000–31,000 rpm, 1/4 in collet, 1-1/2 in largest bit; fixed, plunge and offset bases; one hand on the base and one on the battery; the plunge base never in a router table and the router operated only when held.
- 5.
42-100 Bearing Flush Trim bit. Freud.
Used for: A flush-trim bit whose bearing is the same 1/2 in as its cutter, described for trimming laminate and pattern routing.
About this guide
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