Buy the Bosch 1617EVSPK if you want one router that runs a dovetail jig well and still does everything else; buy the Makita RT0701C if the jig is the main reason you are buying a router at all. The 1617 wins because it ships with both a fixed and a plunge base and both collet sizes, so it can take whatever dovetail bit your jig's instructions call for. The RT0701C wins on value and on handling — a compact router is easier to keep flat on a narrow jig template than a two-handed machine is.
This is not the general router ranking. If you are buying a router as your main shop tool, read best woodworking router and the router buying guide first. This page answers the narrower question people actually ask when a dovetail jig is already in the cart: which router will run it without fighting you.
Why depth adjustment is the specification that matters
On a hand-cut dovetail, fit is decided by where you saw and pare. On a jig, fit is decided by how far the dovetail bit projects below the base. Raise the bit and the joint gets tighter; lower it and it loosens. The whole adjustment range between “will not go together” and “falls apart” is a few hundredths of an inch, and you find it with test cuts.
Which means a router whose depth you set by loosening a clamp and sliding the motor is actively unpleasant on this job, and one with a fine-adjust screw is a relief. Every router on this page has a usable adjustment mechanism; the differences are in how fine it is and whether you can reach it with the router sitting on the jig. We walk through the test-cut sequence itself in how to cut dovetails with a router, which is the page to read alongside this one.
Fixed base, not plunge
A dovetail jig is a template-following operation at a constant depth. You set the bit once and make every cut at that height, which is exactly what a fixed base is for. A plunge base will do the job, but it adds height, adds weight at the top of the tool and gives you a depth setting that can drift if a lock is not snug.
The practical answer is to own a combo kit and leave the fixed base on for jig work, which is what the Bosch 1617EVSPK and DeWalt DW618PK both offer. If you already own a plunge router, you do not need another one — lock it down and get on with it. The trade-offs in general are in plunge versus fixed base.
Collets, bits and bushings: check these three before you buy
The collet.Dovetail bits for jigs come in 1/4 in. and 1/2 in. shanks depending on the jig and the bit set, and a few jigs specify 8 mm. A 1/4 in.-only router cannot run a 1/2 in. shank bit, and there is no adapter worth using in that direction. If you do not yet know which bit your jig wants, a router with both collets removes the question — see router bit shank size for why the bigger shank is the better one where you have the choice.
The speed range. A dovetail bit is small in diameter, so it wants high RPM. Every router here publishes a variable-speed range that covers it; the compact routers reach higher, which is a genuine advantage with a 1/2 in. dovetail bit in hardwood. Our router bit speed chart gives the diameter-to-RPM relationship, and it is worth two minutes before the first cut.
The guide bushing.Most fixed-template jigs work by running a guide bushing (a template guide) against the comb. The bushing has to fit your router's sub-base, and bases differ between brands. Read your jig's instructions for the bushing size it requires, then confirm your router accepts that bushing — either natively or through an adapter sub-base. This is the single most common reason a jig arrives and does not get used that weekend.
Power is the one thing you can stop worrying about
A dovetail cut removes very little material. The bit is small, the pass is shallow, and the stock is usually 1/2 in. to 3/4 in. drawer material. A 1.25 HP compact router has more than enough for this job, which is why a compact router sits second on this page rather than last. Horsepower matters on a router table with a large panel-raising bit; on a dovetail jig it is close to irrelevant.
What does matter is weight and balance, because you are running a router across a narrow template with part of the base unsupported. A lighter router is easier to keep flat, and keeping it flat is what keeps the sockets a consistent depth.
The five side by side
Published listing specifications for the five routers ranked above. Read the collet column first: it is the only one of these specifications that can make a router unable to run the bit your jig specifies.
| Router | Power | Speed range | Collets and bases |
|---|
| Bosch 1617EVSPK | 2.25 HP | 8,000–25,000 RPM | 1/4 and 1/2 in., fixed + plunge bases |
| Makita RT0701C | 1.25 HP | 10,000–30,000 RPM | 1/4 in., compact fixed base |
| DeWalt DW618PK | 2.25 HP | 8,000–24,000 RPM | Fixed + plunge bases, soft start |
| Bosch Colt PR20EVS | 1.0 HP, 5.6 A | 16,000–35,000 RPM | Palm grip, fixed base |
| DeWalt DCW600B (20V MAX) | Brushless, cordless | 16,000–25,500 RPM | 1/4 in., fixed base, tool only |
The cordless question
A cordless compact router is a pleasant thing to use on a jig: no cord to drag across the template or catch on the clamp handles, and the cut is short enough that runtime never becomes the issue. The DeWalt DCW600B is listed as a bare tool, so the real price is the tool plus a battery and charger if you are not already on that platform — worth checking against the live prices in the table above before you decide it is the cheap option.
One caution that is specific to this job rather than to cordless tools in general: dust. Dovetail bits throw chips straight up into the jig, and a cordless router with no extraction port leaves you blowing chips off the template between cuts. Chips under a guide bushing are a real source of a joint that fits on one end of a drawer and not the other.
Bits: buy the one your jig specifies, then buy a spare
A fixed-template jig is designed around a specific dovetail bit angle and diameter, usually printed in the instructions and often supplied with the jig. Substituting a bit of a different angle changes the socket geometry and the joint will not fit, however carefully you set the depth. Buy the specified bit.
Then buy a second one. A dovetail bit has a narrow neck and it is the one profile most likely to snap if you take too much in a pass or feed into the cut rather than across it. Our router bit roundup covers the general question of bit quality, and router bit types explained describes where a dovetail profile sits among the rest.
What about a router table?
Through dovetails can be cut on a router table with a jig designed for it, and some people prefer it: the router is stationary, the workpiece moves, and there is no balancing act on a narrow template. It is a different workflow rather than a better one, and it needs a table and a fence you trust. If you are weighing that, start at best router table— and note that a table changes the horsepower calculation, because a table-mounted router gets used for big bits too.
Where these numbers come from
The horsepower ratings, amperages, speed ranges, collet sizes and base configurations above are the manufacturers' own published listing specifications, recorded when we researched each router and cited per router in Sources. Guide bushing compatibility is not in that data and we have not tested it — that one you check against your jig's instructions and your router's sub-base, which is why this page tells you to do so rather than claiming a fit. We do not run a lab; our methodology page says so. Prices come from the live price feed and carry the date they were pulled.
