Makita 3612C 1/2" opinion

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Hi all, I recently bought the above router and having now used it a few times, am able to report back, if this is of interest.

Its 1850w and 6kg. Very heavy! I love the fact that its heavy because its own weight holds itself down on the wood. With 1/2" cutters the machine is well in control unlike lighter machines where they might feel slightly less stable. Its noticably quiet compared to my old Bosch 900! The plunge on this router is the easiest and smoothest of all that I tested by far. Theres very slight play in the plunge bars but this goes when you lock it up. The on/off is fine but is dead man trigger. The fine height adjustment is light and accurate to work albeit a bit close to the main body. Depth stop is good because it is on a screw thread so doesnt work its way down.
Cutter changing is straightforward.

The downside and its a big one is the fence. The bars are way too short and the fence arrangement is rubbish for such a dear router. The only reason I bought this router with this awful fence is that I can buy an aftermarket micro fence from Brimarc that will fit the Makita. Its costly at about £130 but for me I need this fence precision. A slight niggle also, is the motor brake. The router snatches a bit when you switch it off.

All in all I like the router for me because I need precsion on fine height adjustment and on the fence(which the Brimarc one brings)
But the total cost to me will be router at £240 + fence at £130 = £370!!



From all the other routers that I looked at, I think I would be tempted to go for the De Walt 625 I think it is. This despite the over hyped image and slick marketing that comes with this banana coloured piece of kit!

I quite liked the Trend T9, especailly the fence but thought the build felt a bit cheap. Spares and gadgets are good on this one though.

So, there it is, I've no regrets with the Makita 3612C. Its a rolls royce feeling router ,quiet and effortless! but comes with a naff fence!!

If you want to look over one of these Routers ,B+Q Warehouse stock them. They are open till 9pm, they are on open display and you can go and fiddle with them without a saleman breathing down you neck!

Regards

[Admin Note: Moved to 'Tool Reviews' section]
 
Matstro, regarding the coment about the circular base.

If the base is perfectly circular, which it probably is, then the radius from the cutting edge of the bit to any part of the base will be exactly the same, so as long as any part of the base is touching your straight edge you should be able to wiggle and twist your way across the board and still leave a perfectly straight cut.

With a sraight base if you twist at all, the bit moves and knackers the cut.

Try it out on a bit of scrap and let us know how you get on.
 
Graham,

You clever person! No I never thought of that! Of course your're dead right. I'll have a look in the morning.

Something else glaringly obvious learned on a forum leaving me feeling like a dunce!!

In my defence, I'm not really into routers and only use them very seldom mainly with the fence ie not for joinery and furniture making applications.

Regards
 
Graham,

Yes, dead right. Ignore that bit in my review!

Charley, can you take that bit out cos it makes me look a bit silly?!!

Regards
 
Hello Matsro,

I have seen your conversation on the router fence.

I was luckily given the Makita router 3612C with no fence. I am close to ordering a new one (took ages to find!!!) have now seen what you think about it.....

Would be good to chat to you about this and your experience would be handy on buying a new fence plus a base plate for router table.

Let me know if you get this message....

Regards
Neil
 
Woodworthy, i doubt the OP will respond as one it looks like their account is no longer in use. Due to the fact their name is black and you cannot click on it. And 2nd the thread is nearly 10yrs old ;)
 

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