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Porter-Cable 690LR 11 Amp Fixed-Base Router | 
| Brand: Porter-Cable
Category: Home Improvement
Department: Tools, Auto & Industrial
List Price: $287.46
Buy New: $110.00
as of 9/9/2010 00:36 CDT details
You Save: $177.46 (62%)
New (20) from $110.00
Seller: bigransom
Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 1393
Color: NA
Media: Tools & Hardware
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 9.5
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 9.3 x 7.4
MPN: 690LR
Model: 690LR
UPC: 028877597744
EAN: 0028877597744
ASIN: B00005QEVQ
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Powerful 1-3/4 HP motor generates 27,500 RPM for easy routing | | • | Easy, precise coarse adjustments via the cam lock lever | | • | Dust-sealed switch and ball bearings increases durability | | • | Measures 12 x 5.5 x 8-5/8 inches (LxWxH) and weighs 8 pounds | | • | Includes router motor, fixed base, 1/4- and 1/2-inch collets, collet wrenches, and operating manual |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
The Porter-Cable 690LR 11 Amp fixed base router utilizes a hefty 1-3/4 HP motor to generate a mind-blowing 27,500 RPM for ultra-precise cuts. The micrometer depth adjuster keeps things incredibly precise to 1/128 of an inch. To ensure years of top-notch performance, the 690LR is equipped with a dust-sealed switch and sealed ball bearings to keep dust out. The included collets will accept 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch shank bits. Routing is made easy with the dual, ergonomic rubber handles strategically mounted on the router for easy, comfortable operation.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
 The production shop standard August 2, 2004
Luke T. Evans (Fairfax, VA United States)
40 out of 40 found this review helpful
Walk through any production cabinetmaking or woodworking shop and you'll probably see 7 out of 10 workers using Porter Cable 690 routers. Most pro woodworkers own several (one guy in my shop owns 23, but he's not normal), and have them equipped with the most commonly used bits and production set-ups. Durable, capable, and simple in concept and design, the 690 is hard to beat.
The new lever release adjustment clamp is nice, but a lot of people prefer the older turn-key type. I've found that the turn-key types tend to strip out over periods of extended use, but it is easier to get finer adjustments with them. If you get the lever type, keep it lubricated and adjusted (not too tight) and you'll find it works just fine.
Lots of people seem to be unhappy with the updated switch placement, and I must say it is a little annoying, but not so much that it outweighs the other qualities of this fine router. The older toggle switch sure was nice, though. It could probably be retrofitted quite easily.
Due to the widespread use of this router, there are many jigs and templates available for it, certainly more than any other router. The Porter Cable plunge base that is available for this router is decent and durable. Like everything else Porter Cable, it is simple and not flashy. That's fine with most pro woodworkers, since most know that function beats style any day. You can save some money by getting this router without the plastic case (the router with case kit is $139 at Home Depot/Lowes, but the router itself is only $112 on Amazon, a smokin' deal). The case isn't very useful anyway, as you have to wrestle to get the router to fit in it, and there's no room for bit/template storage, etc.
What else can I say? If you need either a starter router or need to supplement you existing production capability, pick up a Porter Cable 690 router. Why stop at one? Buy several!
the perfect first router December 2, 2002
Jeff Wells (South Bay, CA USA)
38 out of 40 found this review helpful
I have the older 1.5hp version of the 690. I haven't used the updated one but the basics are the same. It glides through wood without hesitation regardless of the bit style or depth(within reason of course). It spends 95% of it's time in my router table where it lives quite happily. In this application, I find it to be ideal for my hobby needs. Even the older screw-type motor lock works well.
If you are looking for a first router or one to put under a table, look no further, you've found it. The only thing that is a drag is having to use two wrenches to change bits, but not many routers in this class have a spindle lock. The collet design is outstanding, by the way, so you don't have to worry about bits sticking.
Dovetail Maker June 14, 2002
John Zottoli (Gainesville, Ga. USA)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is a nice little router. It is an excellent companion to the Porter-Cable Omni-Jig dovetail machine. It's about medium weight, as routers go. It is well balanced. The low mounted handles allow the user total control while routing. When cutting, it sends the sawdust in the direction of about 8:00, instead of in your face. The template guides for this router (sold seperately) will fit all Porter-Cable routers, and are very likely the easiest to install in the industry. The depth ring is very easy to use. It's measured in 1/32". That's one of the reasons that it's so compatable with the Omni-Jig... It's also set up on a 1/32" system. The only drawback that I have found with this router is the location of the on-off switch. It's a little bit awkward. Outside of that, This is a good little router. I am well pleased.
J. E. Zottoli
good quality router November 10, 2006
813 Slappy (Tampa, Florida)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
As a vocational instructor at a residential treatment center for abused and abandonded children I have used this particular router for many years without any problems other than the base lock on the old style. At our voc. center we have 3 in use. One in a router table, one set into an ext. board on a Delta table saw with a 30" uni-saw fence and one for general use. In my personal shop I use 2 of this particular model. This is not the only routers I use but a real god basic tool easy to operate and well built.
GREAT ROUTER - LOOK NO FURTHER June 9, 2008
George - Liverpool, NY
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Being a do-it-yourself homeowner, over the years I've owned many tools. However, until purchasing this Porter Cable 690LR router, I had never owned a router before. I had always wanted one but could never justify making a purchase. Heck, my idea of fine woodworking usually entailed 2x4's, wood screws, and glue. But there came a day recently when I decided to take on the project of making cabinets for my kitchen. For this project a router was an absolutely essential piece of equipment for making dovetail and dato joints in hardwood and hardwood plywood. It was also necessary for decorative finishing like chamfering and rounding edges, etc.
After doing some research, (after all I knew nothing about routers), I decided to take a chance on this Porter Cable product. From the reviews, it seemed like a solid product, so why not? After receiving it from Amazon, I was very impressed with the quality of the tool. It was very simple and well made. It came with both a 1/4" and a 1/2" bit collar to hold either 1/4" or 1/2" shaft size bits. It also came with two stamped steel wrenches used to tighten the nut on the collar to the nut located on the bottom of the motor part of the assembly. When tightened, these two nuts securely hold the bit in the router. It has a fixed aluminum base which has two handles, a built-in clamping mechanism, and a plastic screw-on bottom plate that allows the base to smoothly glide over wood. It also has a top assembly which includes the motor, on/off switch, and on the bottom the part that the base slides and rotates over. If you don't know about routers like I didn't, fixed base routers cut at fixed depth as opposed to plunge routers which can plunge into the work for applications like making letters in wood signs, etc. However, cut depth on fixed base routers like this PC 690LR is completely adjustable with an infinite amount of settings within its range of depth. It adjusts by releasing the easy to use clamping mechanism on the base by and rotating the base relative to the top.
For routers, as long as your router has enough power for your application, and this one absolutely did for mine, accuracy and ease of cutting depth adjustment is THE most important aspect of fine router woodworking in projects like making cabinets, etc. With this PC 690LR router's accurate turning and clamping mechanism, I would have to say that depth adjustments of less that 1/64th of an inch and perhaps less than 1/128th of an inch are absolutely possible. I was very impressed with the extreme accuracy of depth adjustment obtainable with very little effort in this tool. Needless to say, the dovetail joints fit perfectly together and dato joints were cut excellently-very tight with no variations.
The base on this router has a black band on its top that you can see in the pictures. It is a rotatable dial graduated in 1/64th of an inch increments designed as a reference guide to allow for changes in depth adjustment.
This router does not have a variable rotation speed setting-rotation speed is fixed at 27,000 RPM. You can easily attach this router to a factory made router table or, as I did, to a make-shift router table made of plywood and set on top of my table saw base stand. This is accomplished by removing the three screws that hold the plastic base plate onto the aluminum base, removing the plastic base plate, and by using the same 3 screws or 3 longer screws to fasten the aluminum base of the router to the bottom side of the router table top. (To more easily accomplish this and other things like tightening the nuts, the aluminum base of the router easily detaches from the top motor assembly after the clamping mechanism is quickly loosened.)
To cut 1/2" dovetail joints you will need to purchase a 7/16th" router template guide bushing adapter that fits into the bottom of the plastic base. This will slide into the 7/16th" template guide that you will use in a dovetail machine or by itself (I used only the template guide screwed to a 2x6 as I didn't want to spend the big bucks for an official machine) to cut 1/2" dovetails.
To sum it all up, this is a terrific router because of its quality, accuracy, and easy to use features. It is well worth the money Amazon is asking for it. You may find cheaper and for that matter, more expensive routers on the market that I know will not work better and many probably not nearly as well. But if fixed base router applications are in your future, this is the router to get.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
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