Bosch 3605510554 Plunge Router Vac Adapter

by Bosch

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The plunge router vac adapter is an accessory for Bosch router model 1613EVS.

Product Description

Features: Used w/ Vacuum Hoses (VAC005, VAC006, VAC007, VAC008) or Vacuum Hose Adapter (VAC002) - Includes: Mounting Hardware - Specifications: Part Number: 3605510554, Used on Model No. : 1613, 1613EVS, 1614, 1614EVS, Sales Pack Quantity: 1, Engineering

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000223GP
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 3 605 510 554
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,915 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A necessary evil, November 16, 2000

By 

Michael H. Young (ILLINOIS, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bosch 3605510554 Plunge Router Vac Adapter (Tools & Home Improvement)

A router's greatest strength, and among its largest liabilities, is its ability to quickly turn waste stock into dust. There are better solutions when the router is table mounted, but your options are limited when you work freehand.

The vac adapter mounts on top of the router base with two knurled thumbscrews. Thumb and forefinger are all the tools I need to install or remove the adapter. The symmetrical mounting allows you to install it pointing away from you, or toward you, displacing the clear guard temporarily. Like all vacuum ports in or above the base, dust collection is effective only for face cuts; you'll still need a side cup to collect the chips on edge cuts.

The port is a non-standard size, or at least it didn't fit anything I had in the shop. I epoxied a universal adapter to the end so I could connect my shop vac hose.

Its location above the base plate means you have to remove the bit before installing or removing the adapter. It would be an unusally short bit that would clear the small space remaining. No matter which way you point the outlet, front or back, I found it difficult to change bits with the adapter installed. Pointed out the back, it set the router on its wobbly, round part of the base. Sticking out the front, it took minor contortions to get at the collet lock. Removing the adapter to simplify bit changing is not an option; it goes on before the bit, and comes off after the bit. The best solution I found was to set the router (a 1613) upside down on a short length of 2x4. This fits nicely on the flat spot between the power cable and the micro-adjuster.

The smallish throat further limits the size of bit you can mount, and also your visibility. Even so, it's a minor improvement over leaving the view obscured by chips and dust.

One last surprise came while cutting a dovetail slot. First, the vacuum was effective at removing the chips so the bit wouldn't burn. The surprise was the shriek made by air rushing through the small gap left between the adapter throat and the collet. The dovetail bit is rather short, so the plunge was almost at the router's limit, putting the collet right at the top of the adapter. This reduced the throat size to where the air rushing in shrieked loud enough to obscure the shop vac's whine.

Overall, the vac adapter does what it was made to do: pull chips from face cuts. It won't help appreciably on edge cuts, and you'd be tempted to remove it if you didn't have to pull the bit first. It's effective enough on face cuts to tempt you into installing it. So, sometimes it's mounted; and other times I don't bother. I wish for a better solution.