Thread: Makita RP2301FC, Unilift and Wixey Height Gauge.

If you've already got the TRA001 then I wouldn't waste any money buying another router for the r/table.

But I would recommend a second router for hand held use, as you don't want to be ripping the one router from the table all the time and putting it back after you've finished using it.

Originally Posted by hitch

My router table build is almost complete (at last) and I have had a new Unilift and Wixey Height Gauge in storage awaiting installation for about three years now.

I have in mind that I may upgrade my Triton TRA001 to the Makita RP2301FC and interested in comment/experiences regarding it's suitability as a dedicated in table router and it's compatibility with the Unilift and Wixey Height Gauge.

I have had the Triton TRA001 for quite a few years but have used it little and so remain very much a routing novice.

Pro's and Con's of the Makita RP2301FC used in table as above very much appreciated.

What Waldo said, and to take the router off the unilift will be a job I would not recommend as it is not as easy as you think. I can't think of any reason why one would upgrade a Trion TRA001 router unless it was giving trubble, it's the biggest and most powerfull router out there and parts are available from carbatec. For hand held router use I'd go for the Makita or the Bosch and get the 12.7mm collet so I don't have to buy another set of router bits.

SB

Thanks Waldo and Superbunny for you responses.

The Triton TRA001 has not yet been installed in the UniLift and I have two other routers for hand held operation - DeWalt DW621 and Makita 3707FC Trimmer -neither has had any use yet. I have been acquiring tools and machinery for some years now toward the much anticipated day I could establish my workshop in the shed in my avatar. That day has arrived.

I agree the Triton is a very good router however, as documented in these forums, some complications do arise when used with a UniLift and Wixey Height Gauge as I plan.

I'm just in the process of putting my wish list together for the router table I'm going to build.

It was suggested to me that the Makita RP2301FC would be a far better router to use than the Triton.

The person doing the suggesting sells neither of the routers so had no conflict of interest in the suggestion, other than personal opinion.

I have a Makita 3600 BR or is that a BR3600 that I was going to replace as it has 2 spanners to change bits, but with a collet extension I will be able to change bits with a hex key above the table, so I may just stick with the old girl.

If I do buy another router, it will be the RP2301FC.

Hi Geoff and thanks for the information.

I'm pretty satisfied the RP2301FC is a good choice however before lashing out I would like to hear user experiences in general and particularly regarding the following-

In-table bit changing - how simple or fiddly is it? Do you need to muck around under the table to achieve it? (I guess, based only on what I have read in these forums, I am not a fan of collet extensions).

Are there any issues powering the RP2301FC through a remote on/off switch?

I understand a 'special' procedure is necessary to mount it on a UniLift - is that correct?

Are there any issues regarding chip and dust clearance and collection? I seem to recall reading somewhere that there may be!

I know that most of these are pretty basic questions that I should be able to decide for myself following an inspection/test of the tool - problem is the nearest store to me likely to have a RP2301FC in stock is 100k's away. I don't go there very often.

The UniLIFT comes with a plate full of holes for mounting a router to it, it's a simple thing of reading the manual to find which set of corresponding holes mate up with it.

Originally Posted by hitch

I have in mind that I may upgrade my Triton TRA001 to the Makita RP2301FC and interested in comment/experiences regarding it's suitability as a dedicated in table router and it's compatibility with the Unilift and Wixey Height Gauge.

I have never understood the desire to combine the TRA with the Unilift, given that the Triton has its own built-in lifting mechanism. Putting a Triton in the Unilift removes the above-the-table bit-changing facility (a key feature for me) as well as the automatic spindle-locking for bit-changing.

It's difficult to understand how the purchase of the Makita RP2301FC could be considered an "upgrade," as the Triton is specifically designed for inverted use, whereas the Makita is not. The Makita has 2mm greater plunge depth, it's true, but this will be immediately lost in the 8mm depth of plunge sacrificed by the fitting of the router in the Unilift.

The Triton has no cooling slots in the horizontal base (they're in the vertical plane of the motor housing), whereas the Makita has several, with the obvious potential of dust and debris ingress when inverted and stationary. Incidentally, the Makita has two downward-facing LEDs, another indication that the design is mainly intended for hand-held use.

Using a digital gauge is all well and good, providing that everything else is perfect. This includes the stability of the table construction, flatness of the top throughout the cutting area, etc. Many woodworkers make precision joints without ever having seen a digital gauge, yet it seems that there is a growing number of woodworkers who imagine that the inclusion of such a gauge will somehow make the task of routing easier. A gauge is only as good as the ability of the router to lock the required setting and to remain stable in the table mounting.

Given that the OP already has the items in question, this response may sound more than a little negative. That's not the intention, which is to say that not all equipment is automatically compatible with any other and that some combinations can actually be counter-productive. I would keep the Triton inverted in the table and sell the Unilift, using the return to invest in good-quality router bits.

Originally Posted by hitch

I have had the Triton TRA001 for quite a few years but have used it little and so remain very much a routing novice.

If it helps, I wrote a page on basic routing and safety a while ago. It's here if you find the time.

Ray

How does a UniLIFT reduce the ability to change bits above the table?

Or the spindle locking feature?

The beauty of the UniLIFT is it gives absolute precise height for the r/bit. I for one see the money spent on a UniLIFT as a massive benefit for routing in a table. Prior to it the Triton couldn't keep the height or reduction in height as it would jump. A TRA001 for me is it's robust design (trumped by my Hitachi TR12 out of the table) and variable speed. And with a height gauge it's even better.

Of course my opinion is just that, but there's a million ways to do things.

Originally Posted by Waldo

How does a UniLIFT reduce the ability to change bits above the table?

Or the spindle locking feature?

Surely, for the Unilift to be efficient, the router must be fitted into it at its maximum plunge depth. If that's the case, then the collet would not appear above the table enough for bit-changing, given the 8mm Unilift base thickness.

If the router is plunged far enough to engage the spindle lock, the power would need to be off at the router switch, because it will not plunge that far without doing so. Then the router would need raising within the lift which - in my mind - negates the purpose of the lift.

As you state, just an opinion.

Ray

Thanks Ray and Waldo for your responses.

Ray, I agree with and respect your comments should I be hell-bent on keeping the TRA001 - but I am not. The UniLift combined with the Wixie height gauge properly installed will, I believe, provide far greater accuracy and repeatability than the TRA001 alone. I have a Wixey on my saw table and it is just brilliant - no question.

Your description of the process of above the table bit change with the TRA001 is a complication I wish to avoid. It would appear that installed in a UniLift that awkward process could be amplified. My aging body can do without all that under table mucking around.

I have made the investment in the UniLift and Wixie combination because I believe it will provide best ease of set-up and level of repeatable accuracy. The question going through my mind now is what is the best router to drive that configuration. I have had doubt about the TRA001 being best for the job and you seem to have confirmed that.

Horses for courses.

My question is what is the best horse for my course - is it the Makita RP2301FC?

Originally Posted by hitch

… My question is what is the best horse for my course - is it the Makita RP2301FC?

I would look into fitting a fixed-base router for exclusive inverted use in a Unilift, for a number of reasons:

• The router has less component parts, so less to go wrong
• Usually, for the same money, fixed-base quality tends to be better than plunge
• A plunge mechanism is a total waste in a lift, as the router will never use it
• Fixed-base motors fit directly to the base, so no run-out caused by flex in plunge posts
• Fixed-base machines tend to be easier to remove from lifts for maintenance, etc.

One down-side I'm aware of with fixed-base machines is that some types of release mechanism are better (more reliable) than others.

This may well be moot if fixed-base machines are not available in Australasia. The Milwaukee 5625-20 seems to be a great fixed-base router. On their website, they state: "The Milwaukee brand is marketed and supported globally by AEG with 20 Sales and over 400 Service Companies throughout Europe, the Nordic Countries, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, the southern portion of South America and Asia."

Ray

Thanks Ray, that's very good advice. Guess it's the router novice coming out that I had not already considered it as an option. I will do some research on fixed base router availability in Aus.

If you fit a Makita, or some other router, into a Unilift can you change bits without doing anything below the table?

I've got my old Triton TRA001 in mine and just assumed there was no point changing it because all routers would have the same problem, and apart from that it is an excellent under table router.

[QUOTE=rayintheuk;1421039]I would look into fitting a fixed-base router for exclusive inverted use in a Unilift, for a number of reasons:..............

This may well be moot if fixed-base machines are not available in Australasia. ..... "


Ray, I have done the research and it would appear the only fixed-base router available in Australia is the Makita 360IB which appears to me to be unsuitable for my application. If anyone out there has different information I would appreciate hearing about it.

I was becoming quite enthusiastic about the Milwaukee 5625-20 but Google search failed to identify a 240 volt version anywhere that I could consider purchasing. The local Milwaukee "agent" was of no assistance.

Back to the drawing board.