Dewalt DW625 Plunge Router

I built cabinets and furnture professionally for years
and never felt the need to get a heavy 3HP router.

I usually used a 1.5 HP router in a table and a variety
of router topside, from laminate trimmers to a DW6221
which I used for mortising and most plunging.

I guess if you want to raise a lot of panels a big router
can come in handy. The big ones are awfully heavy and
that tends to make them tricky when profiling edges
topside, especially the plunger models.

-- Would you like to recession-proof your present business using the internet? - my revealing 9-page free report gives you the straight facts: http://copymatch.com/rec/cap.html

I tried out the 625 and the 618 and finally settled on the 618 because I needed both a fixed and plunge router. If you already have a decent fixed based router, then I think its a no brainer for the small incremental cost.

If you don’t, I’d reccomend the 618 for the money at least.

-- Dylan Vanderhoof - General hobbiest and reluctant penmaker. http://llarian.etsy.com

Joe,

I have a DW625 (and a 618 and 621) which I would highly reccomend. It’s a very solid router and well-designed. I mainly use it on the WoodRat and soon will on the Router Boss. Sometimes it ends up in the router table or handheld.

I would suggest that you also spring for the Eliminator Chuck for it. There’s a new version of the chuck that is longer. It’ll add cutting depth if you put the router in a table.

Dave

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

I echo Loren’s sentiments. I have used the DeWalt 616 in a router table for a year and 1/2 now and haven’t felt that I needed anything more. I tend to get too agressive with it too, hogging too much at a time, etc.

I bought the 616 based on a few things: it had an absolutely HUGE bearing at the bit end, it should stand up to just about side-load thrown at it; the ability to disconnect the power cord right at the router, disconnecting power when changing bits is more convenient; sealed toggle-type power switch; both 1/2” and 1/4” collets were included; I like two separate wrenches for bit changes over the “shaft-lock” that other routers use.

I don’t know how these features look on the 625 you are looking at, but my 616 is built very well and has performed flawlessly for 1 1/2 years now. It rarely leaves the router table. If the only reason to move to the 625 is more power, I wouldn’t be concerned.

-- "Find out what you cannot do and then go do it!"

This sort of depends on whether you primarily intend this for hand held or router table use.
If hand held, I’d opt for the DW621 instead. You’re not going to need the extra 1 HP difference as you dont want to be doing larger bits in a hand held that the 3HP would require. The built in dust collection works pretty well hooked to a shop vac (though not as good as a Festool). The 621 is an excellent hand held router.
If this is for a router table, most plunge routers are a bit more difficult to use compared to a fixed base. I’ve used the 621 in a router table, and it works but wasn’t optimum. The 625 plunge mechanism is about the same as the 621 so I wouldn’t expect any difference there. I finally switched the router table to a PC7518 and Woodpecker lift. If dust collection is important, Festool is the way to go. I’ve used that inside the house with extremely little cleanup required afterwards.
Dave will kick me as my Woodrat mounting box is still not quite complete but I also have the 625 sitting in a box ready to mount on the Rat.

-- Use the fence Luke

Dave
Since you have the 618, 621, and 625, which one would you keep if you had to get rid of 2 of them?

-- Joe

Doug, I’m in the car as I type. I’ve got a heavy boot, too. Get the Rat mounted and running before it decomposes ;)

Joe, that’s a tough question. If I didn’t have machines for which the DW625 is well suited, I’d probably stick with the 621. Fewer parts to monkey with as compared to the 618 and you always have dust collection capability.

I have a WoodRat Plunge Bar on my 625 which is almost a requirement on the WoodRat but it also makes it nicer to use the plunge function handheld because you squeeze to punge rather than pushing down. Makes it easier to set bit depth, too.

One problem with using any plunge router in a router table (if you don’t take the springs out) is that when you push up on the router to set bit height, the router plate tends to flex upward. The Plunge Bar mitigates that problem because you are basically squeezing the motor and base together. You can reach under the table and squeeze the bars together while measuring the bit height with the other.

Before the WoodRat, I used the DW621 for everything. I made a very simple router lift for use in the table for less than 10 bucks and about 30 minutes of engineering/building time. It could be made for the DW625 and probably others as well. It installed on the router and could be left in place all the time. I was given a production router lift for the DW621 as a gift so now I use that and the 621 stays in the router table. If you’re interested in the lift, I could probably make a sketch.

—Dave

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

I put my 621 on a Legacy ornamental mill. At the time I was set
up with a horizontal mortiser so it was “good-bye to router mortising” -
which I don’t enjoy much.

I got a woodrat plungebar too and collet extension, like the eliminator
is some respects. The way the plungebar goes on the 625 is a better
design than the way it goes on the 621 – so if I had to do it over
knowing I would use a Woodrat or a Legacy Mill I would look for a
router that worked well with the plungebar.

We are all talking about expensive joinery machines now where you
pretty much leave the router on the machine and never use it
hand-held…

I’m someone who dips a router into an edge now and again and
it’s infuriating so I bought a Milwaukee bodygrip router because
I like the balance and control I get by holding the barrel of the router.

-- Would you like to recession-proof your present business using the internet? - my revealing 9-page free report gives you the straight facts: http://copymatch.com/rec/cap.html

What Loren says about the Plunge Bar is right. The DW625 is set up best for the Plunge Bar. The one for the DW621 is alright but certainly not as nice when hand holding the router.

Not to sidetrack the thread but, Loren, do you still use the Legacy? I had one but sold it because it was such a pain to set and use. I didn’t care about the turning functions and found I could do what I needed with the Rat. I’m expecting the Router Boss to do even more than the Rat.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

I didn’t buy the Legacy to do joinery – it’s good for ornamental
stuff but because of backlash it’s not what I would turn to
for cutting joints. I cut some mortises in table legs with it
once. It worked okay but easier just to cut the mortises
when the legs are square with another method and turn them
after.

Woodrat is probably better for joinery because it has a cable
in it instead of a Acme screw.

-- Would you like to recession-proof your present business using the internet? - my revealing 9-page free report gives you the straight facts: http://copymatch.com/rec/cap.html

WoodRat/Router Boss – Hearing you guys talk about owning these machines was getting me excited to put one on my wish list until I checked the price ($700??). But if I were to buy one – am I icorrect to assume that the Router Boss is now the machine of choice?

-- Joe

Joe, I’ll send you an e-mail about the Rat and Router Boss in a little while.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Joe, I just sent you an email. I actually have a Dewalt 625 that I no longer need after purchasing a PC 7518.

-- NorthWoodsMan

Joe, I tried sending an e-mail but it bounced.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

joe, Where do you get the Eliminator Chuck for the DW625? I use this router for all of my routing. I took the plunge Springs out. It works great that way.

djesde, you can get them here.

Dave

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

djesde – what Dave said, it’s the only way to go. (If you use any 1/4 inch bits, get a quarter inch adaptor while you’re at it.)

I also removed the plunge springs, but then decided to dedicate it to my router table, so I put them back in because it was hard to adjust (using the fine depth adjuster thingy). When reducing the cutting depth Without springs the weight of the router is insufficient to follow the depth adjuster down resulting in a slip/stick process. The spring helps gravity make the router follow the adjuster.

I have since acquired a PC 690 with a fixed base for handheld usage. It’s lot easier to handle than the DW625 and has enought HP for the stuff that I do. I plan on getting a plunge base for it soon as I got a bunch of marble holes to route using a template.

-- Joe