Thread: Triton routers

Must have had a dud. Mine is still going strong 7 years down the track. I cant get myself to use anything but a triton router in a table. Bit changes on most of the others are just plain annoying. The MOF is a better designed router for table use than any of the big guns including festool, metabo, and the hitachi.

Where do I start? Single spanner single hand bit changes, variable speed, dust extraction that works....
Also the MOF has a very inexpensive raiser kit.

Personally I would not have repaired it. Would have bought another one and kept the old one for parts!


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Originally Posted by routermaniac

Must have had a dud. Mine is still going strong 7 years down the track. I cant get myself to use anything but a triton router in a table. Bit changes on most of the others are just plain annoying. The MOF is a better designed router for table use than any of the big guns including festool, metabo, and the hitachi.

Where do I start? Single spanner single hand bit changes, variable speed, dust extraction that works....
Also the MOF has a very inexpensive raiser kit.

Personally I would not have repaired it. Would have bought another one and kept the old one for parts!

I hear what you say about the advantages of the MOF001 routermaniac and can't disagree. However having researched the subject within this forums pages I have come to the conclusion that the early model batches such as yours may well have come from are fine but later production very definitely have problems and that includes armature spares. At around $280 plus another $40 freight I cannot afford to risk another failure ... my confidence in the product just isn't there so buying another new one .... no way.

For the small amount of routering I do in a year I can buy a very low use Hitachi TR12 for, at most $150. My experience with Japanese made Hitachi is excellent .... and should it fails after a while I can still get another.

Originally Posted by maggs

Here's the photo's of my TR12 with Router Raizer and Incra plate fitted. When the Raizer is fitted you can leave the lift springs installed. Height adjustment is both above or below table.

Thanks Maggs ....it will now come in handy as I have, just this morning managed to buy a Hitachi M12V which although 8 years old has only been used once and it was within my budget and specification for a Japanese made router.

Now, what to do with a Triton MOF001 with a seemingly defunct armature??

Thanks for all the replies and comments on this and other threads,,,,really really useful

David

Well here we are March 12th and the "new" Hitachi has arrived. I have finished up with a Hitachi M12V made in April 2003 and had about 8 hrs work then was put away in storage. This is like a new machine....barely run in. Fantastic buy at $280 which was what it was going to cost for yet another armature in the Triton MOF001.

Opening up the parcel I was more and more delighted at my purchase off Trademe. It is just about as good as it could be from the factory just a bit of wood dust to prove it has actually turned a Router bit. I assembled the handles and .... gripping the beast firmly after reading about the power of these models I thumbed the switch ..... just like a Rolls Royce purring away from the kerb and softly going through the gears ... chauffer driven .... unbelievable. I think Triton must have missed the soft start out of the MOF001 because that experience was like putting the foot down and dropping the clutch in on a clapped out banger by comparison.

Switching off the Hitachi just ran its revs down smoothly and quietly with no fuss at all.

No doubt about it Hitachi build a quality machine.... I am delighted and think we are going to get on just fine.

I have e-mailed Triton, wherever they are but given other folks experience with them I hold faint hope of ever hearing from them.

David

Cannot shake the Triton - well the cutters at least. I have the same cutters - quite reasonable actually.
Pity about your router experience. I have a TRA001 mounted in the table for 10 years now and have made a lot of stuff using it. I also have the MOF001 which has only had little use as I mostly use another router for hand held.
The Hitachi should serve you well. It is a good router and at $280 it was a steal.
Regards
Les

Originally Posted by lesmeyer

Cannot shake the Triton - well the cutters at least. I have the same cutters - quite reasonable actually.
Pity about your router experience. I have a TRA001 mounted in the table for 10 years now and have made a lot of stuff using it. I also have the MOF001 which has only had little use as I mostly use another router for hand held.
The Hitachi should serve you well. It is a good router and at $280 it was a steal.
Regards
Les

Thanks for your post Les. It just seems to confirm any Triton Router of 10 years and over seemed to be ok but, from the last 7 odd years to date problems with the armature abound.

Good to hear the Triton router bits are ok ... they seem to be pretty right, might have to touch up the ones which have been used but otherwise they are in good shape.

Next problem is Ive been out in my shed pondering fitting the Hitachi to the Triton Table and .... it just isnt a 'goer' so its going to have to be 'make a new table' which is probably not a bad idea.....but means the Triton Table will have to go on Trademe. One thing after another.

David

Do you have the Triton 2000 gear David? The earlier ones (to my knowledge) were universal so you could put any brand in that you wanted.

Originally Posted by Treecycle

Do you have the Triton 2000 gear David? The earlier ones (to my knowledge) were universal so you could put any brand in that you wanted.

Hi Treecycle .... I have the RTA 300 and the RSA 300 as per photos. Yes the underside of the Router plate has clamps which fit so they can clamp more or less any router but .... very fiddly to get them centered satisfactorily not that I have ever tried as of course I did have, once or twice anyway a Triton MOF001 which secures quickly and neatly to the plate.

Looked at mounting the Hitachi on it but decided its a lot easier to make a new table .... got some good ideas today off You Tube ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7A5bhLiPXc

I especially liked his reason for tilting the table top forwards and not backwards ....logical really. Now the only problem is ..how to mount the Hitachi so it can be removed easily ... well a chap on You Tube has come up with a champion, simple way of doing it .... why can't I think of such things??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXWHJA-vJIM

Thats for me......

David

That is a completely different setup to what I had in the earlier models, so many bits and pieces on that table. You might want to have a look at this thread from way back which talks about mounting of routers in a different ways to how mine was mounted. https://www.woodworkforums.com/f15/router-table-rta300-mounting-bracket-41903
Just found a photo of how the router was mounted on the early models http://jackclark55.webs.com/bench%20leg.jpg The bottom part of the bracket was fixed solidly to the table and pushed up firmly against the base of the router. The top clamp section was held down using the wingnuts and if you want to remove the router you just loosen the wingnuts and slip the clamp bars out of the way. The bases will still be in place so that you can place the router back in the exact same position when you remount it.
Did you get my email on Thursday night?

Originally Posted by Bosham

Thanks for your post Les. It just seems to confirm any Triton Router of 10 years and over seemed to be ok but, from the last 7 odd years to date problems with the armature abound.

Good to hear the Triton router bits are ok ... they seem to be pretty right, might have to touch up the ones which have been used but otherwise they are in good shape.

Next problem is Ive been out in my shed pondering fitting the Hitachi to the Triton Table and .... it just isnt a 'goer' so its going to have to be 'make a new table' which is probably not a bad idea.....but means the Triton Table will have to go on Trademe. One thing after another.

David

David, see my latest thread in this forum that I have posted regarding my new router table just finished.
Les

Originally Posted by Bosham

Hi Treecycle .... I have the RTA 300 and the RSA 300 as per photos. Yes the underside of the Router plate has clamps which fit so they can clamp more or less any router but .... very fiddly to get them centered satisfactorily not that I have ever tried as of course I did have, once or twice anyway a Triton MOF001 which secures quickly and neatly to the plate.

Looked at mounting the Hitachi on it but decided its a lot easier to make a new table .... got some good ideas today off You Tube ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7A5bhLiPXc

I especially liked his reason for tilting the table top forwards and not backwards ....logical really. Now the only problem is ..how to mount the Hitachi so it can be removed easily ... well a chap on You Tube has come up with a champion, simple way of doing it .... why can't I think of such things??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXWHJA-vJIM

Thats for me......

David

Those red clamps in your first pic were used without the mounting sub plate which you now have attached. They will certainly fit a TR12.

Originally Posted by Chrism3

Those red clamps in your first pic were used without the mounting sub plate which you now have attached. They will certainly fit a TR12.

The table is coming along ... the top itself is nearly finished and ready to fit the fence once its made. The Hitachi I have arranged to fit directly onto the table plate ... figuring 4 screws is easy and wont be a great hinderance in taking the outer out. I have alloy rods ready to fit for the alternative method as per the video. Busy now on the legs and support work for the top.

Love the Hitachi ... what a smooth machine .... the soft start is particularly impressive, gentle as ... beats the Triton into the far distance no comparison at all, if only I had known.

David

Originally Posted by Bosham

The table is coming along ... the top itself is nearly finished and ready to fit the fence once its made. The Hitachi I have arranged to fit directly onto the table plate ... figuring 4 screws is easy and wont be a great hinderance in taking the outer out. I have alloy rods ready to fit for the alternative method as per the video. Busy now on the legs and support work for the top.

Love the Hitachi ... what a smooth machine .... the soft start is particularly impressive, gentle as ... beats the Triton into the far distance no comparison at all, if only I had known.

David

Curious as to why the guy in the video uses nuts instead of female knobs to lock his fence etc.