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TRI-TRA001B <strong>Router</strong> <strong>Review</strong><br />
Triton has directly addressed the difficulties in using a product<br />
upside down that has been primarily designed to be<br />
used right side up. The Triton TRI-TRA001B <strong>Router</strong> fulfils its<br />
design brief and really adds something special to your workshop.I<br />
use a shop-made router table to cut a lot of my joinery<br />
but I have never been entirely happy with any of the<br />
routers that I have fitted to it. They were all good quality,<br />
but they were primarily designed to be used upright or handheld.<br />
Using them in a table always involved a good deal of<br />
hassle when changing bits and when precision was needed<br />
in the set-up of particular cutters. However, you work with<br />
what you have and make allowances for its shortcomings.<br />
Until now!<br />
I have been testing the Triton TRI-TRA001B in the Triton<br />
<strong>Router</strong> <strong>Table</strong> System and am quite in awe of its features. I<br />
can't believe what I have been missing out on. It is obviously<br />
designed primarily to be used in a router table and<br />
solves most of the age-old problems associated with this. To<br />
begin with, the cooling vents are side-mounted to reduce<br />
the amount of sawdust that falls into the powerful 2400<br />
watts (3-1/4hp) motor. There is no sign of the motor wavering<br />
at all under load. It has a soft start and electronic<br />
variable speed that ranges between 8,000-21,000 RPM.<br />
This means router bits of all sizes can be safely used. It's<br />
important to remember that large diameter router bits such<br />
as panel raising bits or lock mitre bits should always be<br />
used in a router table and on a slower speed setting. There<br />
are two removable collets (one 1/4" and one 1/4"), so<br />
there is no need to use spacer collets unless you want to<br />
use 8mm router bits such as Leigh make.<br />
One of the best features of the TRI-TRA001B is its Dual<br />
Mode operation. A push of a button allows you to operate it<br />
as a standard plunge router when using it hand-held, or a<br />
fixed base router with a hand cranked rack and pinion height<br />
adjustment when table mounted. The plunge spring can be<br />
easily removed to allow effortless and smooth height adjustment<br />
either with a crank handle extension arm that<br />
comes through the table top for easy access or with the<br />
micro-adjust knob.<br />
Gone are the days of having to be a contortionist to set your<br />
router bit to the correct height. Changing router bits couldn't<br />
be easier. When the crank handle is turned all the way<br />
home a spindle lock is engaged. The router collet protrudes<br />
through the top allowing easy access with the spanner to<br />
change the bits. There is an added safety feature that ensures<br />
the spindle lock can only be engaged when the safety<br />
cover is over the switch and this will only work when the<br />
router is switched off. This safety feature also prevents the<br />
router from being switched back on while the spindle is<br />
locked. Because spanner access is from the base and not<br />
the side of the router there is a highly effective blade guard<br />
system and dust extraction outlet, not just the token attempt<br />
that you often see that still needs to allow side access.<br />
This does not however, obscure visibility when using<br />
the router in an upright position.<br />
The fence is a triumph although on first sight this may not<br />
be the impression that one gets. It consists of two components,<br />
a large plate that is attached to the router base plate<br />
via two spring-loaded pins that slide positively into keyhole<br />
slots. The fence itself connects to this plate. What I like a<br />
lot about this system is the enormous amount of surface<br />
area and support it gives you. It is perfect for large area<br />
hand-held work such as cutting rebates, trenches or sliding<br />
dovetails in panels. The weight of the router works with you<br />
to keep it stable and flat and the soft start reduces the<br />
chance of kickback or catching the material. The plate also<br />
gives you a nice safe position to place your hand for stabilising<br />
and supporting your router when working close to an<br />
edge.<br />
Being a router of considerable size and weight, the Triton<br />
TRI-TRA001B may prove to be a little heavy for some dovetail<br />
jigs that require you to hand hold it and move it across<br />
the top the comb. If you are using a Leigh jig, the Vacuum<br />
and <strong>Router</strong> Support will compensate for the weight and size,<br />
giving you much more stability. The KL-15 dovetail jig would<br />
be best used upside down on your router table as the comb<br />
is fairly narrow. If you are going to fit this router to a router<br />
table, consider going for the Triton Precision <strong>Router</strong> <strong>Table</strong><br />
System.<br />
Go to www.carbatec.com.au to see our whole range of Triton<br />
products as well as pricing.