Thread: Fixed base routers in Australia?

Fixed base routers are much more stable than plunge routers and overall better suited to edge work; such as machining a roundover on a table edge or entering a workpie from an edge. Plunge routers by their nature are top heavy and generally have much narrower bases; however because they will do anything a fixed base can do plus they can safely enter a cut from above they have become more popular overall.

I have a Makita 3601B; it is used exclusively for edge work and certain types of jig like my dovetail jigs. I also have several plunge routers so I get to use the most appropriate tool for the job every time; but if I had to get rid of them all bar one I think I’d keep my biggest 1/2” plunge.

Originally Posted by DustyBuilder

Or did plunge routers make this style go extinct for a reason?

Two reasons I suspect: safety and versatility. Imagine trying to route a pocket into a piece of timber with that thing. How do you even do that without the bit biting and causing the router to kick?

Carbatec used to sell US made (I think ?) Porta Cable fixed base routers . I didn’t even know they were called fixed base till now . They stopped selling them In the 1990s though . I bought two back then and they still go very well. They have guts and are well made . Reason I bought two was I made a tenoner using two big Makitas on a rolling carriage , I paid to get one reversed . The cutters from Carbitool ( one reversed as well ) were huge and broke the Makita spindle . Hairline crack in the cone where the collet fits . That’s one brand new dead Makita . So I went out and got the two Porta cables . No probs from then on . Makita had moved over to the new one nut one spanner type collet they still use . And ditched the older two spanner job . The new set up, which is very good . I still use a few . I just don’t put stupid big cutters in them .
This was the cutter that broke the Makita . 50 mm wide x 32 high cutters .

IMG_3093.jpeg

And that’s the Porta Cable . No speed control but other models will probably have that . If you shop in the US .
IMG_3094.jpeg IMG_3095.jpeg

You'd probably have to drill out a starter pocket with a forstner bit. Or chop out a starting hole with a mortise chisel or something. Or just use a plunge router.

Good question.

Plunge routers seem to be absolutely dominant in Australia, NZ, UK and continental Europe. By some quirk the Americans seem to prefer fixed base routers. And that is the way of the world!

Chief Tiff says he has a Makita 3601b fixed base router. Sydney Tools is advertising that model at $699 each. They sure are rare here.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Good question.

Plunge routers seem to be absolutely dominant in Australia, NZ, UK and continental Europe. By some quirk the Americans seem to prefer fixed base routers. And that is the way of the world!

Chief Tiff says he has a Makita 3601b fixed base router. Sydney Tools is advertising that model at $699 each. They sure are rare here.

Graeme

I agree and the fixed base machines seem to be much more expensive than comparable plunge routers. I have a small DeWalt with both fixed and plunge bases. As Chief Tiff points out the fixed base machines are more stable. This is particularly true of the Triton plunge router which I only use beneath a table as it always appeared extremely top heavy the few times I used it handheld. Effectively all the trim/laminate routers are fixed base and they lend themselves well to one handed operation, but must be considered light duty.

The only fixed base router that seems to have been available over an extended period of time in Australia is the Makita D-handle machine you and the Chief mentioned, which is around 1½HP so a middle of the range tool and in various guises has been around since the eighties or maybe even earlier. It is expensive, although they do crop up in the secondhand market.

Makita 3601B.jpg

Importing a fixed base machine from the US, such as the large Porter Cables, is impractical for most of us because of the incompatible electricity frequencies. In addition, the exchange rate is poor and the shipping cost prohibitive.

Regards
Paul

Almost all trimmer routers would fit into the "fixed base router" category. (oops Paul beat me too it. I shouldn't open multiple tabs and not refresh them)

The major benefit of the "plunge router" design is the ability to take multiple light cuts with larger bits by simply using the multi depth stop feature most have. Much safer, easier on the machine and operator.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Good question.

Plunge routers seem to be absolutely dominant in Australia, NZ, UK and continental Europe. By some quirk the Americans seem to prefer fixed base routers. And that is the way of the world!

The yanks seem to hang onto things even when newer or better designs are available. Must be their Puritan genes!

Originally Posted by DustyBuilder

The yanks seem to hang onto things even when newer or better designs are available.

Like metric?

Yes! Give the yanks a choice between metric and measuring things in terms of how many washing machines long it is, and you know what they're going to choose!

I sill have a D handle Makita 3601B fixed base router sitting unused .I bought it many years ago to do a job I was tasked with ,however managed to achieve that job without having to use the D handle.

They are exxy but as with the Makita name a good product.

Originally Posted by jack620

Like metric?

The irony is that the imperial system started off as a metric system 2,000 years ago.

When the Roman legions marched off to conquer Britain and everywhere else in the known world, every soldier tooks steps of exactly the same length. This is still true today - marching steps are precisely defined. Now, when a sergeant says "left" that is one step, when he says "left, right" that is one pace. When the Romans marched for 1,000 paces that was called a "mille" - a prefix later adopted into the metric system. Many European systems used milles or miles until Napoleanic times. But in the dark ages things got complexed, the length of a mile varied between countries, counties and even towns.

I use my old man's Towa Heavy Duty Router Model R-320 same as this one ? So they were available in Aust. at some stage. It doesn't actually work that well upside down in a table, the locking mechanism comes loose and with no soft start it's quite a hairy experience all around. Definitely more stable than a plunge router when hand held. router.jpg

Bosch makes GOF 1600 router with GKF 1600 fixed base