Porter-Cable 691RS The Ultimate Router Workshop

by Porter-Cable

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Assembled with the shop craftsman in mind, the Porter-Cable utimate router workshop comes equipped with everything you need for your home shop. The Porter-Cable 691 router has a D-handle with the power switch mounted right where you want it. The 11 Amp, precision-machined aluminum motor delivers 1-3/4 horsepower and 23,000 RPM without fail. The router provides accurate micrometer depth-of-cut adjustment. This set also includes a plunge base, another fixed base, a motor mounting bracket, a router table miter gauge, and a compact, 19-3/4-by-16-3/4 inch router table. A clever auto-release collet system pops bits right out without tapping or coaxing. Other features are a 2-1/2-inch dust port on the rear cutter guard and a split-fence design. Additionally, the set comes with 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch collets, two collet wrenches, and an operating manual.

What's in the Box
Router motor and base, 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch collets, two collet wrenches, and operating manual.

Amazon.com Review

This is like an amusement park for the woodworker, right out of the box. The trusty Porter-Cable 691 router has that wonderful D-handle with the power switch mounted right where you want it, and it delivers 1-3/4 horsepower and 23,000 rpm without fail. Add to that the plunge base, one of the best in its class, yet another fixed base, and Porter-Cable's own router table. Porter-Cable's clever auto-release collet system pops bits right out--no more tapping and coaxing. We've always liked Porter-Cable's accurate micrometer ring-depth adjustment, too. The table is a nice, compact 19-3/4 by 16-3/4 inches, big enough for your work piece yet not a space hog. We were impressed with the 2-1/2-inch dust port on the rear cutter guard as well as the split-fence design, and the miter gauge rode snugly in the slot on the model we tested. --Kris Jensen-Van Heste

See all Product Description

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 20 x 30 inches ; 57 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 50 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000226AT
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 691RS
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #380,194 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete package, high quality tools, August 16, 2000

By 

Ken Crosson (Kennesaw, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Porter-Cable 691RS The Ultimate Router Workshop (Tools & Home Improvement)

On assembling the table I was impressed by the solid feel ofall the parts. No wiggle, no wobble (and very easy to put together, too). The 1 1/2 HP motor (more than powerful enough for hobbyist/do-it-yourself work) pops in and out of the three mounting brackets (D-handle, plunge, and table) with ease, but feels as solid in each as if it were permanently affixed. The guard attaches to a dust collector with a standard 2 1/2" opening for the hose on your shop vac/dust collection system, so it does a pretty good job of keeping itself clean. Even the tolerances of the miter gage are above what you might expect in this price range.

... (By the way, this model can accomodate bits up to 2 1/4 inches, which for me is more than enough. If you are going to need/want to use bigger bits this product won't suit you. For non-professional needs, though, I can't imagine what more you could ask for.)

Of course, if you had to sacrifice quality to get that kind of a deal, it wouldn't be worth it. But Porter Cable's routers are as good or better than anything else on the market, so there is no sacrifice. I am usually more reserved in my praise of a product, but I really don't see a downside.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Router is awesome, table sucks, December 20, 2000

By 

Rodney Brown (Lakewood, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Porter-Cable 691RS The Ultimate Router Workshop (Tools & Home Improvement)

I love the Porter-Cable 690 series routers. They are powerful, easy to handle, and the accessories make them flexible enough to be used about anywhere. So I thought that PC would probably have a decent router table to match the fine router. Wrong. The table itself is sturdy, but the fence is useless, the miter guide and slot are sloppy, and the router plate screws are cheap and poorly aligned. With the fantastic quality of table, fence, and miter system designs that are available in any woodworker magazine, consider spending on some plywood before you waste your money on this table.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Waste Your Money or Your Time, May 18, 2001

By 

Andy W. (Loganville, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Porter-Cable 691RS The Ultimate Router Workshop (Tools & Home Improvement)

Thought I was getting a deal when I purchased the 1-1/2 hp P-C plunge router set with table. You get what you pay for. No problem with router but the table is VERY sub-standard. The fence adjustment is LOUSY. One wing nut holds each sliding fence and is almost impossible to get it square to the working surface due to the slop in the design. Too much wasted time is spent both aligning the fences to the table and to each other. The lightweight construction (cheap) allows the table to move around quite a bit when running material thru...be sure to clamp/bolt it down before use. The miter slot is rough and the slide is sticky. The table top is rough and left some deep scratches on my pieces. Be sure to sand it with emory cloth before running any pieces on it. The only minor positive is the dust chute works semi-adequately when connected to the shop vac.

In hindsight, I should have bought the PC router alone (4-star) and looked elsewhere for a quality built table. Now I'm forced to use it until I can build one that is suitable or afford to buy a better one.