Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm d=sure the 310 deserves the reputation expressed here. I am wondering why the 309 wont do the job as well, especially for rosettes. It is lighter with plenty of power and can easily do jig work. Is the 310 favored because it can do jobs 309 cannot do? Do you also use tt for routing table? Not arguing but curious-perhaps I am overlooking 310 or over esimating 309.

Bob, I've got both. And I'll just have to say that the 310 is by far a superior machine. BUT...you pay for it as well. The 309 has plenty of power for anything we'll ever use it for. My dislike for it is the adjustment. Loosen a screw, dial a wheel, tighten a screw back and hope it hasn't tilted or something that prevents it from being where you want it. I found that system to be very tricky to get dialed properly. If there is a situation where you don't have to adjust it often I think it would work fine.

Thanks Paul. Do you also use 310 for under-table router. Does it do truss rod grooves?

The 310 has the best bearings anywhere; very tight and accurate for good, precision routing. In other words, ideal for rosettes and the like. I wouldn't ruin the thing by using it as a table mounted router. Besides, it doesn't have that much power. The 7310 is much less expensive, and has more power if that's what you're after, but doesn't have the super tight bearings and rock solid base. The 309 is flimsy in the base department, from what I saw, so I enever bought one. It may be fine, but the 310 and 7310 are plenty for me.

I have two table mounted routers, one permanently set for saddle slotting, and both of these have cheap Crafstman 8.5 amp routers in them. These things come on sale every now and then, and while heavy use would kill them quickly, for our rather light uses thay've served me well for about 6-7 years now. Flawlessly. Their bases suck, and the collets are less than great, but table mounted routers are basicly set-and-forget tools for me. Haven't changed the bit or adjusted the height in the saddle one in 3-4 years <bg>.

Anywho, back to the trimmers, get the 310 if you want it primarily for dead-on acurate work, and get a cheap workhorse for hogging stuff.

Truss rod slots are table saw cuts, BTW. Safer, faster, and easier.

Mzrio would the 310 be a good tool for binding channels in a jig designed for lam trimmer rather than a large router. I am looking for good lam trimmer for that and other stuff. What I am having a hard time finding for it is the template guide or whatever the part is call that secures the guides. Only one found so far is in the Makita. I know out there and me, and I probably not asking about right thing when go to Lowes or those places

You just cannot beat the 310. I have several and they do the job, every time. Stan, I have been using a 310 to cut binding channels in my Ribbecke style binder for years and it has never failed me. As Mario said you just cannot beat the bearings and rock solid base. I too, tried the 309 and found it severely wanting in adjustment capabilities. Just not even close to the precision of the 310. If you want to use template guides with the 310, PatWarner.com sells a plexiglass plate that also works great!

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Thanks to all of you

[QUOTE=Sylvan] If you want to use template guides with the 310, PatWarner.com sells a plexiglass plate that also works great![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the link Sylvan. I'm definitely going to get the clear 310 bases while they are on sale. Lots of good tools and information.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA