Freud FT3000VCE 3-1/4-Horsepower Variable Speed Plunge Router

5 Reviews

1. What a beautiful tool.

   Put it in a table and has done everything I’ve asked it to do.

   Height adjusts easily and precisely.

   If you looking for a super router buy this one.

2. I got this router about six weeks ago an never used more than 2 minutes so it sits in the basement making me sick.I put a router bit in the collet tighten down the collet nut turned it on and the vibration was great the bit was so loose I could pull it out by hand this thing could have killed me. I called Freud help/service the man was rude and seem to be upset about some thing he did not want to hear the story why i was calling He took my name and address and said I’ll send you another collet.So please check the tightness of the bit after you installed it properly. This router has high praise from my woodworking friends and I can’t wait to use it. IF freud makes good on this faulty router I will post it. Update Well Freud did send a new collet and collet nut holds bits nice and tight.I cut up some stile and rails for doors and this router is great. I am very happy. Main use is in a router table.

3. I bought this Freud router because I already own a Freud FT2000 and have never had any issues with it and love it’s power. I didn’t want to modify the raising mechanism on my next router so buying the FT3000VCE was a logical choice since the ability to raise it from the top of the table is included. I specifically bought it to put in a router table, not as a hand-held unit. It is a little large for hand held use. The only gripe so far is that the handle to raise the router is very short and hard to turn fast. It takes many-many turns to get the router up into position to change a bit and then lower it back down into position. I will probably be modifying the handle or making one out of a hex bit and socket extension. (It doesn’t work as well as the router-raiser) Other than that, it seems like a well built router. One other word of caution though, the plastic base plate is special. It has very unique holes cut out in it for locking the arbor, and another for raising/lowering. A special plate is required because those holes protrude slightly above the base. Woodpeckers makes one specifically for the 3000. As I use it more, we’ll see how the raising/lowering mechanism works out.

4. So far, I have not had an opportunity to use this machine. I have been occupied in building a new shop. I can say that I have opened the box and inspected the router and am very impressed by the construction of it. I tested the mechanism that lifts the router bit so that it can be changed and liked what I saw. There is a wide range of motion so that it will lift it high enough so as to be able to change a bit above the table. My experience with DK tools was very positive. They shipped the router on time as they said and it actually arrived in very good condition(no shipping damage) a day earlier than they projected. I’ll add to this when I can get a chance to use it.

5. (Editted from a Fine Woodworking forum post that I wrote.)

   I’ve actually owned the FT3000VCE for about 5 months and can state that it’s a truly fine tool. I had read a Fine Woodworking review of the 2 1/2 hp and many user comments at Amazon, etc. before deciding on this 3 1/4 model. I also did the same with all the major manufacturer’s models including Dewalt, Triton, Milwaukee, Bosch and Porter Cable. My research included both the 2 1/2 HP and the available 3 1/4 HP. I was specifically interested in a table router.

   If you want a table router and are familiar with some of the more traditional routers as used in a table, then you know what the concerns and problems are (access, adjustment, dust, etc.). You probably know what features are critical (bit changing, adjustment, power and wear-and-tearability). I found that the FT3000VCE is great for all of these with one minor (and temporarily acceptable) limitation. The biggest concern I had from reading all the reviews was the impact of wear-and-tear — Triton, Milwaukee and the Freud 2/12 hp were cited as vulnerable on this with inappropriate use of plastic for wear-and-tear parts. All I can say is that Freud must have been reading those review, because as far as I can tell those critical parts have now been replaced with metal (specifically the height adjustment socket). Bit changing is above table and great! The bottom of the router (which faces up in the table) appears to be sealed from dust.

   My one minor issue is that height (depth) adjustment is a little tedious. Cranking up to expose the bit and to lock the spindle is stiff (which is good — you don’t want it shifting on you) due to the weight of the router and strength of the springs. There is no simple top release to quickly move the router up into bit-changing position. A 2-inch round knob is provided to crank the router up and down (down is relatively easy), but up is where the tedious come in — it’s not quick). I’ve temporarily accepted it (and it IS minor, though in a production environment it means lost time), but I’ve augmented that round handled crank with a properly sized allen wrench (easier and faster, but somewhat rougher on the hands). What I really want is a true crank handle which would make this a relatively quick process. If Freud doesn’t come out with one (and as far I’m concerned it should be free to early purchasers), I will soon end up making one to fit either the supplied knob or to fit on the allen wrench. (As an aside for this, I normally have a fence about 3″ high mounted on my table. The supplied cranking tool happens to bang my fingers on the metal edge of that fence — not comfortable. I don’t want to take the fence off with every bit change or adjustment and the Allen wrench resolves that because it’s about 6″ long. If the fence is off, the Allen wrench works great because I can just swing it around crank-like with the short end in the socket — as long as the bit isn’t in the way of the short 1 1/2″ clearance.)

   Aside from all this, the Freud FT3000VCE works great, has the power to never bog down even with a 3″ panel raising bit, starts smoothly and, so far as I can tell, has no runout problem at all (I haven’t measured, but my joints are precise and tight). I don’t use it out of the table, but I did try it our because I was concerned with the weight and size for a hand held. I was wrong to be concerned! I felt more in control than with any other router I’ve used including my Bosch 2 1/2 hp.

   I guess there is one other problem with that round cranking tool: It has precision indicators down to 1/254″ for height adjustment, but I haven’t yet figured out a way to make it work by itself — I have to mark a spot on the table to actually check the adjustment. This hasn’t bothered me at all (except for being puzzled about how to use it) since I always measure and check my height (or depth) on scrap before routing. I can’t say that would change even if the indicators worked as I had expected they should.

   My router table is a decent Craftsman (after I modified it with a good aluminum plate). The router had no problem mounting in the existing plate mounting holes, but I did have to drill to get access to the height and spindle lock adjustment sockets in the router base. (I had expected more problems since the plate has been out for years before the router, but from what I can tell Freud used standard base mounting holes for 3 1/4 hp routers.)