best budget friendly palm router
- Thread starter Roboboyo
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pgrbff
Established Member
Yes, I saw that too and although I wasn't sure if theUS and European models were the same it pushed me towards the Bosch. I went looking for a 1/4" collet for my European version it appeared the UK and European version collets are different.
stuart little
Established Member
I have one mounted as a Mini milling machine, used mainly for milling aluminium - excellent tool. I also have an Erbauer version which I intend to use in a mini router table.
skeetstar
Established Member
I've got the corded Makita, can't fault it. However given the type of construction which shrouds the cutter, a light would be nice, I think some of the other brands include a light? The excel tool at the top of the page looks just like the Makita original.
Katsu for me, I've got a couple of Makita cordless tools so I have the batteries already. If you are in the same position, the convenience of a cordless hand router is worth it. Big caveat though, there are two versions of the Katsu cordless, one significantly cheaper and closer to the price of the corded version. Don't get that one unless you want a digit remover; the quality is terrible, especially on the rack and pinion "engravings" which are mostly for show and non functional, no LED, and it shockingly doesn't have a safety button feature.
Plump for the more expensive one (which also has LED lights and safety button feature), usually sold with the accessory kits. I've also seen the original Makita versions come up on Facebook every now and again for decent prices. I've pretty much never used the tilt base but it's nice to have if for someday when I might need it. I do use the guide bushings a fair bit but the tapping for the captive screws on the plunge base are softer than cream cheese and I've had to file the screw heads down to make the base sit flat against the workpiece.
Plump for the more expensive one (which also has LED lights and safety button feature), usually sold with the accessory kits. I've also seen the original Makita versions come up on Facebook every now and again for decent prices. I've pretty much never used the tilt base but it's nice to have if for someday when I might need it. I do use the guide bushings a fair bit but the tapping for the captive screws on the plunge base are softer than cream cheese and I've had to file the screw heads down to make the base sit flat against the workpiece.
Lonsdale73
Established Member
I had a Katsu for AGES afore actually trying it out; it was brilliant, especially for its size. I used it with an improvised radius jig to cut perfect circles and it worked a treat. Only 'issue' was having to keep moving the mains cable out of the way and I suppose I could have addressed that easily enough by hooking the cable overhead. However, that wasn't nearly as satisfying as splashing out on Dewalt cordless version. Costing nearly ten times as much as the Katsu, cord issues aside, I can't say it performs vastly better than the Katsu.
My Katsu router was purchased 4 years ago to be used on a DIY basis. At the time I expected it to be of a lower quality and "just in case" purchased a spare speed control and armature bearings. This has proved to be a waste of money as none of these spares has been needed.
Would it be reasonable to say that lights seem to be found far more frequently on cordless tools?
This is a good application for it:
On his, the whole base blate slides, but you could equally make the fence slide on a fixed (but tiltable) baseplate.
skeetstar
Established Member
Chai, now I come to think about it, yes lights seem to be on cordless tools, not corded.
That's actually a really good idea, I dont have a table saw and getting accurately angled rip cuts with a track saw can be a faff. I can see with a fenced tilt base you can slap any panel to an angled one and use a trim bit to take off the excess. Could even add a dust port to that fence.
Cool, with something like that I can now call my cabinets mid-century modern and deliberately wonky!
skeetstar
Established Member
Just for info, I bought one of the excel bases for my makita palm router. 10ukp odd including p and p. It doesn't work. The little cog wheel used to adjust depth of cut is wider than the makita one, so it jams up in the serrations when you try to use it. It may work on the excel router, but it won't if the excel is an accurate copy of the makita. The unit is well enough made, though finish is less than on the makita as you'd expect. I've ordered a makita replacement gear wheel, which I'm confident will solve the problem, cos the excel mechanism is otherwise a direct makita copy.
Overall for the price of a new gear wheel (if it fixes the problem) at 6 ukp the excel base is a bargain. I'll let folks know how it goes when the new gear wheel is fitted.
Overall for the price of a new gear wheel (if it fixes the problem) at 6 ukp the excel base is a bargain. I'll let folks know how it goes when the new gear wheel is fitted.
skeetstar
Established Member
Well the Makita spares gear wheel fixed the problem, the unit works perfectly now.
If you are in the same boat as I was, you just need the gear wheel. I bought a new wheel and the shaft it sits on in case there was some incompatibility.. there wasn't, all the excel bits were the same as the Makita parts.
If you are in the same boat as I was, you just need the gear wheel. I bought a new wheel and the shaft it sits on in case there was some incompatibility.. there wasn't, all the excel bits were the same as the Makita parts.
Matt Simpson01
Member
Another vote for the Katsu (corded).
Bought mine brand new and boxed off Marketplace for £25.
Bought mine brand new and boxed off Marketplace for £25.
Does that excel base fit a makita router ? It looks like a bargain if it is (and i'll be ordering!)
Yes.
Be aware that the excel one to which you link is equivalent to Makita 195562-2. The only place the cutter can go is in the belt-driven sub-spindle. There is no way to adjust cut depth other than by varying how much of the cutter projects from the collet.
There is also an excel one which has the same plastic base but has the equivalent of Makita 196613-4 on top of it. The cutter goes in the router motor itself. It was reported above that the gear for height adjustment in the excel one was too wide to mesh with the rack cut in the Makita body.
That’s a shame but thanks for the heads up
