Plunge router having electronic depth adjustment

A router adapted to drive a router bit and control the depth of cut of the router bit relative to a work piece, said router comprising:

• a housing assembly having a drive motor and at least a pair of operating handles, the drive motor being adapted to drive a drive shaft to which the router bit is attached during operation;
• a base having a generally planar outer surface and a central opening through which the router bit can extend, and at least a pair of posts that are operatively connected to said housing assembly;
• a depth adjusting assembly for controlling the depth of cut of a router bit relative to the baseline position, said depth adjusting assembly including a control motor being adapted to move the router bit in the axial direction to vary the depth of cut responsive to electrical control signals being applied thereto;
• means for generating position signals indicative of the axial position of the router bit;
• input means responsive to operator manipulation for generating input signals for controlling the operation of the router;
• processing means adapted to receive said position and input signals and generate control signals for selectively operating said control motor to control said depth adjusting assembly and for controlling the speed of operation of the drive motor and to generate information signals relating to the operation of the router, said processing means including memory means for selectively storing control and information data relating to the operation of the router;
• and,
• display means operatively connected to said processing means and adapted to selectively provide a visual display of information relating to the operation of the router.