As you can see, plunge and fixed routers both have their place. Each type has instances where they are superior and should be the clear choice if you want the best results from your current woodworking project.
Both rely on a cutting bit that relies on machine power to cut into and through a wooden surface. In general, you want to find a router that has horsepower more than 2HP. This will give the cutting bit enough power to push through most wooden surfaces without too much difficulty. Fixed router cutting bits are set to a specific depth for each session and must manually be adjusted if you want a different depth for a particular part of a workpiece. This gives you more versatility in the kind of cuts you can make.
Fixed routers are usually lighter and easier to handle yet cannot easily reach the middle of a workpiece without some fancy maneuvering. Plunge routers are usually heavier and harder to handle and can reach the middle of workpieces relatively easily. Horsepower , sometimes also referred to as work strength, essentially describes how much force the cutting bit of your router brings to bear on the wood.
Higher horsepower means that your router will have an easier time cutting through thicker pieces of wood. As mentioned above, look to get a router that has horsepower above 2HP for optimal results no matter what wood you are working with. Anything less and you may have difficulty when it comes to tougher workpieces. Most routers have variable speed settings that you can use to modify your current cut or workpiece. Variable speeds are also better suited for different sizes of cutting bits.
On the other hand, if you use large cutting bits you will need to run your router at a slower speed so that you are working safely.
Twisting this one way or the other allows you to easily adjust the speed of your cutting bit without having to do it manually with a wrench. Many excellent routers of both the plunge and fixed variety will have a soft start feature.
All this does is force is your motor to start up gradually rather than all at once. The size of your router will drastically impact its overall performance and ease-of-use.
Larger routers will be more unwieldy and harder to transport from location to location. You should always try to find the smallest possible router that will still provide enough horsepower for your needs.
Smaller routers are easier to transport and can be maneuvered without as much physical exertion. This is particularly important for plunge routers, although they tend to be larger than fixed routers anyway. Finally, this is another modern feature inherent in many plunge or fixed router models.
EFC is some enhanced circuitry that balances the cutting bit load with the output torque. Essentially, it prevents your routers motor from overexerting itself or shorting out if the cutting bit is too heavy for its horsepower.
This will prevent any sudden starts or stops or leaps and speed as a result of sudden friction change in the workpiece. Any experienced woodworker knows that a sudden jump in speed can result in terrible slashing cuts through a good workpiece, ruining a lot of work.
Electronic feedback circuitry prevents accidents like this and helps you maintain even lines across a workpiece even if it has variable depth and thickness.
Plunge routers offer you more versatility and mobility than a router that can only stay in one place, making them wonderful for people who need to work with varying depths of cuts.
Plunge routers also tend to be much more expensive than their fixed base counterparts. Of course, anything that provides as much versatility as the plunge router is going to be pricier, which is unfortunate. Plunge routers are also not the best routers for people who are new to woodworking as a whole as they depend on your knowledge of cutting and depth. You also have to move them onto the material that you want to cut. You cannot use a base for them, which can be troublesome at times.
Plunge routers should really only be used by experienced woodworkers who are willing to move the router every time that something needs to be cut and who have the money to pay for the expensive router.
A fixed base router excels when mounted on the underside of a benchtop router table. Fixed base routers are absolutely wonderful for people who might not be as well versed in woodworking. Considering the fact that this router is not a particularly large power tool nor does it involve a lot of materials, it is one of the best introductions to the machinery involved in woodworking.
You can also use these routers to properly shape the edges of the wood as you need, which is something that the plunge router cannot do nearly as well. Fixed base routers are also light and easy to maneuver, especially if you have a table base to mount them on.
These routers provide you with the precision that you need without requiring years of woodworking experience to use. Fixed base routers, unfortunately, do not offer the same type of versatility that plunge routers do. If you need to do work that requires you to maneuver the router in a variety of ways, the fixed base router might not be the best choice for you. Additionally, the fixed base router cannot begin cutting from the middle of the wood. This is because fixed base routers also have a fixed cutting bit and the middle of the wood is almost always above that fixed bit.
The short answer, then, as to which is better is dependent on your experience and your likely projects as you begin your woodworking hobby. Beginners and more simple projects suggest a fixed base router.
And for the experienced woodworker who takes on more advanced projects, the versatility of the plunge base router is the better choice. The short answer is yes; you can plunge with a fixed base router. But, extra care is needed with the setting of the depth for the cut. However, that is also one of the strengths of using a fixed base router for a plunge cut — the constancy of the depth.
The other part of the answer is about using a fixed base router for a plunge cut using a router table. As previously noted, a router table is a good investment along with your fixed base router. With careful measurements and markings, and the use of a fence on a router table, a fixed base router can be used for a plunge cut.
The constancy of depth, once it has been set, is its strength, so you can rely upon a uniform cut. The fence will keep the lines of the cut straight. That raised panel on a cabinet door can be created using a fixed base router and a router table. The extra expenditure for the table improves the versatility of your fixed base router.
If you shop carefully, both can be added to your tool and table inventory for about the same money as a plunge router alone. When tackling a project involving raised panel doors, working with large bits that will require multiple passes to create the correct effect bespeaks the necessity of a router table. Precision counts in these projects, as you might be joining pieces that were routed separately. Constant and consistent depth of cut is crucial to such a successful project.
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