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Porter-Cable 7518 3-1/4 HP Speedmatic 5-Speed Router

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

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Ideal for table mounting;

Soft start for smooth performance;

5 speed 15-amp motor maintains constant speed under load;

Aluminum motor housing prevents heat build-up;

Auto release collets;

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Customer Review:

Super deal!

The router arrived several days sooner than expected. So soon in fact, that I'm not ready to install it yet. The price was better than anywhere I could find using all available sources. The guy that works in the tool department at our local Lowes' store said I "stole it" at that price. No complaints on this transaction at all. And, with the name Porter Cable, you can't go wrong.

Pricey but worth it

I bought this router about a year ago to put in a router table. I spent a fair amount of time trying to decide between a router table with a big router or just stepping up to a shaper. I'm glad I went with the router table and router combination.

This monster has handled everything I've thrown at it without a sign of bogging down. The electronic speed control works well keeping the spindle at a constant rate under varying loads and the 5 speed feature allows me to use whatever size bit I need to to do the job.

I have used this to make raised panel doors out of hard maple. No burning and no problems.

Almost perfect!

I am an amatuer woodworker. I bought the 7518 to put in my Bench Dog router table about 5 years ago. I did lots of homework on routers and a majority rated this router high on the list for router table use. I found that it has plenty of power to spare and will handle any bit that will fit in a 1/2 inch collet. It has five speed settings (10,000 to 21,000 rpm) which handle all of the cutting I have ever had to do. The on off switch is a rocker panel style (but I run my 7518 through a "Rousseau" switch that is mounted outside my router table). You do not want to be reaching inside a router table to turn off the power quickly. (The Rousseau is a better switch than the Bench Dog or any other method because it has a "crash bar" over the stop button that is near impossible to miss with hand or knee or anything else you might use.) If there is a drawback to using the 7518 in combonation with a router table, it is the inability of being able to raise the moter up to change bits as some of the newer plunge routers are able to do. (I solved this problem by purchasing the Benchdog Promax Router Lift from Amazon. Addmittedly, I could have continued using the router plate insert and just keep taking the router motor in and out by lifting if out of the table, but the Promax solved several other issues as well, thus justifying the money spent).
And, you need two wrenches (supplied by Porter Cable with the 7518) to change bits. It would be nice if this router had a collet stop locking button, such as found on other routers like the Hitachi MV12, which requires only one wrench to loosen the collet.

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Keywords: Porter-Cable; (Portercable); Routers; Fixed-Base Routers;

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DEWALT DW7351 Folding Table for DW735

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Tables for DW735 Planer;

Tables are detachable or can be folded for convenience;

Comes complete with easy install hardware kit;

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Customer Review:

Don't own a set but lets talk snipe

I don't own these table extensions. I don't have any extensions. I don't get snipe. Why? Because I put a slight amount of upward pressure on the board as it leaves the planer. I've run 2-300BF through the planer with no snipe.

Can't Do Without Them

As has been noted by another reviewer, these table extensions for the DeWalt DW735 planer aren't really optional. The only good reason not to buy them is that you intend to build a full table for the planer. This isn't a bad idea, since it gives the woodworker the ability to set up some sled jigs for for planning bowed and twisted lumber. But if you intend to make even a pretense of having a portable planer these are required. Unless you like snipe.

Snipe, if you don't know, is the extra deep cutting that can occur at the ends of the board intil it finds (and keeps its level. Frankly, all portable (and many stationary) planers snipe. Even with these tables you will get some, just not as much or as often as without them. The added stability you get from the tables is often enough to get everything stable before the wood hits the blades instead of four inches later.

These extensions are surprisingly stable. They do fold up out of the way, but there isn't any mechanism to keep them up. I use a Velcro strap, but heavy-duty industrial rubber bands will do just fine. I wouldn't wait to discover that you need these in the middle of a battle with 8/4 hard maple. Buy them when you buy the planer and you won't ever regret it.

Required for good results

These tables are not included with the DW735 planer. Don't let that lead you to believe that they are optional. I tried to run the planer without them, and I got significant snipe. Adding the tables improved the snipe quite a bit, and as I adjust the tables to be level with the bed of the planer, the snipe keeps decreasing. If you want to get the performance you paid for with the DW735, you need these tables.

The tables should be purchased with the planer and mounted before the planer is bolted down to its final resting place. To mount the tables, the planer must be moved off of its platform just enough to get a few fingers and a wrench underneath the base. The instructions make a big deal about securing the planer during this operation, but I think their concerns are overstated. Only about 2" of the base needs to be accessible from underneath in order to mount the table, and this leaves the planer in a very stable position. Just be careful and use your own judgement.

It's true that the outfeed table does not fold up. Let's set this in perspective. This is a sign of inattentive design. It's silly, it's embarassing to DeWalt, but it doesn't reduce the usefulness of the infeed and outfeed tables. Frankly, I don't understand why it's so important that the tables fold at all. Jointers have huge cast iron infeed and outfeed tables that don't fold, and the only complaint I have heard about them is that they are never large enough. It seems to me the only point of folding tables is to perpetuate the silly notion that this is a "portable benchtop planer". I don't consider any object weighing 90 pounds to be "portable". I wonder how much more it would have cost DeWalt to have provided a non-folding cast iron bed of equivalent size. Perhaps that's coming in their next version.

Having tried the planer with and without, I am glad I bought the tables. I would recommend them to anyone with a DW735 planer.

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Keywords: Saws; Planers; Bench-Top Planers; (Planners); (Plainers); (Surface Planers); (Portable);

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DEWALT DC9096 18-Volt XRP Battery Pack

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High capacity XRP battery has 40% more run-time than standard batteries;

Powers entire DeWalt line of 18-volt tools;

18-volt NiCd battery;

Be sure to recycle; call 1-800-822-8837;

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Keywords: Cordless Tools; Battery Packs; 18 Volt; (18V); (18Volt); (V);

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Black & Decker VP105 3.6 Volt VersaPak Batteries (2-Pack)

Black & Decker’s VersaPak tools are great for the homeowner, and to keep them running, you’ll want some spare batteries. Some advantages to these include their freedom from "memory," which keeps you from getting a full recharge and the fact that you’ll get at least 300 full recharges on each battery. They’ll power all the 3.6-volt VersaPak tools, including the ScumBuster and screwdrivers. Of course, once you buy a VersaPak tool, you don’t have a choice of batteries, but we’ve found these to be reliable and well able to power the 3.6-volt VersaPak line.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste

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Interchangeable batteries work with all VersaPak products;

No memory;

Can be recharged over 300 times;

Two year home use warranty;

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Customer Review:

Low power for the replacement 3.6v I ordered

The new Versapak battery I recieved was weaker than the origional five year old battery I still had. One of the two origional batteries quit working and I ordered a new one. The new one delivered only about half the torque to my screw driver and did not last long even after overnight charge. Perhaps I could have just recieved a defective one. I like the B&D cordless driver and will try again to order another one.

Don't hold charge as long as expected

To those people that can not find batteries without the charger, I say you will need at least two chargers at all times. The batteries need to be in a constant state of charge while you are using the others. The shelf life of the charge is pitiful and the length of charged batteries is not anywhere near your project-required time.
On the positive side you can not find a better "versatile" cordless system and this has make it possible for me to do many projects tat would be clumsy if I needed a cord.

Versatile but weak

I've got a number of the Versapack tools including the drill, screwdriver, and mini-circular saw. For small jobs like putting some screws in or cutting thin pieces of wood, they're fine. Anything that will take more than a few minutes of use will require more batteries because they die so quickly. This line would have been a lot nicer if the batteries were more powerful. Also, it would be nice if the chargers told you when the batteries were fully charged.

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Keywords: Black & Decker; (Black and Decker); Cordless Tools; Battery Packs; 3.6 Volt; (3.6V); (3.6Volt); (V);

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