Hi Guys,

I am new to woodworking in general but have taken a shine to it, I am currently trying to make an storage cabinet and I need to purchase a router but am a bit confused as to which one do I buy, what is the difference between 1/2" and a 1/4" router?

any help on this matter would be great.

1/2 and 1/4 inch router refers to the size of the shank of the cutter and to the collet that holds the cutter.to confuse things a little more some routers have an insert which allows you to use 1/4 inch shank bits in a 1/2 inch router.most routers are 1/4 inch and are perfectly suited to most jobs.i hope this helps.

Hi Wigglewood, Welcome to woodworking
Many of the better routers come with both 1/4 and 1/2 collets. A few of the bigger bits ie for door making, are only available in 1/2". Also important is the horsepower of the router. If you can try to get at least 2 hp so you can handle the bigger routing jobs when needed. Opiewan is correct in saying 1/4 will work fine for most jobs.
Just my opinion
Arnold