Trim Routers

By Brent Hull

Specs and Tester’s Tester Comments

When you’re working with historic buildings, there’s one thing you can depend on: You can’t depend on anything. Over the last 150 years, changes in hardware, trim details, and other product introductions and evolutions (weather stripping for example) have led to the need for a versatile tool like a laminate trimmer for making new things fit into old and odd places. We use them all over the jobsite to mortise hinges, to make notches for retrofitting hardware, and to dado wood for custom grooves and joinery. Occasionally, we even work laminate.

Laminate trimmers, trim routers, laminate routers–whatever you call them–have come a long way in the last five years. Traditionally geared for use exclusively with laminate countertops, they are more versatile than ever and are great for getting out of small chiseling and routing binds where accuracy and precision are required. And since my company specializes in installing and remodeling historic millwork and trim on historic structures, there are plenty of binds to be gotten out of.

Test Criteria

We tested five laminate trimmers/trim routers: –the Bosch PR20EVS, DeWalt DW673K, Makita 3708FC, Porter-Cable 97310, and Ridgid R2400. While you can buy the tools with just a simple base (like a standard router), we tested the tools in kit form and evaluated attachments along with the tools that help them do their jobs better. During the eight-week test period, I looked for a smart case, simplicity, and convenience of tool operation, and I checked for power and examined each tool’s feel. Quick bit switch-out, easy and accurate fence adjustments, and bases that make sense on the job are features I paid careful attention to, as well. Too much head-scratching trying to get a tool set up wastes time and money. Also very high on our list of important details was accuracy. When mortising a hinge or cutting for hardware, I like to cut right to the line–which means there’s no need for a chisel after I’m done.

ToolBoxes & Bit Change

Tool Cases. Nowadays, I expect most new tools to have their own case to keep them safe and ready for action; when there’s no case, I feel a little cheated. All the tools came in their own case except the Makita and Bosch. Since Bosch’s tool was hot off the production line, cases weren’t available yet, but they will be.

The cases for the DeWalt, Porter-Cable, and Ridgid are well laid out and serviceable. The DeWalt and Porter-Cable tools come with the most accessories and their more involved boxes accommodated the pieces and parts nicely, right down to places for spare bits.

Bit Change. Bosch, DeWalt, and Porter-Cable each have a spindle lock enabling you to loosen the bit with one wrench–which works the best. The Makita and Ridgid require you to use two stamped steel wrenches, which are short and hard to use. Plus, the Ridgid requires removing the base to change bits.

Configuration & Bases

Offset Guides. All the tools come with an edge guide that’s used to bear against the edge of the material to cut a straight line–very handy for cutting a small groove or dado. The DeWalt and Ridgid employ a sealed bearing guide that worked best, while the Bosch, Makita, and Porter-Cable guides are just open rollers that can get clogged.

Visibility vs. Durability. Because of all the freehand work we do with trim routers, it’s vital to be able to see the bit contact the work. The Makita has a clear base, which made seeing the work incredibly easy. The tool was great for cutting hinge mortises freehand; I could easily cut right to the pencil line of my pattern. This tool even has a work light, something all these tools should have. These features really made getting accurate cuts easy; however, there’s trade-off: The clear plastic base doesn’t seem as durable as combination metal-plastic bases.

It was somewhat harder to see the work through the aluminum/plastic base configurations of the Bosch, DeWalt, Porter-Cable, and Ridgid models, but what you give up in visibility is made up for in strength–very important for a tool that lives its life in a truck or gang box. Of these bases, the Porter-Cable’s angled opening gave us the best view. Bosch and DeWalt also provided nice sight lines. Ridgid’s was a little more constricted, but still OK.

Bases and Micro Adjustment. While you can buy trim routers by themselves, they usually come packaged as kits that include various bases for multiple applications. There’s great variety among the tools we tested and we found both function and frustration. Porter-Cable has the best base and accessories system, which makes it perfect for dedicated work in laminates. There’s one screw that attaches each base to the router. Porter-Cable’s micro-adjustment system also worked nicely: It’s a simple screw that allows for slight up and down movements in the base, and it worked great setting depth for a mortise or a custom groove.

The DeWalt system, though offering the same base configurations as the Porter-Cable, was confusing and the least intuitive to set up. While the tool instructions spell it out, it took us the most time to get comfortable with how and where each different piece went and its intended use. The lever nut used to tighten and loosen the base for adjustment or replacement worked well, and I also liked DeWalt’s micro-adjustment system for dialing-in a depth setting.

Makita’s system also left us scratching our heads. The main base design is confusing and not intuitive, and what really got us was the collection of small nuts, bolts, and flat and split washers that hold it together. And there’s no micro adjustment.

The Bosch ships with a standard base; a tilting base is available as an accessory for use with laminates. The standard base is excellent–nicely designed for how we use these tools. And the cool twist-and-lock system allows the tool motor to slide up and down in the housing for adjustment or base replacement. This felt and worked great. The angled base worked the same way and the tilting is indexed so you know the exact tilt angle. The micro adjustment worked well, too, like a small router.

The Ridgid adjustment system was good. Though it worked well, there was an element of precision missing in the plastic lock nut and geared roller. The tool lacks micro adjustment.

Power

To test power, we installed a new, sharp 3/8-inch plowing (or dado) bit on each tool, a pretty big bit for these tools. This enabled us first to look for effective stock removal and–when lowered 1/4-inch into oak–to gauge the tools’ grace under pressure. Because you typically operate a laminate trimmer one-handed, smooth operation is vital and it affects accuracy. If the tool is strained, it can wobble, too much of which makes the tool uncomfortable to use and potentially unsafe, and can contribute to sloppy work. To my surprise, each tool performed very well. All the tools cut confidently through hardwood without any trouble.

Features & Feel

How a tool feels in your hand–and how it performs once it’s there–is really where the rubber meets the road with trim routers. The tools that are designed more like small routers than laminate-specific units were the ones that felt best to us.

The Bosch is the most nicely equipped. It has a nice soft-start feature that made working near critical cuts more comfortable. Its adjustable speed made cutting in various materials much easier. The variable speed allowed us to slow the tool down, making it easier to control bit burn on the wood and giving me exacting control when cutting a critical line. Plus the body design just felt good to work with.

The Ridgid unit is also nicely appointed. It has a comfortable soft-start feature and adjustable speed, like a larger router, and it felt good in my hand. Its 12-foot-long cord has a light that lets you know when it’s hot, which is cool. The tool even has a long three-year warranty (plus parts and service for life) backing it up. Very nice.

The DeWalt, Makita, and Porter-Cable tools all functioned fine either tricked out with all their bases or in simple trim routing applications; however, they are instant-on, have no speed control, and the body designs aren’t as plush as the Bosch and Ridgid.

Winners

Choosing the winner partly depends on what your routing/trimming needs are. If you do a lot of laminate work, the Porter-Cable is an ideal system. The basic tool design and base setup were the simplest and cleanest. There are lots of bells and whistles–but few parts to lose. Add to that ease of use and smart design from the box to the bits. The DeWalt kit offers a lot for laminate work, too, but was confusing to use. If they streamline that system, it could challenge the Porter-Cable.

For our needs–odd-job routing and laminate work–the Bosch wins. The base was the best, the tool body was the most ergonomic, and the soft-start feature made everyone confident in this choice. Ridgid comes next. Just about everything is well thought through. The accessories are basic but well made, and although the base isn’t the best, the lifetime parts and service warranty is a great feature. Both of these well-designed tools allowed us to rout and dado smoothly near critical work and cut comfortably right to the line.

The Makita is a mixed bag: The work light and plastic base were great, but the the nuts, bolts, and washers required for adjustment, along with the handle design, could use improvement.

–Brent Hull is a historic restoration and millwork contractor. He owns Hull Historical in Fort Worth, Texas.