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I need to fit some edge trim to various bits of furniture board in my camper van.

This is the correct router piece:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-Slotting-31-8mm-diameter-C143AX8MMTC/dp/B0052XR3BY/

Bought, ordered, on its way.

Now I need a router. But almost all I look at are either 1/4" or 1/2". I can find ONE by Makita that says 8mm on it:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-m3601-900w-8mm-electric-router-240v/3179r

I've never used a router before, I've no idea if it's like a drill, and the chuck is infinitely adjustable up to its maximum size.... or if I NEED an 8mm router to go with an 8mm bit. If so, how come loads of people seem to make 8mm bits, but I can only find one make/model of 8mm router?

Thank you!

Codemonkey
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2 Answers2

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Router collets must match the bit size. So an 8mm bit must be placed in an 8mm collet.

As you have noticed, most routers have 1/4" or 1/2" collets. You have 3 options:

  1. Buy a router that comes with an 8mm collet. If this is the only collet it comes with, you will be limited in the future to only 8mm router bits. If it comes with multiple collets you should be future proof.
  2. Buy a router with a 1/2" collet and get a collet reducer from 1/2" to 8mm. These are fairly common and inexpensive.
  3. Replace the router bit with one that comes with a 1/4" or 1/2" shank. The slotting bit you linked is by no way unique and I am sure you can find one close enough with a more common shank size. If not, use one of the first two suggestions.
Eli Iser
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The collet and shank size need to match. They aren't adjustable like a drill chuck. There's a little bit of wiggle room in the collets, but not enough for it to securely hold the wrong size shaft.

Imperial sizes (1/2", 1/4") are just about all you can find in US and Canada. Metric sizes (I think 6mm, 8mm and 12mm are the standard ones) are far more common in Europe and Asia.

Since all the cheap router bits come from China, they've got a much better selection of metric stuff than imperial, though you usually can still find imperial sizes. Sometimes listed in metric (6.35mm is very common to see).

You can buy more collets for most routers though, either from the manufacturer or third parties. For example (not recommending these people, just first on google search), this site sells all common metric and imperial sizes for dewalt routers, so you can use any bit you want.

Grant
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