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How to choose an overhead router

Reach decides the choice between these two machines, and almost nothing else does. The distance from cutter to column sets how far into a panel the spindle can work: the NETMAK FRS 900 offers 910 mm, the NETMAK FRS 1250 offers 1250 mm. Measure the deepest point you must reach on your largest part before comparing anything else. A lock mortise on a door edge is within reach of either machine, but a recess in the middle of a full door leaf or a wide panel is the case the FRS 1250 exists for. Spindle and travels otherwise match: both machines run 9000-18000 rpm on a 12-14 mm collet.

Table size and mass

Table size follows reach, and mass follows table size. The FRS 900 carries a 790 x 970 mm table in a 630 kg frame, while the FRS 1250 carries 960 x 1220 mm at 850 kg. Those 220 kg are not a disadvantage: mass is what keeps an overhead router from moving as the spindle plunges into hardwood, and a bigger table supports a door leaf that would otherwise need outboard stands. The cost is floor space and a heavier lift into position, so confirm access and floor loading in your workshop before specifying the FRS 1250.

Pneumatic head movement

Plunge control is what makes an overhead router a production machine rather than a hand tool on a stand. The FRS 900 raises its head pneumatically, so the operator’s hands stay on the workpiece and each plunge repeats at the same rate instead of depending on how hard the lever was pushed. Pneumatic operation also means the machine needs compressed air alongside its electrical supply – plan the compressor and the airline into the installation, not after it.

Power supply and installation

Plan the electrical supply before delivery. The FRS 900 is specified with a 3.2-4 HP motor, a rating that belongs to a three-phase installation in nearly every workshop, and both machines run spindle speeds of 9000-18000 rpm, which implies a frequency-controlled or high-frequency spindle drive rather than a simple switch. State the supply available in your shop – and whether you have compressed air – when you request a quote, so the correct configuration is quoted rather than corrected on site.

Floor space and extraction

Allow space around an overhead router equal to the largest panel you will place on it, not to the table. A 960 x 1220 mm table on the FRS 1250 will hold a door leaf, but the operator still has to turn that leaf, so leave clear working area on at least three sides. Extraction should be planned with the machine: routing at 9000-18000 rpm throws fine dust at head height beside the operator, and a hood connected to a chip extractor is the only practical control. Air lines, ducting and the electrical feed should all reach the same position.

Tooling and cost drivers

Budget cutters, collets and templates alongside the machine. Both NETMAK overhead routers take 12-14 mm collets, so tooling is straightforward, but production work depends on the template and clamping arrangement far more than on the router itself: a lock-mortise jig, hinge templates and reliable workpiece clamping decide cycle time and repeatability. Across this pair the price driver is reach, table size and frame mass – 910 mm and 630 kg against 1250 mm and 850 kg – plus tooling, delivery and installation. Because both machines are quoted rather than sold at a published list price, describe the parts you machine and we will recommend the FRS 900 or the FRS 1250.