Model 7518. This industrial-quality router features an electronic five-speed 15 amp motor with a range from 10,000 to 21,000 RPM. Strong enough to maintain constant speed under load and outfitted with a soft start to avoid sudden surges. The specially engineered 1/2" collet...
Details
Model 7518. This industrial-quality router features an electronic five-speed 15 amp motor with a range from 10,000 to 21,000 RPM. Strong enough to maintain constant speed under load and outfitted with a soft start to avoid sudden surges.
Features
- Weight 15.5 lbs
- 15 Amps, AC only
- Electronic five-speed with soft start 10,000, 13,000, 16,000, 19,000, 21,000 RPM
- Maintains constant speed under load
- 1/2" collet
Instructions / MSDS
Articles & Blogs

Custom Nautical Art by Bill Gildea
Bill Gildea pictured with his wife Reen, is a self-taught woodworking entrepreneur of Custom Nautical Art, creating works of art for homes and yachts using exotic woods and shell marquetry.

The American Woodshop Season 26 Showcases a History in Wood
The American Woodshop co-hosts Scott and Suzy Phillips will focus Season 26 of their long-running PBS television show on a history in wood with custom creations from independent woodshops across the country. Thirteen new episodes will begin airing Saturday, January 19. Check your local PBS station for airtimes. Woodcraft is proud to continue our sponsorship of The American Woodshop.
Reviews
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Excellent Router for Table Use
I bought the Porter-Cable 7518 to augment my Dewalt 616 because I needed an adjustable speed router to turn large bits; also, this seemed to be the best router available for table use. It's mounted to a Veritas steel table top and a shop-made stand. The 7518 is well-made, quiet, heavy and powerful. It produces lovely cuts with very large (e.g., 1-1/2" diameter) bits. Users will also appreciate the soft-start feature, the large, well-placed handles and ease of adjustment. One caveat: be sure the base of your new 7518 has insulated handles--Porter-Cable recalled the base without insulated handles because of shock hazard. If you do end up with an uninsulated base (as I did), Porter-Cable will replace it quickly and for free. I got mine 2-3 days after calling their service center.
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Excellent machine
The router of choice for the Kreg Router Table Lifter. No additional bushings to buy. Kreg ships the lifter ready to accept the 7518.
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ROUTER OR SHAPER?
While shapers do have their place in the shop for things like production moldings and large kitchen projects. This router placed in a Pinnical router lift and mounted in a cabnit (we built one simular to Norm Abram's) it is simply amazing. Doing a small kitchen project with ogee raised panel doors of white ash, we used the Freud quarda cut raised panel cutter and were able to make the cuts in 2 passes without bogging the machine down. I have 2 teen age son's that are learning to do the cabinetry business and I feel that they are safer learning on this setup than a shaper, but in my opnion this machine will handel most any task that the shaper does in routine cabnit or furniture making. jb
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Easy to use and lots of power
Perfect for a router table with a lift
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Excelent product...
Is a powerfull machine, but i buy to install on my table router. i don't install, because need an insert special, very expensive... i has buy...
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No chance required
There are many fine, heavy-duty and powerful routers today. In my opinion, the PC is the industry standard. My previous router-table router was the Ryobi RE600. For 17 years, the unit performed well. If I could have changed anything, it would have been the height adjustment control. Like many plunge routers today, it used a threaded rod to adjust the height. I much prefer rotating the motor, in a fixed base, like that of my PC 690. Using the threaded rod proved to be extremely slow for gross adjustments. The PC also has a host of accessories for the unit as do many 3rd party manufacturers. Another issue with the Ryobi was the lack of accessories. Accessories exploit the potential of any power tool. They should not be under estimated.
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Porter-Cable Model 7518 router
This router is permanently mounted to my router table which is used all the time. The best thing I believe is the 5-speed motor so it works great with every size router bit.
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All the power you'll ever need
This router has more than enough motor to power through any project I used it on. It was definitely the right router for my needs.
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Wow! This is everything it advertizes!
I purchased this to make my own raised panel doors and can't believe how well it works!
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horsepower, was a boatmotor in past life
The speedmatic is the most rock solid router I've ever used, both in the table and by hand. I use it in a jig I made for cutting dadoes with the table plate as the base plate. It sits rock solid as I slide it through the jig. I feel like I almost have to check that its cutting because it doesnt bog down and it moves so smoothly.
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very well constructed
I use the router as a "fixed" unit for my router table. Plenty for power for the largest bits. Although the adjustment feature is pretty good, I would give it 5 stars (instead of four) it had a more sophisticated fine tune adjustment feature.
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Excellent in router lift
I got this to mount in my Woodpecker router lift. It works far better in the lift than my 2 hp Bosch or 1.5 hp Porter Cable. The smaller routers are better for hand-held use, this one really shines in the router table. I've been using my huge panel raising bit on quarter-sawn oak, and it does not bog down at all. Don't plan on ever using it outside of the router table, the base is nice and hefty but if you need this much power for a handheld router, you need to re-think what you're doing. Quality is excellent, well worth the money.
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