Trim router or full-size for cabinet doors, went back and forth all month

I do kitchens and baths in the Richmond area, and I had to pick between my small trim router and borrowing my buddy's full-size for a set of shaker doors. The trim router felt easier to handle on the rails, but it bogged down on the final passes through oak ply. I ended up using the big one for the panel grooves and the small one for the cleanup edges, which added an hour but saved my arms. Has anyone else run a two-router setup for doors, or do you just stick with one and deal with the weight?

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noahbaker1d ago

How much material are you actually removing on that final pass with the trim router? Like are we talking a full 1/4 inch groove in one shot or are you stepping it down? I run shaker doors too and the bogging usually comes down to bit size and how deep you're going, not just the router itself. A small router with a sharp 1/4 inch upcut spiral and three shallow passes can handle oak ply better than one heavy cut on a big router. But if you're doing a stacked set all day, the arm fatigue thing is real and the big base does help with tipping on those narrow rails. So are you stepping down your passes or trying to hog it out?

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