wdwerker Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 One of my 15 year old Porter Cable heavy duty trim routers died and they do not make them anymore. So I did a little research and decided to get the Dewalt 611. It's a pretty nice tool. Variable speed, soft start, low noise and plenty of power for its size. Low center of gravity makes it less prone to tipping on narrow edges. The base is nicely shaped to fit your hand with a curved flare that helps you steer and stabilize the bit as you go around corners. The 2 LED lights improve visibility,I was routing black laminate all day today! My only puzzle is the clear base. It does not slide as smoothly as the phenolic base on my Porter Cable or Festool trimmers. I have made many router bases with regular acrylic plexiglas and never noticed any resistance to slide. I polished the base, no improvement. Waxed it, minor improvement that faded quickly. I am wondering if it might be polycarbonate. Anyone got any suggestions to make it slide better? I have hundreds of parts to rout and the client just warned me that they need another order soon after I deliver this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted July 17, 2013 Report Share Posted July 17, 2013 Steve, just laminate some of that mica on the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2013 That would defeat the clear and LED lights advantages. I have lots of scrap acrylic . Guess I will just make a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted July 18, 2013 Report Share Posted July 18, 2013 Steve, is it possible it is just the material you have been routing? I have the same router and have not noticed any resistance. I've used mine on Cherry, Walnut and Maple wood, plus on some plywood, mostly maple but also some white oak. Perhaps I'm too brutish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 18, 2013 Report Share Posted July 18, 2013 Wax is not my preferred lubrication for light pressure. Wax creates a capillary type of action that can create a suction type force between two smooth objects. With heavy wooden drawers or lumber on a jointer, you expect to overcome this force and the frictional liquification of the wax gives inertial help. If you are trying to "hover" your router to move it gently I would seek a much harder lubrication and assume that the phenolic must be slightly more porous avoiding capillary draw. I also might try sacrificing a portion of the clear base by roughing it with fine sand paper in areas where sight is not as critical. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2013 That might be the problem. The laminate is special order matte finish and it scratches easily. Some fine sandpaper might do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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