One of the most important components of any woodworking router is its base plate. After all, the base plate is the only part of the router that makes contact with the workpiece being routed and is needed to provide support while working. But despite its importance, the factory base plate on most routers is flimsy, non-see-through, and often doesn't allow for the use of standard guide bushings. When designing our new router base plates we fixed those design flaws and also introduced more key improvements.
In this blog post, we dive into three must-have router base plates designed to fit your full-size routers. But first, why do you need three different base plates for your router? Simple. Each one is designed to perform a different routing task and they all work together to form a must-have trio in your workshop. And all of them perform better than the base plate your router came with from the factory.
Each Infinity Tools Universal Router Base Plate is made from 3/8" thick clear Acrylic and each is C.N.C. machined and drilled to fit most routers. But just to be sure, check out the "Tech Spec" tab on our product page to make sure yours is compatible. You can also find a compatibility chart below. We say they fit "most" routers because we've taken the time to design the hole pattern to match the most popular machines on the market. But in the unlikely event that the pattern in our base plates does not align with those on your router's casting, just use your factory base plate as a template and add the missing hole(s). Easy peasy.
Each Infinity Universal Router Base Plate is also designed to accept a Porter-Cable style guide bushing. This allows you to use your router with countless jigs, templates, and joinery systems.
We offer three different Universal base plates, including a 7-1/2" round, a D-Handle with an edge guide, and a 12" square option. We also offer these base plates in 2-piece ( 115-047) and 3-piece (115-048) money-saving packages. All three are compatible with our Self Centering Kit With Roller Bearings (115-039). This kit allows you to route a grove perfectly down the center of your workpiece in material up to 2-3/4" wide.
The 7-1/2" round version is designed to replace the flimsy plastic base plate on your router. Its larger diameter and 3/8" thickness gives your router a bigger footprint than stock, is way more stable, and makes tip-overs less likely. With the 115-030 on your router, you'll also be able to run the popular Porter-Cable style bushings like the set we offer here:Â BTG-100.
The Infinity D-Handle Universal Router Base Plate (115-036) measures 7-1/2" wide by 14" long and has a removable fence that can be used to follow both straight and curved surfaces. The fence gives you the ability to cut dadoes and grooves up to 7-1/4" from the workpiece edge.
The comfortable handle gives you a stable two-handed grip on your router, giving you confidence even when making tricky cuts. With the fence removed, the handle can be positioned over the surface of the workpiece eliminating almost any worry of the router tipping while working with a bearing guided router bit.
The Infinity 12" x 12" Universal Router Base Plate (115-032) is specifically designed for use any time you need to bridge large openings or when using templates like these; Infinity Bowl and Tray Making Templates. The large footprint insures that the router does not drop into the recess being created. Slab making is one of the most popular uses for this base plate. The large footprint and square shape of this base plate keeps the router positioned in the jig producing a clean, flat surface ready to be sanded and finished. For slab flattening work we have a package that includes the 12" x 12" base plate, our Mega Dado Router Bit, and a router bit collet extension, see details here; 3-Pc. Planer's Package for Routers (115-035).
Take a good look at our 3-Pc. Universal Router Base Plate Package (115-048). It'll insure that you always have the right base plate for your router no matter what project you tackle.
These Infinity Tools exclusive router base plates are C.N.C machined and pre-drilled to work with the following routers:
- Triton 3-1/4 HP Router, TRA001
- Triton 2-1/4 HP Dual-Mode Plunge Router, MOF001
- Sears 315.175 040, 050, 060, 070
- Sears 315.275.000, 100, 110
- Porter-Cable 690 series, 7529, 8529, 894 895 PK, PC8902 / 8931
- Bosch 1615/1617(fixed base only)/1618
- DeWalt 616/618, 6182, 621, 625
- Milwaukee 5615 / 5616 / 5619
- Hitachi KM12VC, M8V, Tr12, M12V
- Makita RP101, 3612C, 3621
- Elu 177
- Fein RT-1800
- Freud FT2000E
- Ryobi RE180 Plunge Base, R175
- You can drill mounting holes to fit routers not listed above
If you have a Compact or Tim router, we also offer base plates in Round and D-Handle versions for those extremely handy tools.
