DeWalt Plunge Base review

A couple of years ago, I upgraded my woodworking game with the DeWalt DW611 compact router. As far as DeWalt tools go, the plunge base router is a great one. But, it does have some limitations, particularly when trying to make cuts on the interior of a piece, like when cutting shallow holes to hold phones, candles, and drinks in a bathtub tray.

After making one of these trays, I decided to upgrade again with the DeWalt Plunge Base for Compact Routers (available at Amazon for $81.99) . This is a replacement base that the motor housing slides into that turns the stationary palm unit into a fully-functional DeWalt tools plunge router.

When I bought it, I thought it was going to be mostly for a few specific tasks, and that I’d continue using my palm router like normal for most projects. However, the base itself is so much more stable than the compact router that I find myself using it as my default router platform now.

Even without the plunge functionality, the double handles and wider platform make routing feel safer and more comfortable. This is one of those tools I didn’t think I needed, but I wish that I had bought originally.

About the DeWalt Plunge Base for Compact Routers

• Weight: 3 pounds
• Materials: die-cast aluminum base and motor housing with rubber handles
• Base: Clear Lexan polycarbonate
• Depth stop features Five position adjustable turret stop assists and micro-fine depth adjustment
• Warranty: The DeWalt plunge router base is covered by DeWalt's three-year limited warranty, with one year of free service and a 90-day satisfaction guarantee

What is a plunge router?

A router is a tool that spins bits of various shapes and sizes that you then run along a piece of wood to make a certain style of cut.

Traditional fixed-base routers can raise and lower, but they can’t do it while running, which means you can’t easily make vertical cuts into wood. For example, you can’t plunge the bit into the wood. If you’re careful, you can still make shallow plunge cuts by lowering the entire router onto the wood while running, but that can lead to jagged cuts and is difficult to control.

The DeWalt plunge router base is designed to make those cuts easy. The motor and bit assembly slide up and down metal posts attached to a fixed base that remains flat on the board. This allows the bit to plunge into the wood from a stable platform.

Once you reach the depth that you want to cut at, you can move the base with the comfortable handles to hog out whatever material you need.

What’s more, plunge routers have depth stops built in to ensure that you can cut at the exact depth that you want, over and over. This makes repeating depths in multiple locations or across different project pieces simple and fast.

The DeWalt plunge base for compact routers is an accessory that you can purchase to turn a corded or battery-powered DeWalt palm router into a plunge router.

To use it, slide the motor and bit housing out of the standard base that comes with the router. Then insert it into the plunge base, and lock it down. The palm router now has all of the functionality of a dedicated plunge router.

What we like

The DeWalt Plunge Base Router is easy to set a precise depth

I believe in reading the user manual for power tools, and I did, but honestly, this plunge base is so simple to use that I didn’t need to. The depth stop is an independent metal rod that slides up and down, with a measurement gauge attached to it.

To set the depth, unlock the depth stop rod, put it all the way down, and then push the bit down to the surface of your board. Set the measurement pin to zero by sliding it up or down. Then, slide the depth stop up until the measurement pin is at the depth that you’re looking for and lock the stop into place. It’s simple and it’s precise.

It offers good control and is comfortable to use

I bought this base because I wanted to make plunge cuts safer and cleaner, but what I wasn’t expecting was how much better control the base gives the router on many other cuts.

I like to think that I’m pretty good with a palm router, and am happy enough to freehand some of my cuts with it. I certainly never felt out of control when using it.

But adding the plunge base to the router makes it feel like an entirely different tool.

There’s less skipping and pulling when the bit catches, and there’s less of a tendency for it to wander away from the cut lines.

It also takes far less effort to use. Every time I use the palm router, I have it in a death grip so I don’t drop it. By the time I’m done, my hands are usually exhausted.

But with the DeWalt plunge router base, I feel like I can relax a bit. My grip is firm, of course (it is a power tool, after all), but I don’t feel like I have to squeeze with all my might to keep it under control.

This reduces the energy I spend using it, and gives me confidence in my own safety.

It offers rigid durability

One concern I had when purchasing a replacement base rather than a dedicated plunge router would be how solid the machine would be. My concern was primarily if the slide rails would wiggle front to back or side to side as the router moved up and down.

However, the plunge base is solid as a rock.

The aluminum construction keeps the unit lightweight while still providing plenty of strength. There’s no noticeable flex in the machine as it operates.

The components are all well-built and rigid on the platform, so I have no concern with the bit wandering off of my intended line. That quality construction and solidity also likely translates into longevity for the product as a whole.

What we don’t like

The lever can be hard to move

The plunge lever that allows you to raise and lower the bit is easily accessible, but it’s a bit sticky. When you press it down, unlocking the router, it takes a little bit of extra force to jar it loose from its position.

This is the only time when using the machine that I feel like I might accidentally scar the wood. Other larger, dedicated plunge routers that I’ve used are much easier to get started. Once the router is loosened, however, the raising and lowering is extremely smooth.

I’ve found that it’s best to raise the router a half inch or so to jar it loose and then go down to the new depth, rather than trying to go straight down from the start.

Should you buy the DeWalt Plunge Base for Compact Routers?

Yes, it makes routing easier

If I knew what I know now, I would have bought the plunge base when I originally purchased my palm router. I haven’t had it all that long, but I already consider it a must-use accessory for most routing projects.

The improved control and precision that it provides makes my woodworking time feel safer and have a better result. Not only that, but it’s easier and more comfortable to use.

For those of us with limited space or limited budget, it’s nice to have one tool that can perform these multiple functions, rather than having dedicated palm, fixed, and plunge routers.

The only reason I can see upgrading to a dedicated plunge router at this point is if I start doing projects that simply require more power than the palm router provides, such as flattening large slabs in a router sled.

But for everyday plunge routing, like cutting mortises, grooves, or trays in projects, the plunge base for the DeWalt compact router is more than enough for me.

$82 at Amazon