Great Innovation: Cordless plunge router
I just spent a couple of hours thoroughly enjoying the new Micro Plunge Base from Micro Fence. I enjoy working with inlays, but have always struggled with finding an appropriate router for removing the background material. For years I used a Stanley dome-top router, small but not small enough; poor site lines, hard to find small bits and a clumsy depth setting mechanism would leave me frustrated. I started using a Dremel motor about a decade ago and although it was an improvement, the router base that Dremel sold was pretty flimsy with a clumsy depth adjustment. When Dremel started selling their plunge router-base I snapped one up and found that it was much better than the original base but still flimsy. I also tried the Proxxon micro-router and while that's a nice little machine, it still is just not quite the ticket.
Well, I now have the E-ticket: the Micro Plunge base. Richard Wedler (owner of Micro Fence) spent a couple of years developing this little plunge base and it seems it was time well spent. The tiny footprint (4-inch diameter base), great site-lines, absolute accuracy for setting depth, super smooth plunge, on-board light and the ability to use all of Micro Fence's accessories makes this a real nifty tool. Add the cordless Dremel 8220 and I've got the ultimate inlay router. The base has a plastic ring that threads onto the Dremel housing and is secured into the base by three set screws, the base can be rotated so the power and speed switches can be positioned wherever convenient, and it takes about a minute to install the motor so it doesn't require a dedicated Dremel motor. The base also has an adapter for using template guide bushings (P-C) and auto centering bearings are available for dead-on centered mortises. I'm pretty happy that I can rout really close to my scribe lines with great accuracy and no worries about losing sight of what I'm doing. Just exactly what I've been looking for!
Well, I now have the E-ticket: the Micro Plunge base. Richard Wedler (owner of Micro Fence) spent a couple of years developing this little plunge base and it seems it was time well spent. The tiny footprint (4-inch diameter base), great site-lines, absolute accuracy for setting depth, super smooth plunge, on-board light and the ability to use all of Micro Fence's accessories makes this a real nifty tool. Add the cordless Dremel 8220 and I've got the ultimate inlay router. The base has a plastic ring that threads onto the Dremel housing and is secured into the base by three set screws, the base can be rotated so the power and speed switches can be positioned wherever convenient, and it takes about a minute to install the motor so it doesn't require a dedicated Dremel motor. The base also has an adapter for using template guide bushings (P-C) and auto centering bearings are available for dead-on centered mortises. I'm pretty happy that I can rout really close to my scribe lines with great accuracy and no worries about losing sight of what I'm doing. Just exactly what I've been looking for!
Working on a sample of Bolection inlay.
